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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

EMMA MATI/Daily, KATE HUA/Daily | Design by Lys Goldman & Sophie Grand

