Glendale, Arizona. –The question asked about TCU by Michigan linebacker Junior Colson during one of the midweek media availabilities leading up to the Fiesta Bowl says it all: “They’re in the Big 12, aren’t they?”
Updated all season, starting with a predicted seventh-place finish in the preseason conference poll, disrespect reached a crescendo leading into the college football playoff semifinals — and the horned frogs there. were paying attention.
“For us, yeah, we’ve definitely talked about it. We’ve seen it,” junior offensive lineman Marcus Williams said.
“It was really disrespectful to us. We felt like we were in this game and everyone counted us out, and for them to go on national television and say they didn’t even know what conference we were in. were, that they were going to run over us, basically, we took that as disrespect. And we decided that we were just going to go out and play our game like we always do. We’re going to do what we do, no matter what they’re talking about.
Favored by more than one touchdown, the Wolverines entered the Fiesta Bowl overconfident in their chances of qualifying for a national championship against the winner of the Peach Bowl between Georgia and Ohio State. Instead, they He found himself on the wrong end of a 51-45 defeat it was one of the biggest upsets in playoff history.
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But looking past TCU will give Michigan nights the entire offseason. The Wolverines were supposed to be the biggest, toughest and best team. Not enough. They were expected to dominate the line of scrimmage; they did anything but. TCU was supposed to be smothered by one of the best defenses in the nation; The Horned Frogs racked up 488 total rushing yards on 6.9 yards per game, Michigan’s worst performance of the season.
“Throughout this year we’ve had teams even in our conference saying we’re better than them, we’re going to roll,” junior offensive lineman Brandon Coleman said. “What we did well was focus on ourselves. We know that if we play to the best of our abilities we can win any game we play.”
Yes, TCU is in the Big 12, which had already flopped in every playoff appearance. But don’t let history fool you. By fending off Wolverines’ physical play and earning another one-possession-decided shootout, TCU will head into the national championship game with a victory that belies the lack of confidence in the Frogs’ chances on this stage.
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After decimating pregame predictions about how tough Michigan’s toughness and physicality would be too much to overcome, the Frogs should benefit from the doubt in any possible national championship matchup.
“We heard all week that they were going to physically outperform us,” senior linebacker Dee Winters said. “I think like you said it just gave us a bit of motivation. So I think the guys handled it well in training and were very physical, and that showed tonight. .”
They were able to aggressively combat Michigan’s style of play and force the Wolverines to abandon their preferred pace in favor of a run-and-gun shootout. They harassed quarterback JJ McCarthy with two crucial interceptions, one coming back for a touchdown for the game’s first scorer in the first quarter and a second in the third quarter. Every time Michigan moved back into possession, TCU had an answer.
One team ran for 263 yards on 6.4 yards per carry, and it wasn’t Michigan. The Wolverines finished with 180 yards on 40 carries, including 54 yards on a long run from Donovan Edwards on the game’s first snap. From there, the Frogs held Michigan to just 3.2 yards per carry with 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. The Wolverines had three tackles for the loss and only one sack.
In the end, every projected weakness leading up to this match turned out to be wrong.
“Look, I heard it. It frustrated me,” coach Sonny Dykes said. “Again, I believe in our players. Look, I think we’re a physical, tough-minded football team. It bothered me that we were hearing all week how we were going to line up and get through and all that . And I’m sure those guys were extremely motivated.”
Perhaps the Wolverines should have paid more attention to an opponent who gutted an undefeated run to an overtime loss to Kansas State in the conference championship game. As Michigan cruised through the Big Ten — no team had led the Wolverines by more than a touchdown heading into the first quarter against TCU — the Frogs were picking up one narrow victory after another, instilling an overwhelming sense of confidence in a team. who hadn’t even made the playoffs since 2018.
In an environment pitting the best teams in the Bowl Subdivision against each other, there’s something to be said for having a battle-tested mindset.
“They had a corporate mentality when we came to Phoenix and applied it to the game,” Dykes said.
Even still, it’s inevitable that TCU will hear more of the same before the championship game. Georgia is too strong. The Bulldogs will control the line of scrimmage, wear out the Horned Frogs and retire.
“We know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now,” Dykes said. “We’re going to play again in 10 days, and we’re going to hear the same shit for 10 days that we heard before this football game. We have to do what we did this game. We have to answer this criticism and show up and do this what we’re supposed to do. If we think it’s going away, I think you all know it’s not. That’s the way it is.
But count TCU at your own risk. The Horned Frogs will be the banned underdogs in the Championship Game. There will be questions about how they will face each other, if they will be able to run the ball, if this magical run, out of nowhere to the door of the most unexpected national championship in decades will finally land. with a thump against the Bulldogs or the Buckeyes.
Michigan will tell you something different. After passing this test at the Fiesta Bowl, anything is possible with a championship on the line.
“We’re a different team than that,” Williams said. “They also put us at the bottom of the Big 12 at the start of the year. Now we’re in the national championship. So for anyone with something to say…that speaks for itself.”
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