by PHOENIX – The Hypnotoad is officially heading to Hollywood. TOS heads to national championship game after beating Michigan 51-45 in a classic college football playoff semifinal.
This is Wolverines’ second straight loss in the semi-finals. Last year, decked out in shirts that read ‘run the fuck the ball’, Michigan’s offensive line entered Miami and was dominated by an eventual national champion Georgia. Much of the narrative leading up to this year’s game was that last year’s Michigan team was happy to be on that stage, but it was more of a business trip. If anyone should be just happy to have made it to Phoenix, it should be the Cinderella Horned Frogs, authors of five comeback wins and the team that came out of nowhere to get to this point.
TCU became the first Big 12 team to win a CFP game.
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“We talked all week before the game about the importance of playing physically,” coach Sonny Dykes said. “And I thought we were definitely the most physical team on the court tonight. Our ability to run the ball, we almost passed Michigan [by] 100 meters. Our ability to stop the run, I think, made the difference in the ball game. Obviously, he made big plays defensively; scored two touchdowns. It was critical.
The key matchup in the game was how Michigan’s first-to-run offense was likely to overpower TCU’s 3-3-5 defense, which features light boxes and is designed more to stop plays. of Air Raid assists in the Big 12. But outside of the first play of the game, the Horned Frogs were outstanding, holding off Michigan’s run game and, due to the game’s script, forcing quarterback JJ McCarthy to throw for a career-high 34 attempts.
Most of the defenses Michigan faces line up and play trench warfare with four-man linemen. TCU’s style of run defense is based on the speed of linebackers and safeties that fill second-tier gaps. When it doesn’t work, like on the very first play of Saturday’s game, it looks like this, in which Donovan Edwards gained 57 yards right out of the locker room:
But when he Is work, as he did on virtually every other Michigan run on the night, it looked like this — with TCU defenders stabbing into the backfield for tackles for loss:
TCU had a plan against Michigan’s rushing offense and the Wolverines not seeing that type of defense working in favor of the Frogs, TCU defenders said after the game. They also used the patience of running back Donovan Edwards against him. Although it was one of his best traits – and something that differentiated him from injured teammate Blake Corum – the Frogs were confident they could take advantage of it if they got aggressive against him. They held Edwards to 2.9 yards per carry off his big run to start the game.
Michigan also messed around in key short-range situations, running a version of the Philly Special play on fourth and base from the 2-yard line early in the game. Why? “Because we thought it would work,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I take full responsibility that it doesn’t work and I should have had a different name. Put that one on me. They had it wired and they defended it well. Sitting here now, I certainly would have liked to call another one.
TCU wasn’t fooled by the deception, and their confidence grew because of it. Dykes’ team internalized it as Michigan struggled early in the game.
“Once they started jumping in their bag, we had them where we wanted them,” says linebacker Johnny Hodges. “If you’re fixing plays in a league game, you’re aiming for anything. I was really happy with how we did against their base stuff. When you see tricks it’s a good thing… If it works it works but otherwise you look stupid because you’re so proud of being physical and running downhill you should be able to gain two meters .
TCU also recovered a fumble on the goal line after a dodgy call on a catch that was initially called a touchdown and ruled out by review and placed on the one-yard line. The Wolverines made a quick trade on a possible back dive.
McCarthy passed for 343 yards but also threw two critical interceptions in Michigan’s loss.
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To Michigan’s credit, sometimes the trick plays worked, like in the third quarter when the Wolverines had a flea flicker for a 34-yard touchdown. It was part of a wild back-and-forth quarter where the two teams traded backlashes and Michigan threatened a comeback. But every time the Wolverines have found themselves within striking distance in the most scored Fiesta Bowl in history, the Frogs have responded.
There’s another parallel to last year, in that Michigan’s defense was also shredded then. The Wolverines gave up the fastest yards to TCU since 2020 when Emari Demercado took over from an injured Kendre Miller and rushed for 150 of the team’s 263 total, another lightweight on physical advantage. assumed from Michigan. But beyond the trick-play snafus and defensive lapses, what really sank Michigan were two pick-sixes thrown by McCarthy — one in the first quarter and one in that wild third.
As the clock drew to a close on Saturday, TCU aides ran through the press box shouting “we’re going to the natty” in jubilation when the result became official. According to his mother, Sonny Dykes’ son Daniel asked Santa to come to the national championship game for Christmas. If you’ve followed these frogs all season, you know they’ve pulled off many magical moments. A place for the title should no longer be a surprise.
