'They can't make excuses now' — Michigan leaves no doubt or questions with Rose Bowl triumph over Alabama

PASADENA, Calif. — Michigan defensive linemen Kris Jenkins and Cam Goode sat side by side in the Rose Bowl’s north end zone, long-stem roses in their hands, grass stains on their pants and maize and blue confetti pooled at their feet.

They were savoring Monday's national semifinal victory over mighty Alabama, a hard-earned 27-20 overtime win that the Wolverines can hold up as proof they don't need to cheat to beat the best programs in college football.

“They can’t make no excuses now,” Jenkins said. “No film, no iPads, no nothing. This was fair and square."

"Fair and square against 'Bama," Goode added with a tired smile.

Ever since the football world was introduced to Conor Stallions and his alleged network of sign-stealing spies, Michigan has heard the whispers. Rival fans have questioned if the Wolverines could have piled up so many wins the past two seasons without the help of illegally recorded intelligence. Opposing coaches have anonymously suggested the Wolverines didn't look as formidable late in the season when they didn't know what blitzes were coming. Alabama even went to the lengths of forbidding players to bring their iPads home to review practice film as a security precaution.

A sloppy but suspenseful come-from-behind victory over Alabama was Michigan’s defiant response to those accusations. The top-seeded Wolverines clawed back from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit and stuffed a fourth-and-goal run by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in overtime, setting up a title shot against Washington or Texas next Monday in Houston.

“It’s almost been an unfair advantage, all the things that this team has gone through,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “We don’t care anymore. Don’t care what people say. Don’t care about anything that comes up. We just know we’re going to overcome it.”

For a national semifinal that offered either program a path to next week’s title game, the stakes for Alabama and Michigan weren’t remotely the same. More opportunities likely await Alabama to add to Nick Saban’s already crowded trophy case. This is now or seemingly never for a Michigan program whose championship window could close after this season.

It isn’t just that quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and a handful of other foundational players will be NFL Draft-eligible this spring. Or that head coach Jim Harbaugh has reportedly hired an NFL-savvy agent and could be eyeing a return to the pro level. Two NCAA infractions cases against Michigan also remain open. Significant sanctions could be coming, perhaps as soon as 2024.

The Wolverines thus have attacked this season with appropriate urgency, banding together and embracing a “Michigan vs. Everybody” mentality in the face of scandal and scrutiny. They steamrolled their first nine overmatched opponents by 24 or more points apiece before surviving tough late-season tests against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State without their suspended head coach.

When the College Football Playoff committee unveiled its four-team bracket last month, Michigan learned its opponent at a team-wide watch party in Ann Arbor. Many interpreted the Wolverines’ gasps and groans as signs they wanted no part of facing Alabama, but Goode insists that wasn’t the case.

“We weren’t worried about ‘Bama,” Goode said. “We were more shocked that Florida State didn’t make it.”

Michigan certainly didn’t perform like a team intimidated by the specter of facing Alabama in Monday’s first half. The Wolverines sacked Milroe five times and outgained the Crimson Tide by 101 yards. Only a short Alabama touchdown drive set up by a muffed punt kept the Crimson Tide within 13-10 at halftime.

It was a different story after halftime as Alabama held Michigan to 44 yards on its first four drives and reeled off 10 unanswered points. Staring elimination in the face, McCarthy responded, engineering an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a game-tying four-yard touchdown pass to receiver Roman Wilson.

When Michigan scored a touchdown on a Corum run to open overtime, Alabama came close to holding serve in response. Milroe led the Tide to the Wolverines’ 3-yard line, setting up a decisive fourth-and-goal.

The way Michigan saw it, there wasn’t much mystery what Alabama was going to do. The Wolverines loaded the box and ran a cover zero defense in preparation for Milroe to try to run the ball himself.

“When the moment gets tough, you go to your best player,” linebacker Junior Colson said.

Or as Goode put it, “We weren’t worried about nobody but No. 4 on that fourth down. That’s the only person they’ve got.”

Milroe took a low snap and ran straight up the middle. A swarm of Michigan tacklers stopped him. Then the Wolverines sideline spilled onto the field as confetti fell and Milroe slammed his helmet in frustration.

“Glorious,” Harbaugh called it.

“The best feeling of my life,” Wilson said.

Other Wolverines were just happy to bask in the afterglow of a win that couldn’t be discredited by cheating accusations.

“There better not be none of that today,” Jenkins said with a smile. “I’ll be checking the comments.”