The Victors: Wolverines dominate in face of chaos for national title
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
HOUSTON — The barrier between very good and truly great has always appeared thin. It is not. The distance that separates one’s chances to make their dreams come true can feel like inches, and sometimes, yes, that is the accurate measurement. A fingertip. A splinter of a second on a game clock. A single point on the scoreboard. But when you are forced to keep adding up those fractions and decimal points and missed-it-by-that-much chances year after year, results that were tiny and conciliatory pile up to create mountains of cruelty.
That has been the maize and blue Sisyphus-cursed life of the Michigan Wolverines. Check that, had been.
On Monday night in Houston, when the NRG Stadium clock hit zeroes on a CFP National Championship win over the Washington Huskies — a game that was much tighter than the 34-13 score would indicate — all of that pain seemed swept away with each stroke of the dozens of Michigan players who laid down on the field to make confetti snow angels.
“That’s what a Michigan Man does,” coach Jim Harbaugh said after the completion of his team’s 15-0 season, six wins earned as he was forced to sit at home for a pair of three-game suspensions. “He makes it right.”
The list of gridiron accomplishments in Ann Arbor is staggering by any measure. The most wins of any team in the 154-year history of college football, the 1,004th coming on Monday night. Second-most weeks spent in the AP Top 25. Third all time with 88 consensus All-Americans. Third all time with 45 conference championships. And third all time now among current FBS schools with 10 national championships.
Yet it all has seemingly come with an asterisk. Always so close to glory, but always just a few yards short. Fifty-two bowl appearances, but 29 losses. One week ago, they earned their ninth Rose Bowl win, second all time, which still leaves the Wolverines three games under .500 in The Granddaddy of Them All. Even those national titles came with a dose of “Yeah, but…” as in “Yeah, but their last one was in 1997 and it was shared” or “Yeah, but their last unanimous natty came back in 1948.”
Monday night finally hit the reset button on that oh-forever counter that was as large as the Big House where the Wolverines play. The Blue fans, no longer blue, refused to leave the stadium. One man, hanging over the front row railing wept as he wore a 1940’s era leather helmet, found on the internet and carefully handsewn to perfectly recreate the maize-winged lids worn by that ’48 national title team.
“What these kids did this year and did tonight, it was their accomplishment, but it was also way bigger than that,” said Mike Hart, Michigan’s running backs coach. It was Hart who was one of the coaches charged with the task of standing in for Harbaugh during his first 2023 suspension. He was also the lead back for one of the school’s most memorable what-if teams, the 2007 squad that started the season ranked fifth in the nation but lost to Appalachian State. He continued during the team’s postgame celebration, motioning to all of the former Wolverines players on the field mixing it up with their new young saviors. “You look around here, around us right now, at all these guys, like me, who worked so hard and did so much but have been dogged for so long by what we weren’t able to do. Now, it’s done. And we are all in it together.”
That same toe-the-line-without-actually-getting-over-it storyline has also long dogged Jim Harbaugh. As a Michigan quarterback he was 21-3-1 behind center over his final two seasons, but was denied a national title in 1985, finishing second in the polls. Even in the NFL, he isn’t remembered for winning a Super Bowl, but rather the wild Hail Mary that ended his best shot as a player in the 1995 AFC Championship and his loss as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, lost to a Baltimore Ravens team coached by his big brother, John.
“I think for Jim, this is about fulfilling his promise when he took this job nearly a decade ago, and really, when he signed to play quarterback here, gosh, what, 40 years ago?” Jim and John’s father, Jack said as he stood just off the trophy presentation stage, interrupted by a conga line of congratulatory hugs from countless gray-haired Michigan Men, some wearing too-tight jerseys that they had likely donned for Wolverines’ game days long gone by. “The promise was to win championships. We all worked so hard to do that and so few of us made it happen. It had been a while. So, this is for them all. For us all.”
Jack was defensive backs coach under Michigan demigod Bo Schembechler for seven seasons in the 1970s. But Bo never won a natty. And those teams that Harbaugh helped with ended their years in pain. A streak of losses and ties against Ohio State that ruined would-be national title runs. Finally getting past the Buckeyes, only to lose to USC … and Washington … and USC again in the Rose Bowl. When Jack would come home to his boys, he would regale them with Schembechler pearls of wisdom, but then also have to employ yet another teaching moment on how to deal with the pain of losing … again.
Every single player on every single Michigan team since 1948 had that same story to tell. “Yeah, but…” Until Monday night.
“[Saturday] night before lights out, Coach talked to us about that,” running back Blake Corum, who rushed for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, recalled just after accepting his game MVP award. Corum led the charge of veteran players who did not charge out the door for the NFL or the transfer portal one year ago after a textbook Michigan heartbreak season that ended with a stunning CFP semifinal loss to TCU. “He talked to us about what it means to be a Michigan Man, about the history of this team and our responsibility to defend the honor of that. It’s what we always say around here, and it goes back to Coach’s coach. Those who stay will be champions.”
That was Schembechler’s promise, made during his first spring as head coach in 1969, as veteran players, angry that Michigan had hired a coach from Miami of Ohio, were bolting for the door. That team won the Big Ten and went to the Rose Bowl. Yeah, but … they lost in Pasadena.
Now, the shadow that hangs over this team is whether or not Harbaugh will stay. He bristled at postgame questions about swirling rumors and reports of his return to the NFL. “I just want to enjoy this. I hope you give me that. Can a guy have that? Does it always have to be what’s next, what’s the future?” He also didn’t care for any mentions of his suspensions or the causes of them, recruiting violations and accusations of sign stealing, both of which are still being investigated. “The off-the-field issues, we’re innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent.”
A round of potentially large blue asterisks could be affixed to the final record of this latest Michigan football team, but Monday night, on the field in Houston, there was no pain. No worry. No walking into the cold of winter having to answer questions about coming up short.
“People can say what they want and write what they want,” Corum continued, having just been handed a freshly minted T-shirt that read: NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. “Will there always be haters? Yeah, but … we’re the champs.”
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
There’s an ancient South Florida proverb about numbers: Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four.
Opening the Eastern Conference finals with five goals in Game 1 on Tuesday showed that at least for one game the Florida Panthers could find a breakthrough against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only for Thursday to arrive and the Panthers to once again post five more goals in a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Sunrise for Game 3.
How did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 3 on Saturday?
Say what you will about the offside goal being akin to Charlie Brown getting the football pulled out from under him by Lucy. While it’s possible that the disallowed goal could have provided momentum, there were other things that suggested the Hurricanes were going to struggle.
Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve become one of the teams that consistently generates the highest number of shots per game. They entered Game 2 averaging 33.2 shots per game, yet they hadn’t even cracked double digits until there was 14 minutes remaining in the third period. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showed they had two high-danger scoring chances midway through the third period, and after giving up seven goals throughout the entirety of the second round, they’ve allowed 10 goals in the first two games.
Or view it this way: The Panthers had more goals than the Hurricanes had high-danger scoring chances. — Clark
What more is there to say about Florida, really? The term “clinic” doesn’t seem to cover it. The Panthers have done it all against Carolina in these first two games.
Thursday was another dominant performance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions in an offensive and defensive effort that requires no notes. The Panthers set a tone early with Gustav Forsling‘s goal just 1:17 into the game and never relented. The Hurricanes were averaging over 33 shots per night in the postseason (second most among playoff teams), and Florida limited their chances to seven shots through the first two periods alone — while the Panthers pummeled Carolina with 16 shots and four goals in the same span. It was enough to chase Frederik Andersen from the net, when he was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov with a four-goal deficit.
The Hurricanes’ top scorers were simply no match for Florida’s attack or a locked-in Sergei Bobrovsky, who, while not heavily challenged, was a match for all comers in a 16-save shutout. The way Florida is playing right now, one has to wonder how the Hurricanes can get back in this series as the teams shift down to Florida. — Shilton
Three Stars of Game 2
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Panthers go up 3-0 on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal
The Panthers threaten to run away with it after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal makes it 3-0 in the first period.
He had two goals and a helper, as the Panthers dominated the Hurricanes in Game 2. This is Bennett’s second career 3-plus point playoff game and second career multigoal playoff game.
2. Team defense
The Hurricanes were averaging 33.2 shots per game this postseason, second in the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. But the Panthers, with their efficient and suffocating defense, held Carolina to five shots in the first 30 minutes of the game. Near the end of the second period, the fans at Lenovo Center were growing tired of it and started chanting “shoot the puck” at their team. Carolina did have more shot volume in the third period, ending with 17, but nothing got past Sergei Bobrovsky.
3. Offside reviews and coaching tactics
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of lengthy offside reviews. I wish there was a timer — if you can’t make the call in 90 seconds, then the call on the ice stands. But the Florida Panthers executed one to perfection in Game 2. Up 3-0 in the second period, the Hurricanes scored, but thinking the play was offside, the Panthers called a timeout to buy more time to see every angle available, eventually calling for the challenge. It was indeed determined to be offside and the goal was taken away. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 3
Let’s start here with the Hurricanes. There’s no shortage of options. Part of the reason Svechnikov is in this space is because he leads the Hurricanes in goals this postseason. The rest of it has more to do with whether the Canes can rely on a certain postseason pattern for Svechnikov holding true. After going goalless in Games 2 and 3 against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, he responded with a hat trick. He didn’t score in the first two games against the Washington Capitals only to then score a goal in three straight games. Could Svechnikov respond by grabbing at least one goal in Game 3? Or are the Canes in store for more offensive struggles once they arrive in Sunrise? — Clark
The Panthers’ instigator had been quiet since Florida’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay, recording just five assists in eight games heading into Game 2 against Carolina. But Tkachuk looked more like himself Thursday, agitating the Hurricanes and making his physical presence felt. He also emerged early on the score sheet, registering an assist on Gustav Forsling’s game-opening salvo and adding a goal — Tkachuk’s first in 10 games — in the opening period to extend Florida’s lead to 2-0. It was a testament to how commanding Tkachuk’s line was with Sam Bennett (two goals and an assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (three assists) that he was able to finally appear as the Tkachuk of old. If this was indeed Tkachuk’s reawakening after a slow stretch, then the Hurricanes better be well aware of Tkachuk going forward because he was as dangerous as ever at both ends of the ice in Game 2. — Shilton
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Matthew Tkachuk taps it in to pad the Panthers’ lead
Matthew Tkachuk sneaks the puck past the goalie to pad the Panthers’ lead against the Hurricanes.
Big questions for Game 3
What’s the response to their worst playoff loss this year?
Several questions will be asked when it comes to what adjustments can be made before Game 3. Could one of them be about what the Hurricanes must do to get off to a stronger start? Allowing two first-period goals in Game 1 already presented the reality that the Panthers were going to remain aggressive. But to then give up the first goal less than two minutes into the first before giving up three in total in an opening frame that saw the Panthers record just five shots on net? That only adds to the degree of difficulty for a team that has now lost two straight playoff games after losing two postseason games in total over the first two rounds, especially when the last time the Hurricanes were down 0-2 to the Panthers in a playoff series was during the 2023 Eastern Conference finals in which they were swept. — Clark
Will Sam Reinhart be back at full strength for the Panthers?
Florida saw one of its top skaters exit in the first period after Sebastian Aho delivered a hit that forced Reinhart out for the remainder of the game with a lower-body injury. While Florida had Game 2 well in hand even before Reinhart became unavailable, it’s safe to say the Panthers are a better team when he’s in the lineup. Reinhart’s status going forward is significant for Florida overall. Reinhart paced the Panthers with 39 goals and 81 points in the regular season and notched 11 points in 13 postseason tilts going into Game 2. Florida must hope that Reinhart isn’t just available for Game 3 (and beyond), but that he’s not too banged up to continue operating at a high level. — Shilton
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