Michigan vs. Everybody will continue on into the College Football Playoff National Championship!

Remarkably, Michigan’s journey in the Playoff continues after a thrilling 27-20 win in overtime over Alabama. At times, the Wolverines dominated the flow of the action, but the end result was in doubt the entire way.

It ultimately required a game-tying drive in crunch time to even get the game to overtime. Then, dramatic running by Blake Corum and a defensive stand by the Wolverines send Jim Harbaugh’s program into the national title game next week.

Here are the key takeaways from a Rose Bowl win for the ages:

JJ McCarthy delivers in crunch time

For key stretches of the game, JJ McCarthy could not find a rhythm with the offense or Michigan’s receivers. Some of that included drops, but McCarthy was also off the mark at times with his passing.

However, the QB delivered late in the fourth, including a massive 4th-down pickup and a number of other big-time plays. He eventually tossed his 3rd touchdown of the game as Michigan tied things up at 20-all late in the game to force overtime.

Once in overtime, McCarthy and the offense would give way to star running back Blake Corum who covered all 25 yards in 2 carries for the go-ahead and game-winning touchdown.

Jesse Minter’s defense shines with historic performance

Coming into the Rose Bowl, a lot of attention was put on the fact that Michigan had not faced a mobile quarterback like Jalen Milroe. That proved not to be an issue early on with the Wolverines setting a record with 5 first-half sacks of the Tide QB.

Jesse Minter was heavily praised for the performance with Michigan dialing up a number of looks to keep the Tide offense guessing. Throughout the game, Michigan’s defense kept Milroe and the Tide offense off-balance, even as Alabama was able to get a lead in the second half.

Late in the fourth quarter, the defense stepped up and forced Alabama to punt instead of rolling for a game-winning field goal. And again in overtime, the Wolverine defense stepped up when needed the most to deliver the win with a goal-line stand.

Special teams loom as major difference-maker

Right from the jump, special teams was an issue for Michigan. Unfortunately, that trend never went away throughout the game, costing the Wolverines points and possessions.

In the first quarter, Semaj Morgan muffed a punt that proved costly. It immediately set up a short field for Alabama and led to the game’s opening touchdown from the Crimson Tide. It was not the only special teams miscue for Morgan as he later let one punt bounce and roll deep inside Michigan’s territory.

Then, the kicking unit of Michigan also came up to bite the team. A miscue on a snap cost the Wolverines an extra point on a touchdown in the second quarter, allowing Alabama to keep pace with a pair of field goals instead of a third touchdown in regulation.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines missed a field goal as James Turner hooked a kick wide left. Those 4 points from the kicking unit were a difference-maker in making the game closer than necessary, not to mention the lost possession on Morgan’s muff.