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INDEX
Vol. CXXXII, No. 101
©2022 The Michigan Daily
NEWS............................ 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
OPINION.......................9
SPORTS .......................11
STATEMENT..........INSERT
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BACK
BACK2BACK
BACK
I
NDIANAPOLIS — The Michigan
football team refers to the Ohio
State game as its “Super Bowl,”
it’s metaphorical pinnacle point of the Big
Ten. But on Saturday, the Wolverines were
still in pursuit of a championship trophy — of
physical, tangible proof to mark them as the
kings of the conference.
No. 2 Michigan (13-0 overall, 10-0 Big Ten)
raised the hardware it coveted, pulling away
from Purdue (8-5, 6-4) in the second half for
a 43-22 win. The Wolverines secured their
second consecutive Big Ten Championship,
the first time they’ve accomplished that feat
since 2003-04.
“It’s just a blessing,” graduate receiver
Ronnie Bell said at the trophy presentation.
“This team is battle tested and these guys
learn from everyone in the program, everyone
in the building.
“Everyone has worked so hard and to see it
all come full circle, it’s a beautiful thing, it’s a
beautiful blessing.”
Championships are a culmination of
season-long goals, but for Michigan, its
performance against Purdue was a fitting
final reminder of the approach that led them
through a flawless season: dominating the
second half.
In the first half, both teams traded blows,
and the Wolverines walked to the locker only
leading 14-13. The Boilermakers had one
game-breaking weapon in receiver Charlie
Jones and they weren’t going shy away
from using him. Jones galvanized Purdue’s
offense, racking up seven catches for 74 yards
to keep them afloat.
But when the teams returned to the field,
Michigan only needed seven plays to forge its
second half dominance yet again.
The first was a 60-yard burst by
sophomore running back Donovan Edwards.
Four plays later, the Wolverines were in
the end zone. After forcing a three-and-
out on the Boilermakers’ subsequent drive,
Michigan took even less time to stretch the
lead. Sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy
hit senior tight end Luke Schoonmaker for a
40-yard catch. Then, Edwards did the rest
with a 27-yard touchdown run the following
play, juking and carrying defenders with him
the entire way.
Seven plays. Two scores. And just like
that, a tight game was blown open. Michigan
had its lead, and now it could choke out its
opponent.
“We’ve been in that situation before,
multiple times,” McCarthy said postgame.
“There wasn’t really anything said (in the
locker room) but the usual, ‘We got 30
minutes, give it our all.’ We’re the best second
half team in the country and it showed again.”
Edwards in particular rose to the occasion,
finishing with 185 rushing yards after gaining
just 37 in the first half. His efforts earned him
Championship Game MVP honors.
Defensively, meanwhile, the Wolverines
mucked the game up. Down two touchdowns,
Purdue started to display some urgency and
moved the ball into the red zone. But each
time the Boilermakers threatened, Michigan
had an answer — using an interception from
freshman cornerback Will Johnson and
timely sacks to hold Purdue to just three
points in the quarter.
With ten minutes left in the game, Purdue
down nine with the ball, it desperately needed
a drive to keep the game competitive. Instead,
Johnson snared his second interception,
jumping a pass and immediately throwing up
two fingers towards his teammates.
“His skills are top of the charts,”
McCarthy said. “I just can’t wait to see him
keep growing into the great player that he is
going to become.”
Three plays after Johnson’s pick, Michigan
was in the end zone again. It could start to
picture the confetti raining down.
The entire second half, the Wolverines
didn’t attempt anything extraordinary, they
just controlled the game. They made it boring.
They made it ugly. It was exactly how they
had won all year.
In
the
waning
moments,
players
embraced and fans danced in the stands — a
second straight Big Ten trophy officially in
Michigan’s grasp.
Except unlike last year, celebrations
were more subdued. There was no gatorade
bath for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
Players walked off the field satisfied, but not
euphoric. McCarthy’s mind wandered to
last year’s Orange Bowl trophy celebration
against Georgia, where he stood to the side
and watched as the Bulldogs soaked in the
win.
“I feel like (that moment) drove me so
much that this victory tonight doesn’t really
feel like anything,” McCarthy said. “That’s
something that’s really hard to come by. I
mean, back-to-back Big Ten Championships
is amazing, but just that feeling that we had
last year, this is just in the way of making sure
that feeling never happens again.”
The Big Ten trophy officially cements the
Wolverines as the class of the Big Ten once
again.
But, as McCarthy made clear, this year they
don’t want that trophy to be the centerpiece.
JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan wins second consecutive Big Ten Championship
The Big Ten trophy
officially cements the
Wolverines as the
class of the Big Ten
once again.
MICHIGAN 43 - PURDUE 22
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