Washington pulls away in 4th quarter to beat No. 10 Michigan 27-17 in title game rematch
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington quarterback Will Rogers watched the final seconds tick away and wondered if the field at Husky Stadium was about to be flooded with purple.
The Huskies earning the slightest bit of redemption against the team that topped them in last season's championship game felt worthy of celebration.
“I was curious if they were going to do it, but when they did it, it was just awesome,” Rogers said. “I've never been apart of that and it's something I'll remember the rest of my life for sure.”
Rogers threw for 271 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns, Jonah Coleman’s 1-yard TD with 6:22 left gave Washington the lead, and the Huskies beat No. 10 Michigan 27-17 on Saturday night in a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff championship game.
This time around was far more competitive than that night in Houston last January when Michigan romped to its first national title since 1997. It also had a different outcome as the Huskies (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) used an offensive outburst in the first half and two key turnovers in the fourth quarter to take down the Wolverines.
The celebration that followed the first big win of Jedd Fisch's tenure at Washington won't make up for the disappointment of the loss to Michigan last January.
But it was satisfying as Washington won its 18th straight game at Husky Stadium, the second-longest streak in school history.
“It feels good. You lose to them in the championship and then to come back and win and beat them, it feels good,” said Washington safety Kamren Fabiculanan, one of the few holders on the Huskies roster from the championship game.
The loss snapped Michigan's 24-game Big Ten regular season win streak. The Wolverines had not suffered a Big Ten loss since falling at Michigan State on Oct. 30, 2021.
“In the fourth quarter, those two turnovers were huge. They got 10 points off of them. So we got to do a better job taking care of football in all aspects,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said.
Rogers threw touchdowns of 3 yards to Denzel Boston and 16 yards to Giles Jackson as the Huskies built a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. That lead evaporated as Michigan (4-2, 2-1) finally found some offensive rhythm going to backup quarterback Jack Tuttle after Alex Orji was ineffective early in the game.
But Tuttle committed two turnovers in the final 10 minutes and Washington capitalized.
“The defense responded and we needed them to respond,” Fisch said.
Tuttle fumbled with 8:02 left after being hit by Von Tunuufi and Logan Sagapolu recovered at the Michigan 32. Coleman rumbled 27 yards on the first play and three plays later scored from the 1 to give Washington a 24-17 lead.
On Michigan’s next possession, Tuttle was intercepted by Fabiculanan with 3:24 remaining. The Huskies got a key pass interference call against Michigan and Grady Gross hit a 32-yard field goal with 1:06 left to put the final touches on the victory.
“That was a big-time turnover. Shout out to my brothers as well for doing their job,” Fabiculanan said.
Rogers finished 21 of 31 passing and threw his first interception in more than a calendar year early in the fourth quarter. Rogers had gone 269 consecutive pass attempts without a pick before being intercepted by Ernest Hausman.
Coleman added 80 yards rushing.
Donovan Edwards rushed for 95 yards and his 39-yard TD run looked reminiscent of his two long scoring sprints he had in the championship against Washington. But leading rusher Kaleel Mullings was held in check and finished with just 49 yards on 14 carries.
The Wolverines were going nowhere with Orji at quarterback and were being outgained 163-47 midway through the second quarter when Tuttle took over. He finished just 10 of 18 passing for 98 yards, but did throw an 8-yard TD pass to Colston Loveland on the opening drive of the second half that gave Michigan a 17-14 lead.
“I thought he came out and gave us a spark early. Obviously, three straight drives we had a touchdown, field goal, touchdown. I think the players fed off that,” Moore said of Tuttle. “He practiced well all week and got back healthy, which was great for us. We’ll see.”
Michigan: Is Tuttle finally the answer at quarterback for Michigan? Just the threat of the downfield passing game with the grad transfer under center opened up the offense for the Wolverines, but the two turnovers in the fourth quarter can’t be minimized.
Washington: Clock management continues to be an issue for the Huskies. It popped up late in their loss to rival Washington State in the Apple Cup and emerged again late in the first half against Michigan. Washington badly handled the final seconds of the first half that helped lead to a blocked field goal.
Michigan: After an open weekend, the Wolverines are at Illinois on Oct. 19.
Washington: At Iowa next Saturday.
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