The Michigan Wolverines almost got off to the worst start possible in the Rose Bowl against Alabama on New Year's Day. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy rolled out to his right, floated a pass to the left, and saw it picked off by Alabama safety Caleb Downs.
Almost an interception on the first play of the game by JJ McCarthy ?pic.twitter.com/KEmS54AWH0
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 1, 2024
Luckily for McCarthy and Michigan, it was determined upon review that Downs's heel was out of bounds before he made the catch, and the play was ruled an incompletion. It's an incredibly lucky break for the Wolverines, as McCarthy's read was fairly inexplicable; there was no viable Michigan target anywhere near Downs. Perhaps he was trying to throw the ball away and get it out of bounds, but if that was the idea, he did not do a very good job.
Billed as perhaps the best game of the year, this College Football Playoff semifinal is already off to a wild start. We'll see if Michigan and Jim Harbaugh can overcome their 0-2 record in the playoff, and continue to achieve highly amidst various NCAA violation-related allegations this season.
Alabama has different plans; they'll want to force some more turnovers from McCarthy and company, as they continue to play some fantastic football after a tough start to the season. It's not a unanimous opinion across the nation, but they believe that they deserve a spot in this playoff just as much as any other team, and they'll look to keep proving that against undefeated Michigan and perhaps even beyond.
This Rose Bowl is just getting started, and there's sure to be more madness ahead, so stay tuned for the rest of this fascinating edition of college football's oldest bowl. This is the first Rose Bowl meeting between these two programs, a couple of the most storied in the whole country, so no matter what happens, it's history in the making.
