U-M's McCarthy: CFP loss to Georgia still fuels us

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan is headed backmost to the College Football Playoff, equipped with the acquisition of nonaccomplishment and the assurance that amended results prevarication ahead.

The second-ranked Wolverines pulled distant from Purdue aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional Saturday to triumph the Big Ten title crippled 43-22 and seizure back-to-back outright league titles for the archetypal clip since 1991 and 1992.

Michigan remained cleanable connected the play and continued to dominate, outscoring opponents by 347 points, its champion regular-season points differential since 1905, erstwhile Michigan held a scoring borderline of 495-2.

But aft raising the Big Ten title trophy, singing "Mr. Brightside" and celebrating connected the Lucas Oil Stadium field, the Wolverines instantly turned their attraction to the CFP. All offseason, they were driven not by beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten successful 2021, but by a 34-11 nonaccomplishment to Georgia successful a CFP semifinal that was ne'er competitive.

"I emotion our chances," backmost J.J. McCarthy said. "Last year, it was benignant of agleam lights, everything's new, Big Ten championship, College Football Playoff. But going into the offseason, it gave america truthful overmuch momentum. We knew we could get determination and we could get back. This full offseason, it was each astir winning it.

"Everything's large that happened today, but the job's not finished. We've got a batch bigger plans."

McCarthy, who passed for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns successful the triumph implicit Purdue, was Michigan's backup successful past year's CFP semifinal. That day, helium completed 7 of 17 passes for 131 yards and the team's lone touchdown.

But the nonaccomplishment motivated him and his teammates to instrumentality to assemblage football's biggest stage.

"It drove maine truthful overmuch that this triumph contiguous doesn't truly consciousness similar anything," McCarthy said. "That's thing that's truly hard to travel by. I mean, back-to-back Big Ten championships is amazing, but that feeling that we had past year, this is conscionable making definite that feeling ne'er happens again.

"It was conscionable a thrust and a occurrence wrong of america that was conscionable ignited, and it's inactive burning."

Michigan volition larn aboriginal Sunday its CFP determination and opponent, but the Wolverines apt volition request to triumph their semifinal for different changeable astatine Georgia, the defending nationalist champion. If Michigan remains the No. 2 seed, it apt volition look TCU oregon possibly archrival Ohio State, which the Wolverines bushed 45-23 connected Nov. 26 successful Columbus.

"Please, please, bring it on," McCarthy said. "That would beryllium genuinely a blessing if we get a changeable to play those boys again."

Tight extremity Luke Schoonmaker, who had 56 receiving yards and a touchdown against Purdue, said a CFP rematch with Ohio State would "probably spell down arsenic 1 of the champion ever." But Michigan is acceptable for immoderate opponent, adjacent Georgia, aft a nonaccomplishment that near "a sour taste" passim the offseason.

"We're a antithetic squad this year," Schoonmaker said. "We person a clump of playmakers connected some sides of the ball. Even better, we tin each play together, usage each that large talent."

Michigan has had to germinate precocious successful the play aft a genu wounded to prima moving backmost Blake Corum, who underwent country Friday and did not be the Big Ten rubric game. Without Corum, the Wolverines person leaned connected Donovan Edwards, who built connected his 216-yard rushing show against Ohio State with 185 yards and a touchdown against Purdue.

Edwards earned title crippled MVP honors. He became the archetypal Michigan moving backmost to grounds 400 rushing yards successful a two-game span since Mike Hart, the team's moving backs coach, successful 2004. The past Michigan subordinate to bash truthful was backmost Denard Robinson successful 2010. Edwards said he's "made for the large moments."

"This feline comes live successful the large games," manager Jim Harbaugh said. "His full career, whether it was precocious school, college, helium conscionable hits different gear. He takes disconnected to different level."

Harbaugh, whose occupation was successful jeopardy entering the 2021 season, said helium didn't alteration his approach, which players said they appreciated during Michigan's turnaround. The team's extremity is present to alteration its show and propulsion for its archetypal nationalist rubric since 1997.

"We privation revenge. We privation to marque up for our tally past year," Schoonmaker said. "I cognize everyone's got that successful their mind. This is amazing, I person nary words for tonight, I'm truthful arrogant of everybody. But successful the backmost of everyone's heads, we cognize what we request to do."