By Lauren Merola, Max Olson, Austin Meek, Jim Trotter and Nicole Auerbach<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been 26 years, but finally, no one has it better than Michigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Wolverines rushed for 303 yards and held flame-throwing Washington<\/a> quarterback Michael Penix Jr.<\/a> in check to emerge as the College Football Playoff national champion with a 34-13 defeat of the Huskies on Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston. The win marked Michigan\u2019s first national title since 1997 and the completion of a long-anticipated return to the top of college football under head coach Jim Harbaugh.<\/p>\n The Wolverines, who entered the night ranked second in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game, held the Heisman Trophy runner-up Penix to 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 27-of-51 passing, well below the usual output from the nation\u2019s passing yards leader (4,648). Washington\u2019s explosive offense finished with just 301 total yards, as injuries to Penix and running back Dillon Johnson<\/a> limited the Huskies\u2019 effectiveness.<\/p>\n Michigan running back Blake Corum<\/a> finished with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns to set the school\u2019s single-season touchdown record (28), padding the margin after backfield mate Donovan Edwards<\/a> scored the first two touchdowns of the game, nearly doubling his own season total in one quarter. By the time Michigan held a 14-3 advantage with 2:23 to go in the first quarter, it had 115 rushing yards. Washington had allowed only two rush plays of 40-plus yards all season before Monday, when it let up three such rushes in the first half, including Edwards\u2019 two touchdowns.<\/p>\n 41 YARDS TO THE HOUSE \ud83c\udfe0<\/p>\n Michigan’s Donovan Edwards strikes first in the #NationalChampionship<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5 @espn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SCuRDbtWRV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 9, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Washington appeared to regain some momentum by cutting its deficit to 17-10 before halftime, but Penix threw an interception to Michigan defensive back Will Johnson<\/a> on the first play of the third quarter, then hobbled to the sideline after a lineman stepped on his ankle during the play. The Huskies defense came up big, with the help of two Michigan penalties, to surrender only a field goal and keep the game within reach. Down 27-13 with less than five minutes to play, Penix tried to thread a pass to wide receiver Jalen McMillan<\/a> on fourth down but was picked off by Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil<\/a>, who ran it back 80 yards before Corum punched in the final score of the night.<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel like it came down to executing,\u201d Penix said. \u201cI missed a couple of throws, just a couple of reads on routes and stuff like that. Just small details within our system that we do great all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/p>\n Wasserman: Most beautiful part of Michigan’s season is it was unapologetically itself<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n After the game, Penix had noticeable trouble walking off the field but said that \u201cno matter what, I was going to make sure I finished it for the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not healthy, but I\u2019ll be there. I\u2019m good. It\u2019s nothing major. I know that for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cI talked with the doctors and stuff like that. It\u2019s nothing major. If I had to play tomorrow, I\u2019ll play.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI\u2019m just super proud of this team and how far we\u2019ve come, always being the underdog. This is the only time you all were right, but we were able to fight and push through so much adversity and just people doubting us and not believing us throughout the season. To get to this point, it\u2019s a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n Michigan finally broke through and brought home a national championship in a year that at times felt more like a wild season of reality TV. This team had the right stuff to finish the job after consecutive CFP semifinal losses in 2021 and 2022, won its third consecutive Big Ten title thanks to gritty wins over Penn State<\/a> and Ohio State<\/a>, kept fighting for an overtime triumph against Alabama<\/a> in the Rose Bowl and, in its biggest test yet, shut down Washington and its prolific offense. This was a special team on a path to destiny.<\/p>\n And that path was littered with drama, from Harbaugh serving a three-game suspension to start the season to the in-season investigation into Connor Stalions\u2019 impermissible signal-stealing operation to another three-game Harbaugh suspension served up as his team landed in State College, Pa. Through it all, no matter who was coaching or who they were playing, these Wolverines were undeterred. They had the No. 1 defense in college football, experienced leaders who refused to lose and the poise to play their best in their biggest games. \u2014 Max Olson, college football senior writer<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/p>\n Jim Harbaugh finally reaches title game, but what it means and what’s next still a mystery<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Edwards has a reputation for showing up in big moments. He wasn\u2019t much of a factor for much of this season, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry in a limited role. But in the national championship game, big-game Edwards reappeared in stunning fashion.<\/p>\n Edwards opened the game with a 41-yard touchdown burst and scored again on Michigan\u2019s next drive with a 46-yard run. Edwards laid the groundwork for Michigan\u2019s victory, and Corum finished it, plunging into the end zone from 12 yards out to give the Wolverines a two-touchdown lead.<\/p>\n The two-headed rushing attack Michigan envisioned with Corum and Edwards didn\u2019t materialize for much of the season, but it showed up in the biggest game of the year. Both players topped 100 yards on the ground, with Edwards rushing for 104 and Corum rushing for 134. When the Wolverines run the ball that way, nobody can stop them. \u2014 Austin<\/em> Meek, Michigan beat writer<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/p>\n Meek: Michigan’s ‘Run the Damn Ball’ ethos paid off with a national championship<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Statistically, it was not the worst performance of Penix\u2019s brilliant season. But considering the stakes, it felt like it.<\/p>\n One week after putting on a dazzling performance in a College Football Playoff win over Texas,<\/a> Penix was beaten and beaten down. The pinpoint accuracy and explosive plays that wowed observers against the Longhorns<\/a> were nowhere to be found Monday night.<\/p>\n He appeared in physical pain by the end, though the loss of a perfect season likely hurt more. There were opportunities for big plays, but Penix was uncharacteristically off on several opportunities. And when he was on target, he was hurt by dropped passes. \u2014 Jim Trotter, senior writer<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/p>\n Michael Penix Jr.’s journey isn’t only about football — it’s overcoming fear<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n It looked early like Michigan was going to run away with the game \u2014 literally, after two Edwards touchdown runs of more than 40 yards. But credit Washington\u2019s defense for its resilience and toughness for allowing the Huskies to hang around in this game, even with Penix not nearly as crisp as he was a week ago in the Sugar Bowl.<\/p>\n After all the fireworks in the game\u2019s first 17 minutes, Michigan went punt, turnover on downs, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt; the longest drive the Wolverines put together only went 41 yards \u2026 until that touchdown drive at the midpoint of the fourth quarter that resulted in a Corum touchdown and put Michigan up by two scores. \u2014 Nicole Auerbach, college football senior writer<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/p>\n Stewart Mandel\u2019s too early Top 25 for the 2023 college football season<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Monday night\u2019s game was such a bittersweet moment for the Pac-12 conference. The Huskies finally broke through to reach the CFP and snap a seven-year drought for the conference, then win an exhilarating semifinal to reach a national championship game \u2026 and it\u2019s the very last game for the Pac-12 as we\u2019ve always known it, with 10 of its 12 teams set to depart for other power conferences next season. This Washington team has been a blast to watch all season, as was the entire Pac-12, with surging teams like Oregon<\/a>, Oregon State<\/a> and Arizona<\/a> and the national phenomenon that was Colorado. It\u2019s a tough pill to swallow because it feels like if the Pac-12 had the season it did this fall a year or two ago, its demise would have never happened. Alas.<\/p>\n But the Big Ten is excited it will boast both title game participants as league members come August. A national championship game rematch will be a Big Ten conference game, on Oct. 5. \u2014\u00a0Auerbach<\/em><\/p>\n (Photo: Maddie Meyer \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
What the title means for Michigan<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nEdwards shines when the spotlight is brightest<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nWhat happened to Penix?<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nCredit Washington\u2019s defense<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nA Pac-12 swan song<\/h2>\n
Required reading<\/h2>\n