STOCK WATCH
HOUSTON — Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia breaks down the five key Michigan football members who helped lead the Wolverines’ 34-13 win over Washington on Monday in the CFP national championship game:
Four up
Donovan Edwards: In the very biggest game, he turned in the performance of his life. Edwards, who struggled for much of the season, didn’t take long to make his mark on Monday. On his first carry of the game, Edwards ran into the back of his line, stuttered, then cut to the left where he found daylight and out-ran the defense 41 yards for the game’s opening score. But that wasn’t his best run of the day, or even the quarter. That came the next time he touched the ball, on the Wolverines’ next possession, when he once again stuttered behind his line before bouncing the rush outside — this time to the right — and out-running the defense 46 yards for a touchdown. The West Bloomfield alum finished with six carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’ve been honored to be his roommate for two years,” said quarterback J.J. McCarthy. “Just knowing everything he goes through behind the scenes and just the man he is on a day-to-day basis, this couldn’t have been a better moment for him to show out and show the world who he really is. I’m just so frickin’ happy for the guy.”
Blake Corum: There’s no debate: Corum is the best running back in the history of Michigan football. After suffering a torn meniscus in Nov. 2022, he declared this season was “natty or bust.” There was no bust. Corum capped his career with a vintage performance: 21 rushes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. On his fourth run of the game, he took a halfback dive up the middle before veering to the left for a 59-yard run, his longest of the season. It looked as though Corum may go without a touchdown for the first time since the 2021 semifinal vs Georgia, until he scored from 12 yards out with 7:50 to play to put Michigan up by 14. Corum wasn’t done, as the senior added a 1-yard score with 4 minutes to play to put the game on ice. “Playmakers, you know, coaches always say, playmakers have to make plays,” he said postgame.” And don’t wait on anyone else to make a play. But today was a complete, complete team effort. There’s so many people making plays out there.”
Mike Sainristil: A two-time captain and the face of everything that represents this threeyear run in Ann Arbor, it was only fitting Sainristil came away with the play that essentially sealed the game. U-M was up, 27-13, but the Huskies had just connected on a 44-yard shot to Rome Odunze to reach Wolverines territory. On a critical fourth down, Michael Penix Jr. looked right and lofted a ball toward Jalen McMillan, but it instead went into the arms of Sainristil, who returned it 81 yards to set up a U-M touchdown. Sainristil finished with a game-high eight tackles, six of which were solo.
“Mike Sainristil, I hope somebody could go grab him and get him up here at the podium,” Harbaugh said postgame while Sainristil was in the locker room. “Amazing. Amazing stalwart of a player.”
Will Johnson: Earlier in the week, Johnson said that Washington was going to be the most talented wide receiver corps U-M faced all season. He also said that meant was he and his defensive back teammates would have more opportunities to make plays. That turned out to be prophetic; it was Johnson who was responsible for producing the game’s first turnover, which directly led to a Michigan field goal. It was the first snap of the second half and Penix dropped back and looked left, but as he went to throw, Mason Graham pushed his own lineman into him. That forced the ball to wobble before Johnson made an adjustment on the sideline and hauled in the interception inside Washington territory. The former five-star prospect from Grosse Pointe also had four tackles (two solo).