the College Football Playoffs the semi-finals got off to a thrilling start as No. 3 TOS held to beat No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in a wild, high-scoring Fiesta Bowl.
The combined 96 points marked the highest point total in Fiesta Bowl history and the second-highest total in any college football playoff game.
TCU will face the winner of the Peach Bowl game later Saturday between the No. 1 Georgia and no. 4 ohio state in the national championship game in January. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Here are the highlights from the Fiesta Bowl.
Fiesta Bowl: TCU 51, Michigan 45
… here we go !
On the first scrimmage play, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards shot through the TCU defense for a 54-yard run.
HUGE booth
Shortly after the big run, the Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy scrambled to the TCU 2-yard line on third-and-7. Michigan elected to go there on fourth down but were denied their turn by the TCU defense.
Choose six!
TCU went after goal line position three times, but then disaster struck Michigan.
On the first play of possession that followed, McCarthy’s pass was intercepted by safety bud clarkwhich set the pick back 41 yards for a TCU touchdown.
bully ball
Michigan went three times after pick six.
The Horned Frogs staged a 12-game touchdown that ended with a trio of runs from the quarterback Max Dugan, who threw for 38 yards on the drive. TCU took a 14-0 lead.
chaotic sequence
McCarthy hit the tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and Colston Loveland for a pair of combined carries for 48 yards and set up a 42-yard field goal from the kicker Jake Moody.
On the first play of TCU’s next possession, Duggan’s pass was knocked down and intercepted by a defensive back Rod Moore. Then McCarthy hit the wide receiver Romain Wilson for what was originally a 49-yard touchdown. After further consideration, however, Wilson was ruled out at the 1 yard line.
Then linebacker Kalel Mullings came for the porterage and fumbled. TCU recovered the loose ball for a touchback.
TCU rolls
After forcing Michigan to punt, TCU set up a 10-play touchdown drive, capped off by Duggan avoiding a sack and getting the ball to the wide receiver Taye Barber, who ran into the end zone. The score gave TCU a 21-3 lead.
HUGE FG
Defensive pass interference gave Michigan the ball at the TCU 41-yard line with five seconds left in the first half. Michigan brought out Moody to attempt a 59-yard field goal, which he made.
TCU led 21-6 at halftime.
Camara catches the wolverines
Michigan wanted to execute a screen pass on third down. But the corner of the horned frogs Abe Camara Read the game before the snap, blast it to get a tackle for the loss and force Wolverines to settle for three to make it a 21-9 game in the opening minutes of the second half.
The former receiver makes the grab instead for INT
Mike Sanristil came with the ball after TCU Drius Davis blew it up, giving Michigan the interception and the ball in TCU territory.
Flea-flick your way backto the game
Three plays after the interception, Michigan went for the home run. A perfectly executed chip flicker allowed Bell to open deep and fire a 34-yard touchdown to make it 21-16.
TCU Strikes Back
The Horned Frogs made sure they didn’t return the ball to the Wolverines just five minutes away. On the first play of the next drive, Duggan found his most reliable receiver, connecting with Johnston for a 46-yard catch.
five pieces later, Emari Demercado ran for the 1-yard score to give the Horned Frogs a 28-16 lead with minutes left in the third.
TCU gets another pick six!
The Horned Frogs put the Wolverines back on the ropes after getting another six pick. Dee Winters read McCarthy’s eyes perfectly, get the interception and the score. TCU missed the snap on the PAT, but the Horned Frogs went up 34-16 after the score.
McCarthy on the move
McCarthy fought back after throwing a pick-six. First he ran for a 39-yard gain, then on the next play he ran for a 20-yard touchdown. Michigan went back to McCarthy for the two-point conversion, but TCU stopped him that time to keep the score at 34-22.
Explosive Emari
Demercado opened up a 69-yard run just after McCarthy’s touchdown run to bring TCU to the 1-yard line. On the next play, Duggan kept the ball himself for the score to give the Horned Frogs a 41-22 lead in the final minute of the third.
Michigan continues to ring the bell
The Michigan receiver made one last big play in the third, carrying a 44-yard grab that was originally considered a touchdown, but review determined he was 1 yard short. On the next play, Mullings didn’t make the mistake he had made earlier and held onto the ball as it fell into the end zone. McCarthy managed to run it for the two-point conversion, making it 41-30 just before the end of the third quarter.
Miraculous Mazi
Star defensive tackle Mazi Smith got the ball back to the Wolverines late in the third quarter, forcing a fumble to put Michigan in TCU territory.
What a wild third trimester!
The two teams combined for 44 points in 15 minutes, with each practice ending in a score or turnover. In Atlanta, Ohio State fans were able to enjoy at least some of the madness.
Shades of Elway
Wilson took the end and as he accelerated he was hit underhand and spun around in the end zone. Michigan was able to convert the two-point conversion to make it 41-38 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
Johnston flies in for another TD
Michigan put the pressure on third down and paid the price. Duggan narrowly escaped, throwing a pass to Johnston. Once he was on the field, there were no Wolverines to stop him as he ran 76 yards to give the Horned Frogs a 48-38 lead.
Where are you at Wilson’s?
McCarthy had to improvise on second base from the 5-yard line. Luckily for him, a TCU defender slipped and Wilson opened up to secure the touchdown catch to cut off the TCU lead and make it 51-45 with 3:18 remaining.
TCU wins! …but not without controversy
Michigan fumbled the snap on fourth-and-10 and the game appeared to be over. However, after several side attempts by Wolverines, it appeared that way Ke’yon Stewart could have committed a targeting penalty, which would have given Michigan a first down with 25 seconds left. But upon review, it was determined that there was no targeting on the game.
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