The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514918
FEBRUARY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 21 DEFENSE MAKES A STAND, MCCARTHY STANDS TALL The Wolverines needed one more stop to win the game. Sophomore defensive tackle Mason Graham set the tone with a second-and-goal tackle for loss that pushed the Crimson Tide backward on their overtime possession, outside the 10-yard line. Graham went on to receive Defensive MVP honors for his efforts. Two plays later, Graham and fellow sophomore Kenneth Grant held their ground, while edges Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore collapsed their blockers into the backfield to take Milroe down for a loss. Harbaugh was so excited to celebrate he forgot to take the headphones off be- fore leaving the field. "Glorious. It was right where we wanted to be. It's everything that we worked for, everything that we prepared for, everything we hoped for, everything we trained and strained for," he said. "The team was just not going to be denied. J.J. said it when he walked off this same podium last year in the semi- final game. He said, 'We're going to be back.' What he told me was not only are we going to be back, we're going to win. And there he did." He didn't do it alone — far from it — but they couldn't have done it with- out him. He finishes his Michigan career with three losses in three years, only one setback as a starter, in one of the best stretches in Michigan football history. "I think the last quarterback to win in overtime against Alabama was none other than Tom Brady," Harbaugh said. "I've said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan — college football — his- tory. He's got a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT. He lapped the field when it comes to that. "But in a college career, there's been nobody at Michigan better than J.J. I know we talk about it … an amalgama- tion of quarterbacks. He is that guy." McCarthy's now headed to the NFL with a Rose Bowl and CFP National Championship plus unbelievable mem- ories to take with him thanks in large part to one special New Year's Day in Pasadena. ❏ When you go 15-0 at Michigan or any- where else, it's going to take a lot of incred- ible plays to do it. But in looking back upon the magical 2023 national championship season, one play stands out — probably the play of the year. Most people think of a highlight-reel play in this category … a big run, pass play, intercep- tion (Charles Woodson at MSU in 1997). But this year, it came from an unlikely source and helped clinch the Rose Bowl win that sent the Wolverines to the National Champion- ship game. Defensive end Josaiah Stewart make an im- pact when he came to Michigan from Coastal Carolina, but many questioned his size. The 6-1, 245-pounder was thought to be a "situ- ational" guy — a spot pass rusher, maybe, for third-and-longs. Instead, he proved early he could get under someone's pads and use leverage and long arms to his advantage … and that's exactly what he did when he pushed projected first-round pick and right tackle JC Latham (6-6, 360) back into Ala- bama quarterback Jalen Milroe, tripping him up so sophomore edge Derrick Moore could finish him off. That ferocious play capped a 27-20 Michigan overtime win. "At that point, we knew he was definitely going to run that ball right up the middle, especially with that back flaring out," Stewart recalled of the fourth- and-goal draw from the 3-yard line. "It's kind of been their thing, that quar- terback draw. I'm just thinking … run right through him, close that gap down. "I didn't know who made tackle until I got on the bus. I saw him get tripped up. But it was me, Derrick, and two interior defensive tackles playing strong and physical at that point. "For me it was, just don't be denied. This is a mindset as a defensive player. Always beat the man in front of you … that was my mindset going into that play." Sophomore tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant were the two man- ning the middle, more than holding their ground. Moore ducked under the tight end, who had him in a bear hug no less, and Milroe hit him in the chest like he'd run into a brick wall. Moore admitted he had no idea what happened. He just heard the roar and took Stewart's help to get up and celebrate. Their teammates gave them their due when they showed the play repeatedly in Schembechler Hall. "If you'd seen all the film from practice over the last month, this is stuff he's been doing," senior defensive tackle Kris Jen- kins said of Stewart. "He's always been this strong. It's insane to see. His long arms … he's been strong since he first appeared on campus. [Strength] Coach [Ben] Herbert was the first one to address that, too." All four of the guys up front involved in that play will be back next year. Senior edge Braiden McGregor said he was thrilled for them. "If you look at that last play, the DTs were doing their thing. Josaiah lined the guy up, ran down his face and made the tackle with his [Latham's] body. That was really exciting to see," McGregor said. "I was on the sideline with Jay [senior edge Jaylen Harrell]. I think we were on the field before the play was even blown dead. "On the other side, I don't think Derrick gets enough credit. He blew up the tight end like he's not even there and collapsed the pocket to where there's nowhere to run. They showed the film, and all of us said, 'That's a play right there!'" One nobody at Michigan will ever forget, defensive line coach Mike Elston noted. "That was a beastly play by them just collapsing through the B gaps, what- ever block they get penetrating through the B gaps," he said. "You saw it on film. It was an elite play, a phenomenal play, and one that will go down in the history books." — Chris Balas The Defensive Stand That Will Be Remembered Forever On fourth-and-goal, the final play of overtime, U-M junior edge Josaiah Stewart took an Alabama offensive tackle that outweighed him by 115 pounds and collapsed him backward into the play while sophomore Derrick Moore blew up the tight end and tackled Jalen Milroe in the backfield. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL