Donovan Edwards had two 40-plus yard rushing touchdowns, No. 1 Michigan totaled 443 yards of offense and the Wolverines beat No. 2 Washington 34-13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night.
Edwards sprung for a 41-yard touchdown on the game-opening drive, and Michigan (15-0, 9-0 Big Ten Conference) held the lead ever since.
VIEW: Watch: Michigan RB Blake Corum gives Wolverines insurance, scores 12-yard TD
Edwards struck again later in the first quarter, this time on a 46-yard rush to the right side of the line of scrimmage that gave Michigan a 14-3 lead with 2:23 left in the quarter.
Washington’s (14-1, 10-0 Pac-12 Conference) response in the first half came in the form of a 3-yard touchdown reception caught by receiver Jalen McMillan. Michael Penix Jr. finished the game 27-of-51 for 255 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Huskies trailed by one score 17-10 at halftime. At that point in the game, Michigan had 209 rushing yards compared to 160 total yards produced by Washington’s offense.
The beat played on in the second half for Michigan. It intercepted Penix on the first play of the third quarter and terrorized him for two turnovers.
VIEW: Watch: No. 2 Washington answers back, Michael Penix Jr. finds Jalen McMillan for 3-yard TD
Neither team had much luck converting on late downs. Both teams combined to go 3-of-24 on third down and 2-of-6 on fourth down, and Washington had four of those conversions.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy did just enough on offense to lead the Wolverines offensively. He may not have produced as much as he would’ve liked in the passing game, but he had provided a running threat that kept the Huskies on their toes.
McCarthy went 10-of-18 for 140 passing yards. He scrambled four times for 31 yards, and had a 22-yard conversion in the third quarter.
It marks Michigan’s first national title since 1997.
The Wolverines totaled 303 rushing yards. Blake Corum led the way with 134 yards on the ground and Edwards had 104, becoming the first duo to have over 100 rushing yards in the CFP National Championship.
Dillon Johnson led Washington with 33 of its 46 rushing yards. Rome Odunze had 87 receiving yards on five receptions.
