For the second straight year, Michigan lost in the CFP semifinal, this one a 51-45 heartbreaker to TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
— Michigan junior receiver Roman Wilson echoed what most of his teammates were saying in some form or fashion Saturday in a somber Wolverines locker room.
For the second straight year, Michigan beat bitter rival Ohio State and won the Big Ten championship. But for the second straight year, the Wolverines lost in the College Football Playoff semifinal, this one a 51-45 heartbreaker to TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
« Just too many mistakes, too many times where we had chances and didn’t make plays or messed plays up, » Wilson said. « I mean, they’re a good team. I still think we’re the better team, but they got the best of us. Everything they did on film is how they played in the game. So we weren’t surprised. We just didn’t get it done. »
Junior offensive guard Zak Zinter was even more succinct.
« We didn’t lock into some little details. We hurt ourselves. … We beat ourselves out there, » Zinter said.
One by one, Michigan’s players did their best to assess their second straight CFP semifinal loss, which saw the Wolverines fall behind early and try to play catch-up the rest of the way. The Wolverines trailed 21-3 in the second quarter and 41-22 late in the third quarter and kept fighting back. In the end, they couldn’t overcome two interceptions returned for touchdowns, three first-and-goal situations that produced a total of three points and a rushing defense (ranked third nationally) that gave up 263 yards on the ground.
« To be the defense we are, giving up 51 points isn’t up to our standard, » said senior defensive back Mike Sainristil, part of a Michigan defense that allowed seven plays from scrimmage of 15 yards or longer.
