(Houston, TX) – It has all come down to just one game remaining in college football action, the National Championship game. The #1 Michigan Wolverines are coming off their 27-20 overtime win in the Rose Bowl against Alabama while #2 Washington is coming off their 37-31 win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
Michigan is led by J.J. McCarthy in the passing game with 2,851 total passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He has thrown 230-314 with just four interceptions while averaging 203.6 yards per game. His primary receiver this season has been Roman Wilson with 735 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as he averaged 52.5 yards per game. Behind him are both Colton Loveland and Cornelius Johnson with 585 and 579 receiving yards respectively. In the rushing game, Michigan is led by Blake Corum with 1,111 total yards with 25 rushing touchdowns on the season. He averages around 79.4 rushing yards per game coming into the National Championship game tonight. For the defensive game, Michigan has been led by Junior Colton with 89 total tackles. Leading in sacks this season has been Jaylen Harrell with 6.5 sacks for 54 yards lost while Josiah’s Stewart sits right behind him with 5.5 sacks for 39 yards lost. Mike Sainristil leads the Wolverines in interceptions this season with five for 151 yards. James Turner leads the special teams unit for Michigan as he is 16-19 this season with his longest field goal measuring 50 total yards.
For the Washington Huskies, they are led by Michael Penix Jr. who has passed for 4,648 total yards for 35 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. Penix Jr. has averaged 332 passing yards per game this season. His two top receivers this season are Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk in all 14 games this season. Odunze has 1,553 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns for an average of 110.9 yards per game this season. Polk has averaged 80.1 yards per game this season for 1,122 total yards and nine touchdowns. Leading in the rushing game this season is Dillon Johnson for 1,162 total yards and 16 rushing touchdowns this season. On the defensive end, Dominique Hampton leads the Huskies with 99 total tackles and a team-leading 40 total assists. Braden Trice leads the team with seven sacks for a loss of 34 total yards. Both Jabbar Muhammad and Michael Powell lead the team defensively in interceptions with three each. On the special teams side of the field, Washington is lead by Grady Gross as he is 16-20 on the season with the longest 47-yard field goal.
Looking into the game overall, the Wolverines are the only team in college football to make it to the College Football Playoffs for three consecutive seasons. This game will feature a matchup of two 14-0 teams this season for the fifth time in the College Football Playoffs. This game will be a rematch from the 2021 game where Michigan won over Washington 31-10. Michigan currently leads the series 8-5 overall and have won the last two games.
The game will begin tonight around 6:45 p.m. for the opening kickoff at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
(Information provided by gohuskies.com and mgoblue.com)