TCU’s defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns and quarterback Max Duggan accounted for four touchdowns Saturday as the third-ranked Horned Frogs outgunned No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the College Football Playoff semifinals in Glendale, Ariz.
Both teams are 13-1, but it’s TCU that will move on to the championship game on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, Calif., against No. 1 Georgia, which edged No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 later Saturday. The Horned Frogs gave up 527 yards and 39 second-half points but came up with the necessary plays to win the Fiesta Bowl and advance.
“We kept hearing all week about the Big Ten and they were going to run all over us,” first-year TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “Credit to our players for stopping the run most of the game. Michigan did a good job adapting, but we made things happen.”
Michigan finished with 185 yards rushing.
The Wolverines had a chance to win the game when they got the ball back on their 25 with 52 seconds left but couldn’t gain a first down. TCU survived a targeting review on Michigan’s fourth-down play that was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
Duggan wasn’t as efficient as usual but still completed 14 of 29 passes for 225 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns, and backup running back Emari Demercado rushed for 150 yards, the most gained on the Wolverines this season.
Demercado got the bulk of the carries after starter Kendre Miller, who ripped off 57 yards in eight attempts after compiling 1,342 yards and 17 touchdowns in the regular season, left in the second quarter with a knee injury.
“We just trusted each other and had a plan,” wide receiver Quentin Johnston said. “We were able to finish the mission.”
Johnston also helped take up slack for the loss of Miller. He caught six passes for 163 yards, 76 coming on a short pass from Duggan that Johnston turned into a touchdown after stepping out of a weak attempt at tackling. It gave the Horned Frogs a 48-38 advantage with 13:07 left in the game.
J.J. McCarthy was 20-of-34 passing for 343 yards and two touchdowns for Michigan, but the two pick-6s he tossed ultimately made the difference. Ronnie Bell caught six passes for 135 yards while Roman Wilson had five receptions for 104 yards.
However, TCU’s defense contributed much more beyond a pair of touchdowns. It notched four sacks and a whopping 13 tackles for loss, attacking constantly and putting the Wolverines in bad down-and-distances during the first half.
A 200-1 shot to reach this point, TCU showed it belonged from the start, establishing a 21-6 halftime lead. It led 14-0 after a quarter as Bud Clark returned an interception 41 yards and Duggan capped a 76-yard drive with a 1-yard run.
It became 21-3 when Duggan found Taye Barber for a 6-yard touchdown pass, finishing an 83-yard march. But Michigan gained momentum going into halftime when Jake Moody boomed a 59-yard field goal as time expired.
The Wolverines found rhythm offensively in a 24-point third quarter, although McCarthy mixed in his second pick-6 of the game when Dee Winters lugged it back 29 yards for a 34-16 TCU advantage. But Michigan closed within 41-30 with three seconds left in the period on a 1-yard run by Kalel Mullings and a two-point conversion.
However, the Wolverines weren’t able to make up a game-long deficit and lost in the CFP semifinals for the second straight year. They also fell to 1-6 in bowl games under coach Jim Harbaugh.
“We made some tough mistakes. Can’t change the past now,” Michigan receiver Cornelius Johnson said to the school’s radio network. “To see the purple confetti, it’s painful.”
–Field Level Media
