January 8, 2024 Postseason Neutral site Belt changed hands

Michigan takes the belt, 34–13, at a neutral site over Washington.

Home · New Holder

MichiganAP No. 1 34

Away · Defending Holder

WashingtonAP No. 2 13

AP poll, week 15: Washington No. 2 at Michigan No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Georgia. The belt vs. the polls →

Belt context

Where this game sits in the lineage

Michigan took the belt here, ending Washington’s run of 422 days and 17 defenses (reign #321) and starting reign #322. It lasted 243 days and 1 defense, until Texas took it on September 7, 2024.

For Michigan this was its 29th shot at the belt; it had held the belt 8 times before — and it took it back here.

It was the 4th of 4 belt games between the two; going in, Washington led the belt series 2–1; all-time it is 2–2. Every meeting →

AI-Written

Recap

Michigan dominated Washington from start to finish, establishing control early with explosive plays that set the tone for the entire game. The Wolverines' ground game was relentless, with Donovan Edwards breaking free for a 41-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Blake Corum adding a 59-yard run to the Washington 20-yard line late in the opening period, while J.J. McCarthy efficiently moved the offense through the air with key completions to Roman Wilson. Washington's offense struggled mightily, managing only 46 rushing yards and committing two crucial turnovers that prevented any sustained drives, while Michigan's defense held the Huskies to just 13 points despite Washington's best efforts late in the game when Jalen McMillan caught a 3-yard touchdown pass. Michigan's balanced attack, highlighted by the early scoring barrage and defensive discipline, overwhelmed Washington's passing-dependent offense and secured the College Football Belt with a convincing 34-13 victory.

Donovan Edwards' 41-yard TD run in Q1 that set the early tone for Michigan's dominance
Blake Corum's 59-yard run to the Washington 20 late in Q1 that showcased Michigan's unstoppable ground game
Washington's two turnovers that prevented offensive rhythm and allowed Michigan to control field position
Roman Wilson's receiving game keeping chains moving, including crucial first-down conversions that extended Michigan drives

Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.

Full Box Score

Team stats

CFBD box score

MichiganWashington

Total yards443301

Rushing yards30346

Passing yards140255

First downs1617

3rd down conv.1/102/14

Turnovers02

Penalties–yards5–455–30

Time of possession29:1630:44

Full team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.

Play By Play

Key plays

CFBD play-by-play

When	Team	Yards	Play
Q1 9:41	Alabama	+34 yd	Jase McClellan 34 Yd Run (Will Reichard Kick)
Q1 8:56	Michigan	+21 yd	Blake Corum run for 21 yds to the ALA 48 for a 1ST down
Q1 4:23	Michigan	+8 yd	Blake Corum 8 Yd pass from J.J. McCarthy (James Turner Kick)
Q2 5:35	Michigan	+20 yd	J.J. McCarthy pass complete to Roman Wilson for 20 yds to the ALA 38 for a 1ST down
Q2 3:49	Michigan	+38 yd	Tyler Morris 38 Yd pass from J.J. McCarthy (PAT failed)
Q2 0:07	Alabama	+50 yd	Will Reichard 50 Yd Field Goal
Q2 3:33	Alabama	+29 yd	Jalen Milroe pass complete to Isaiah Bond for 29 yds to the ALA 45 for a 1ST down
Q3 11:36	Alabama	-13 yd	TEAM run for a loss of 13 yards to the ALA 40 TEAM fumbled, recovered by ALA Jalen Milroe
Q3 10:56	Alabama	-6 yd	TEAM run for a loss of 6 yards to the ALA 34 TEAM fumbled, recovered by ALA Jalen Milroe
Q4 14:30	Alabama	+3 yd	Jase McClellan 3 Yd Run (Will Reichard Kick)
Q4 12:47	Alabama	+5 yd	Jalen Milroe run for 5 yds to the MICH 49 Jalen Milroe fumbled, forced by Quinten Johnson, recovered by MICH Josh Wallace
Q4 12:41	Michigan	+20 yd	J.J. McCarthy pass complete to Roman Wilson for 20 yds to the ALA 31 for a 1ST down
Q4 11:32	Michigan	-7 yd	Blake Corum run for a loss of 7 yards to the ALA 38 Blake Corum fumbled, recovered by MICH J.J. McCarthy
Q4 10:30	Michigan	+49 yd	James Turner 49 yd FG MISSED
Q4 4:41	Alabama	+52 yd	Will Reichard 52 Yd Field Goal
Q4 2:10	Michigan	+29 yd	J.J. McCarthy pass complete to Roman Wilson for 29 yds to the ALA 5 for a 1ST down
Q4 1:34	Michigan	+4 yd	Roman Wilson 4 Yd pass from J.J. McCarthy (James Turner Kick)
Q5 0:00	Michigan	+17 yd	Blake Corum 17 Yd Run (James Turner Kick)
Q1 10:14	Michigan	+41 yd	Donovan Edwards 41 Yd Run (James Turner Kick)
Q1 3:56	Washington	+25 yd	Grady Gross 25 Yd Field Goal
Q1 3:00	Michigan	+37 yd	J.J. McCarthy pass complete to Roman Wilson for 37 yds to the WASH 46 for a 1ST down
Q1 2:23	Michigan	+46 yd	Donovan Edwards 46 Yd Run (James Turner Kick)
Q1 0:01	Michigan	+59 yd	Blake Corum run for 59 yds to the WASH 20 for a 1ST down
Q2 13:28	Michigan	+31 yd	James Turner 31 Yd Field Goal
Q2 0:42	Washington	+3 yd	Jalen McMillan 3 Yd pass from Michael Penix Jr. (Grady Gross Kick)
Q3 14:55	Washington	+0 yd	Michael Penix Jr. pass intercepted Will Johnson return for no gain to the WASH 32
Q3 11:55	Michigan	+38 yd	James Turner 38 Yd Field Goal
Q3 8:58	Washington	+45 yd	Grady Gross 45 Yd Field Goal
Q3 10:38	Washington	+29 yd	Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Devin Culp for 14 yds to the MICH 49 for a 1ST down. Michigan Penalty, Unnecessary Roughness (Makari Paige) to the MICH 34 for a 1ST down
Q3 3:33	Michigan	+22 yd	J.J. McCarthy run for 22 yds to the MICH 31 for a 1ST down
Q4 9:15	Michigan	+41 yd	J.J. McCarthy pass complete to Colston Loveland for 41 yds to the WASH 30 for a 1ST down
Q4 7:09	Michigan	+12 yd	Blake Corum 12 Yd Run (James Turner Kick)
Q4 6:04	Washington	+44 yd	Michael Penix Jr. pass complete to Rome Odunze for 44 yds to the MICH 27 for a 1ST down
Q4 4:29	Washington	+81 yd	Michael Penix Jr. pass intercepted Mike Sainristil return for 81 yds to the WASH 8
Q4 3:37	Michigan	+1 yd	Blake Corum 1 Yd Run (James Turner Kick)

Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).

Box Score

Player stats

CFBD player stats

Passing

Michigan

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT
J.J. McCarthy	10/18	140	7.8	0	0
Team	0/1	0	0.0	0	0

Washington

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT
Michael Penix Jr.	27/51	255	5.0	1	2

Rushing

Michigan

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Blake Corum	21	134	6.4	2	59
Donovan Edwards	6	104	17.3	2	46
J.J. McCarthy	4	31	7.8	0	22
Kalel Mullings	3	21	7.0	0	14
Alex Orji	2	15	7.5	0	13
Team	2	-2	-1.0	0	0

Washington

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	LONG
Dillon Johnson	11	33	3.0	7
Jalen McMillan	1	9	9.0	9
Will Nixon	2	7	3.5	5
Tybo Rogers	1	2	2.0	2
Ja'Lynn Polk	1	1	1.0	1
Team	1	-1	-1.0	0
Michael Penix Jr.	3	-5	-1.7	5

Receiving

Michigan

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	LONG
Colston Loveland	3	64	21.3	41
Roman Wilson	3	54	18.0	37
Cornelius Johnson	3	25	8.3	10
Semaj Morgan	1	-3	-3.0	0

Washington

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Rome Odunze	5	87	17.4	0	44
Jack Westover	5	42	8.4	0	12
Ja'Lynn Polk	4	37	9.3	0	15
Jalen McMillan	6	33	5.5	1	12
Dillon Johnson	2	24	12.0	0	15
Devin Culp	1	14	14.0	0	14
Tybo Rogers	1	11	11.0	0	11
Will Nixon	3	7	2.3	0	3

Show more stats (5 more categories)

Interceptions

Michigan

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Mike Sainristil	1	81	0
Will Johnson	1	0	0

Washington

No recorded stats in this category.

Kick Returns

Michigan

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Semaj Morgan	2	27	13.5	14	0

Washington

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Daniyel Ngata	1	17	17.0	17	0

Kicking

Michigan

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
James Turner	2/2	100.0	38	4/4	10

Washington

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Grady Gross	2/2	100.0	45	1/1	7

Punt Returns

Michigan

No recorded stats in this category.

Washington

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Giles Jackson	1	0	0.0	0	0

Punting

Michigan

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Tommy Doman	5	234	46.8	1	2	53

Washington

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Jack McCallister	5	239	47.8	0	2	56

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.

Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 401551789) · This game in the downloadable dataset

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