1-9-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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Visit Carvana.com or download the app to get an instant offer today. Before the dust even settles on the end of the NFL regular season, we are already on to the college football national championship. Wowzers. You think about this three-week stretch here where we've got NFL, of course, on Saturday and Sunday. So, starting January, we get the NFL games on Saturday and Sunday through the end of the regular season, which was yesterday, and then on into the first round of the playoffs.

And then we also get Monday games. So, last Monday, January 1st, it was the college football playoff semi-finals. And then tonight, the national championship Michigan prevailing for the first time since 1997. I do love it when we've got some fresh blood and new storylines. And yes, Michigan made a third consecutive college football playoff, but not until tonight, capitalizing on that opportunity.

So, we're going to talk about the victors, you know, hail to the victors. And we'll head to Houston coming up in about 15 minutes or so and get the scene set from our cbssports.com reporter on the ground. But to finish up the part about the Monday football, coming up next weekend, it's wildcard weekend, super-sized wildcard weekend. And of course, we've got more Monday football.

So, just when you thought it was safe to get in the water, it's really not. There's still football to dominate your life. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, I'd love to connect with you. If you haven't seen the latest photo from the zoo that I posted, well, it's up there. Just look for poor Penny.

That's all I'm saying. You'll see it immediately. Poor Penny.

Poor Penny. So, that's on my Twitter. On our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence, we've got the spot where you can weigh in with your Monday MVP. So, that poll is still ongoing in both Twitter and Facebook.

We're always happy to hear from you. A little bit later on, we'll have the TD of the Week poll. Not the last one, but we're getting pretty darn close to it. Now, inside of five weeks until football games are over with either the college or NFL platform, I don't know when the XFL plays.

I'm not sure about the CFL. I just know that our Saturdays and Sundays, and even our Mondays, are about to look a whole lot different. Our phone number is 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Big, bad, breaking news from the NBA as well if you didn't see it. Ja Morant, we barely knew ye in 2024. He's already out for the season. I've got to have surgery on a torn labrum on his shoulder. And so, for Ja anyway, it's yet another massive setback and major disappointment. And I know his decision-making led to the suspensions, and his poor choices led to him being out of basketball. But I am disappointed for him, and sad for him, that he was just starting to round into form and get back into a hoops groove. And now this injury, which of course has nothing to do with poor choices or irresponsible activity, irresponsible behavior.

This is just one of the hazards of being a professional athlete. And it stinks for him, but also likely to feel as though the world is piling on. Likely to feel as though he just can't get back to what he loves without all these obstacles and these hurdles.

And so I feel for him, and I hope he's doing well. I was hopeful that the structure of being with the Grizzlies on a day in and day out basis would offer him a hedge, if you will. Would offer him some structure and some accountability with his team, with his coaches. Not that he won't be around team personnel, and not that he won't be busy with rehab and recovery, because he certainly will if he chooses to do it the right way. And I do hope they hold him accountable in that arena. But the challenge is that he'll be away from his teammates.

I don't know if you all remember, this is just a recent example, and it's only one, there are many other examples. But when Klay Thompson was rehabbing from his back-to-back serious leg injuries, first the ACL and then torn achilles, he talked about the lonely days where it was just him and the athletic trainer. It was just him and the physical therapist. It was just him working on his own to get healthy again.

Why? Well, because his teammates were traveling, they were on road trips, they were busy practicing, they were playing basketball, and he was on his own a ton. And that those were the really lonely, discouraging, kind of bleak moments that were so hard to fight through. Obviously worth every minute, every second, he said, once the Warriors won their most recent championship, and he wouldn't trade it, but it doesn't mean it wasn't brutally hard. And for John Moran, who's played basketball for almost his entire life, we know how important that structure is when you're trying to make better decisions, to have people around you who will encourage you to walk the straight and narrow. And I hope that people will, his family, his friends, if not his teammates, will continue to keep tabs on him so that they can make sure he's doing okay. They can check in with him, make sure he's not left on his own. Or again, sometimes it can be tempting to not be accountable when you're on your own and you're having to recover from an injury or walk through something challenging by yourself.

Candace Parker, who is a, gosh, longtime star women's basketball player, both WNBA and in college, and is now part of TNT and their coverage of the NBA. She had the same injury as John Moran, and she can attest to what's in store for him. It's really slow and methodical, honestly. A lot of it is the healing process. I mean, obviously I did it years ago, but with that, it's surgery and then it's, you know, you are limited mobility wise. You're in a sling and then it's just gradually getting back. And, you know, the healing process is the hardest part because you can't do certain things during that rehab. And as professional athletes, you always want to push the envelope.

And this is one of those things where you have to be patient. Candace Parker on NBA Game Time. So there's certainly a huge blow for Ja and a really challenging time ahead. So we'll get to more of that coming up with this means for him and for the Grizzlies.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. But to Houston, we go the college football playoff national championship game. And boy, from the word jump, the Michigan Wolverines were determined to use brute force and strength and dominate the line of scrimmage against Washington. JJ takes the snap handoff to Edwards up the middle bounces off a tackler.

35. Donovan Edwards down the sideline. Donovan Edwards in the clear. Touchdown Wolverines. And Michigan takes the lead on a 41 yard touchdown run by number seven Donovan Edwards.

Pistol formation. JJ takes the snap, hands it off to Edward to a bounce it outside. Donovan 40. Donovan 30. Donovan Edwards is in the clear. He'll do it again. His second touchdown run of the ballgame.

This time for 46 yards. And Michigan has taken a 13 to 3 lead on the second touchdown of the night from the man who was not tripping. Donovan Edwards had been really quiet the second half of the Michigan season only to break out and honestly on those two long touchdown runs, a 41 yarder and then a 46 yarder on the second Wolverines drive, he was barely touched.

Once he found the opening, he was gone. And so the brute strength and the will of that Michigan offensive line, the tight ends, of course, anybody they required to block or to open up holes or just to take care of their mark. That force created running lanes. And in the first quarter alone, the Wolverines had nearly 175 yards rushing in the first quarter alone. Now Michigan's third drive started with another huge run this time Blake Corum, 59 yarder. But the Wolverines had to settle for a field goal. And so early on, you could see where Michigan came out and threw the first couple of punches.

Washington had some opportunities. There was a fourth down early in the second quarter where Michael Penix Jr. just missed on a deep shot that could have gone for a possible touchdown. There was another long completion that was called back on a flag. Now, inside the five yard line for Washington late in the first half, there was another fourth down, this time from the three, right? So we're talking about deep into Michigan territory, another fourth down. And Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff, Michael Penix and his receiving corps on the field.

It was perfect execution. A great crossing route for Jalen McMillan. Penix able to keep the defense off balance with his eyes and then find his receiver running left to right in the back. And so right before halftime, the Huskies pull within a touchdown and it's 17 to 10. But gosh, certainly the major number that jumped out at me from that first half is the 209 yards rushing for the Wolverines, as well as the two Donovan Edwards touchdowns. So at halftime, and this is post game, but at halftime, Jim Harbaugh said that one of his defensive players actually stood in front of them to exhort them and to ask for a little bit more in the second half. Will Johnson talked at halftime like we got to get this momentum back and darn if we don't get it back the first play of the second half. I mean, yeah, pull it down.

That was phenomenal. Penix is back to pass on first down. Pump fakes now is firing in and it's intercepted. No, dropped. Oh, Will Johnson, did he catch it? Yeah, he did. Did he catch it?

He did. Will Johnson comes up with an interception right in front of the Washington bench. He bobbled it and then plucked it right off the turf. That's the call with Doug Karsh from Learfield. I'll be darned Will Johnson, the one who addresses the team at halftime and says we've got to get this momentum back after the Wolverines give up that late TD just before the break.

And he's the one who picks off Penix on the first snap for Washington in the second half. So Michigan's able to tack on a field goal. It's back to double figures, 20 to 10, and it stays that way through the third quarter.

Well, it stays that way for Michigan through the third quarter. There was a field goal as well for Washington, but otherwise not a whole lot of movement. A lot of punting. The two defenses shoring up.

A couple of mistakes, a couple of missed opportunities. But then into the fourth quarter, Michigan throws the one-two punch to put this game out of reach. And you may have noticed that there were more chunk plays. J.J. McCarthy has a long third down run. A couple of bigger pass plays, though it was really the run game that would set the tone and winning that line of scrimmage, those battles in the trenches. That's really where Michigan had a major advantage. So it was Donovan Edwards early, but it was Blake Corum late.

Snap. Blake running right. Cuts upfield at the 10. Breaks a tackle to the 5. Blake Corum to the goal line. To the end zone.

Touchdown Wolverines. Blake Corum with the touchdown run. From 12 yards out and Michigan extends the lead to 26 to 13 here midway through the fourth quarter. J.J. under center. Brings a tight end in motion. Handoff Blake Corum up the middle. Touchdown Wolverines.

Behind the left side of the offensive line. And Michigan extends the lead to 33 to 13 with 3.37 to go win the ballgame. Coaches always say playmakers have to make plays. And don't wait on anyone else to make a play, but today was a complete, complete team effort. You know, there's so many people making plays out there. And when we needed to play, someone made it. Whether it had been myself, whether it had been Will, whether it had been J.J. or Donovan. You know, I could keep going on and on just because so many guys made plays. But when the play needs to be made, playmakers make them.

We have a lot of them. Blake Corum with two fourth quarter touchdowns. And they were sandwiched around an 81-yard interception return. And Michael Penix in the second half specifically under siege. They hit him a lot. In fact, he was pretty banged up to the point where he was asked about his health after the fact.

You could tell that he was playing through pain. I'm just happy that I was able to finish it with the guys. You know, I knew that I didn't want nothing to take me out of that game, you know, because, you know, I've been through it too much.

You know, and I knew that no matter what, I was going to make sure that I finished for the guys and, you know, just give them my all, you know. But, I mean, I'm not healthy. But, I mean, I'll be there. I'm good. You know, it's nothing major.

I know that for sure. So the Wolverines able to beat him up, able to hit him a lot, which helped with the defense, of course. The secondary of the back line of the defense coming up with that late interception on an overthrow because he was under siege and seeing a lot of interference, a lot of traffic, a lot of defenders in his face. So ultimately that stretch there midway through the fourth quarter put this game out of reach for Michigan.

And Corum and Edwards together each go over 100 yards and together have nearly 250 plus four touchdowns. What a dominant performance by the Michigan ground attack. First title for the Wolverines since 1997. Nine years in the making for one Jim Harbaugh. And we will hear from him and his analogy about no longer having to sit at the kids table. Really cool moments with his brother John and then also his father.

So you hear more from that victorious Michigan locker room and what a cool cap to the season, a perfect season for the Wolverines. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You can find me on Twitter, A Law Radio, on our Facebook page, too. Just resharing that Monday MVP poll.

So make sure you cast your vote if you haven't already. We'll head to Houston straight ahead. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Washington's last chance, punch formation to the right, one receiver split to the left. Pennix in a shotgun on fourth and 10 from his own 31. Takes the snap back to pass. Wolverines bring a blitz, fires and it is incomplete.

Incomplete. And the Michigan defense calls game. Just to be, you know, part of the family, you know, with my dad who won a national championship with Western Kentucky in 2002.

And John Harbaugh who won the Super Bowl 2012 season, 2013 Super Bowl. I get to sit at the big person's table now. That feels really good.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Jim Harbaugh with that goofy smile on his face. He gets to sit at the big person's table now.

The big kid's table. He repeated that a couple of times with his brother who surprised him on the sidelines at some point during the first half. That was kind of interesting. Just walked up to him right in the middle of the game. I guess when you are a fellow coach and you have a Super Bowl win, well then it's all right if you do that to your brother right in smack dab in the middle of the biggest game of his life. And then his father who got picked up by Jim Harbaugh. Jack Carr by his name. Really cool to see the family affair in Houston as the Wolverines finally capitalize on their opportunities in the college football playoff. Third time's a charm, but first college football championship for Michigan since 1997. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You can find us on Twitter, After HoursCBS, or on our Facebook page. Right now we are excited to spend a few minutes in Houston with the National College Football writer, Jahan Jayarajah of CBS Sports. Jahan, I saw from your Twitter that the cleanup has begun, but are the sounds of Hail to the Victor still echoing through NRG? Man, I don't know if they'll ever stop. They play that song so many times, but listen, when you win a national championship for the first time since 1997, I think you get to enjoy the spoils.

What made the difference? What will you remember about Michigan's march to this title? Well, the funny thing about this is that this team and so many of the players on the roster have been through the last two of them. And I think back to 2021 when Michigan played against Georgia. And I mean, people kind of forget that team got wiped off the field by Georgia.

They were not close to come back again the next year and have a chance to win against TCU and fall short and then to play a game where they're trailing in the fourth quarter against Alabama in the Rose Bowl and find a way to come back fourth overtime and win that game. I mean, this has been a resilient team all season long. They've obviously dealt with the suspension of their head coach for six games. They've had multiple different interim coaches after their offensive coordinator was fired as well.

This is a team that just kept rolling with the punches, kept getting more experience, kept getting older, and now they leave as national champions. Jim made the point once again that they were able to weather the storm and everything worked out the way that it was supposed to because they're innocent, because the players had nothing to do with anything. They're innocent. Why is it so important for him to make that point? Well, let's think about the fact of what got him in trouble in the first place, right, with the first NCAA case. There are two cases that are going on right now, both separate, and that will be adjudicated separately as well by the NCAA. But the first case had to do with him misleading investigators, not telling the truth.

And part of it was that they came back and said, can you just clarify? We know the answer to this question. We know that you did this thing. And he refused to say that he did. So some of this is just Jim Harbaugh's stubbornness. He needs to kind of put on that face and tell people that he's innocent, to tell people that nothing wrong happened. You know, the reality is, too, with the signed feelings scandal, we don't know that Jim Harbaugh had any part in that.

But it did happen under his watch is what, of course, is at the center of it. So I think that this is just Jim Harbaugh's personality. He has been stubborn his whole career.

He's been stubborn his whole life. It wore people out when he was with the 49ers. At times, it wore people out when he was at Michigan.

But here's the reality. When you lead a team to the Super Bowl, and when you lead a team to a college football national championship, you're allowed to be a little stubborn. How much do you think it played a factor in Michigan's winning this championship? Yeah, I think that having to go through what they went through is just so unique. There is no team that you can really point to in the history of college football.

The only thing that I think maybe comes a little close would be Alabama having to deal with the 2020 pandemic season. I mean, that was obviously, in a very different way, a unique situation. But it didn't matter who was leading the program. It didn't matter who was putting in the play calls. It didn't matter who was leading the team onto the field.

I got a chance to talk a couple days ago with Kente Jones, one of the tackles for Michigan. And he told me, before that Michigan game, because I want people to remember, just hours before the game when they were flying to state college, that's when they learned that Jim Harbaugh would not be allowed to coach in the game against Penn State and would be suspended for three games. At that point, they kind of made a choice. The team came together and made a choice. We are going to not let this break us.

We are going to go in and win for Coach Harbaugh, even though he's not there. People will, of course, remember offensive coordinator and interim coach Sharron Moore's emotional reaction after the game. But this is what they had to go through for so much of the year. And ultimately, I think that because of the leadership that they had, because of the coaching staff that they had, they were able to use it in a positive sense. And again, so many of the players on this team, I think I counted 14 of the 22 starters, played in the 2021 college football playoff against Georgia.

So they have been through the ringer, and ultimately, I think those experiences helped shape who they were. Adversity definitely brought them together, and you could see how much they enjoyed playing for one another and how much, really, they kept pointing to the guy on the left and the guy on the right, even as they're receiving the accolades. Shahan Jayarajah with us from Houston following Michigan's triumph in the college football championship.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Of course, the ability to run the ball was really impressive, and the 209, I guess, rushing yards in the first half. But also on the defensive side, the ability to limit Michael Penix, who had such a brilliant semifinal. What did Michigan do against him to make sure that he wasn't as effective? Well, I think that the first part of this is that defensive coordinator Jesse Mincher probably needs to put together a lot of tape from this day, because this is the kind of tape that earns you a head coaching job or an NFL defensive coordinator job.

It was an incredible day with what he was able to do. What I think they did best was they stimulated a lot of pressure. Sometimes it was guys coming, but sometimes it was the threat of guys coming. I remember in the first quarter at some point, a couple of years ago, we saw the whole Sam Darnold, I'm seeing ghosts thing. Well, Washington's offensive line was seeing ghosts for a lot of that first quarter.

They did not know where the pressure was coming from. The Michigan defensive line is so versatile. They're so athletic that they're able to line up almost anywhere and attack from different angles. I think they struggled to do that. I believe Michigan was only credited with two sacks in the game, but they were right in Michael Penick's face every single play in a way that Texas just wasn't able to do. And then on the back end as well, this is a fantastic, fantastic secondary. They let their players play.

I think that it was a different crew. Maybe they would have called the hand fighting just a little bit differently, but they took advantage of what the refs were kind of getting them. And they have very physical defensive backs.

They're technically incredibly sound. And they mixed up their coverages. There were a couple of opportunities that Michael Penick had where he had a receiver free or he had a guy open down the field. But the thing was, they just did such a good job of preventing him from getting into rhythm that by the time those plays came open, it didn't matter. How does Washington fit into the Big Ten?

It's a good question. Obviously, they've been a member of the Pac-12 and its preceding version since, I believe, 1917. So, a little bit of a change having to go play games now in East Lansing and Piscataway. But I do think that you look at this Washington team, I mean, I want people to understand how physical that they were able to play all year. Obviously, Michigan was able to take advantage of them, was able to cause them some issues, especially with run fits. But this is a physical Washington team. They won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in college football. I think their defensive line, as the game went on, did a much, much, much better job as they adjusted to what was in front of them. So, this is a physical team.

This isn't a team that's going to be bullied by anybody, even entering the Big Ten. They're going to replace a lot after losing Michael Penick, Jr. You expect that those three great wide receivers for them will head to the NFL. But this is a program under Kalen DeBoer that I think is heading in a great direction. You know, I put together a story today over at CBSSports.com about sort of Kalen DeBoer's background as a former NAIA coach and what he learned from that level. What he learned going to being an FBS coordinator, to being an FBS coordinator, to being an FBS head coach, to now being the head coach at Washington.

And I think that with Kalen DeBoer at the helm, I mean, Washington is in tremendous shape and I'm excited to see what their next iteration looks like. I'm glad you brought up the NFL, Shahan, because there certainly are questions around Jim Harbaugh and whether or not he makes his return to pro football. Just hearing the questions, hearing his answers, what is your sense of what his future might hold? Well, if you ask Jim Harbaugh, he says, well, my hope is that I have a future.

I hope we have it tomorrow. And, you know, certainly I think it's a little bit of a misdirect, I think you could say. My feel, talking to people, my feel from his answers, my feel from hearing from the presidents of Michigan, from hearing from the athletics director at Michigan. I think that everybody kind of expects him to leave.

Really? He was brought to Michigan in 2015 to win a national championship, and he's done that now. Now, I think he really does want the opportunity to do what he hasn't done before, match his brother, of course, John Harbaugh, who won a Super Bowl. And I mean, when you talk about Jim Harbaugh, I mean, everybody, you know, everybody has a price, everybody needs money.

But like, you know, he doesn't, I don't think, really do this for the money. He does it for legacy and for respect. And so, you know, to bring a title to Michigan, the first outright national championship at Michigan since 1948, I mean, he's checked the box now.

He's done it. And so I do think that with the interest level that there could be in the NFL, especially after he won a national championship, if the right situation comes about, I absolutely think that he's going to heavily consider jumping. He certainly would be an asset. We know he can coach in the NFL. As you pointed out, he took the Niners to a Super Bowl, but not just that, they competed in three consecutive NFC championships.

And so the world is his oyster right now. I know Michigan travels well. So before I let you go, Shahan, what was the atmosphere like for the Wolverines as they put the game away there with those two big touchdowns from Blake Corum midway through the fourth quarter? Yeah, it was incredible. The place was so loud. And I will give a quick credit, Washington fans did a great job of traveling as well.

And they, you know, for having to travel from Seattle, Washington to Houston, Texas, I think they did great. But this was a Michigan crowd. This is probably a 65-35 Michigan crowd. When these big moments came about, it was so loud in there. And, you know, one of the things, whenever you cover games at NFL stadiums, you don't get the same kind of noise and atmosphere as maybe you get in a college stadium or even in certain other venues. But this felt like a great college game today with the crowd that Michigan brought. And, again, like you said, when the confetti started falling, whenever the final touchdown came for Blake Corum, I mean, the place was absolutely raucous in there. So an environment I'll definitely remember for a long time. I was lucky. This is my first national championship game.

And it's going to be a hard one to top. Nice. All right. You can find Jahanjayarajah on Twitter with his name. And rather than spell it for you, just find it on my Twitter.

I linked it. But incredible stuff from Houston, national college football writer for CBS Sports. Congrats on covering your first one. I hope there are many more. And thank you so much for a couple of minutes.

Thank you so much for having me. Really neat to be able to see some of the star power, too, there in Houston, which you didn't have a chance to ask Jahan about. But you may have seen the shots of the one, I guess it was a luxury box up top in the stadium that had both Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter and Travis Scott and all of these pretty much A-listy, A-listy celebrities.

So that was fun. And if you check out Sean's Twitter, again, find my Twitter, ALawRadio, and then you can easily just go to my last tweet and he's right there. He's in it. But you can see some photos as well from guys that he, Michigan peeps, Michigan alum that he encountered on the sidelines. It's great to have you with us. I know there are a lot of Michigan fans and Michigan alumni scattered all over the country.

So we'd love to hear from you on our social media or on the phones, 855-212-4227. A little bit from the Washington locker room. Kaelin DeBoer, what a moment for him, for Washington, for the Pac-12, even as they get set to bolt to the to the Big Ten. They came very close to winning the first national championship for that conference.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Jay Bay takes the snap, flips the ball to Roman Wilson after he takes a knee. And Michigan, the Wolverines, have won a national championship. Wolverine players, Wolverine alums, Michigan fans everywhere. Jim Harbaugh and your staff, your team is the number one team in America.

As the clock ticks down and Michigan completes a 15 and 0 national championship season here in Houston. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I still can't quite figure out what Doug Karsh from Learfield says on the back end of that. Spect, as in respect, or he says respect and I somehow miss the re part. I know that he at times sounded like he was losing his voice a little bit.

Maybe that's what the kids say, shortening it from respect to spect. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. CBS national championship for Jim Harbaugh that was nine years in the making, first title in the sport for Michigan since 1997. But obviously goes back before BCS, before the college football playoff, before it was decided in any other way except for votes and end of season rankings. So this is the outright championship for Michigan that they really didn't have access to or have the opportunity to play for back in 97.

As for Washington, final game before entering the Big Ten and before the Pac-12 Conference breaks up. But he says this is not where Huskies football ends. The sun does come up tomorrow, you know, and these memories that we have and the journey we've been on is special. We're different. I really believe that.

Just built different and there's a lot that we can build on for the years to come. I love that he's got his own cheering section there. I guess that's not from his postgame press conference.

It's from other source of audio. But Caitlin DeBoer, the head coach of Washington, certainly been a revelation for those Huskies. What did he say to his team following this disappointing end to their season? I really didn't know what to say because it wasn't what we planned on. You know, we believe in each other and we believe that we can win this football game.

And I think the thing that I wanted them to make sure that they knew is even though this wasn't what we feel was going to happen. But they've they've restored UW football. They've made a city proud and they've made a fan base proud. They've made alumni proud. And most of all, they've showed what they're made of and they've showed heart and they've showed, I think, the whole country. You know, what's special about our place.

And I'm just I'm just I'm so proud of them. The Wolverines ran for three hundred three yards against the Huskies. Now, the majority of it, well, half of it. Let's see, once a little more than half of it happened in the first quarter. And so the defensive line, as we talked about with Shahan and the defense as a whole. Really was able to turn a corner after that first quarter.

Now it hurts when you've got a couple of interceptions that not only limit your opportunities, but then give the ball back to the team that already has the lead. And to only allow one touchdown to Michael Pennix was a huge deal for Michigan's D. But take nothing away from him as a Heisman Trophy finalist. We saw what he could do on the national stage with that semifinal. And if you don't know his story, he's had a six year college career. Because of, I think, if I remember correctly, it's four different season ending injuries that he suffered through.

Twice knee, twice shoulder. And so, yeah, credit Michigan for taking away what he loves to do, taking away what comes so naturally to him. Those pinpoint passes, the touch, the accuracy, whether he's zinging the ball downfield, or whether he is lofting one to come down in the perfect spot where only his receiver could grab it. Michigan never really offered him that chance to find a rhythm and flow. And also they hit him a lot. They made life miserable for him a bunch.

And he talked about that afterwards when he said that he was playing through pain. But he also takes responsibility for the fact that the offense never settled in. It came down to executing. I missed a couple throws. Just a couple reads on routes and stuff like that. Just small details within our system that we do great all the time.

If it's shifts and motions, coming out of the huddle. Just small details and stuff like that cause us to be in a position where we didn't want to be in. Obviously we didn't come out how we wanted to, but I know that each and every player on this team, they gave it their all. And it wasn't enough today. And for me, I'm going to take accountability for the offense side of the ball.

I feel like we could have did better. I am looking forward to seeing him on a Sunday stage. To seeing what he can do at the next level. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Offensive player of this national title game, Blake Corum. And there's always a redemption story.

You just have to look for it a little bit. This one with him, the two closing touchdowns. The 134 yards rushing. And the way that he was able to power the team, not just in the semi-final, but in this championship, especially late. He actually missed the college football playoff last winter because of a knee injury.

He suffered a devastating season ender of his own. And yet, to be able to come back and know that it was better than it was last year. I love that opportunity for him. I love the humility.

And I certainly love the fact that he will not take it for granted. We knew what it took to get here, right? And when we all said we were coming back and the guys that had no other choice but to come back, we had to pay attention to details. And our strength coach actually hit on it last night when he was talking to us. But it's the little things, the details and the details. And we really locked in on those details all the way back to winter workouts, summer workouts. We were always just trying to execute at a high level and pay attention to detail. I think that's what separated us a lot. We came a long way.

But in order to accomplish things like this, you got to go to those dark places where everything's not great. And just the response, the urgency right after that last game last year, it was different. I knew it. Just from being on the podium last year and saying that we'll be back, I knew the guys that were coming back.

And I just had this feeling that it was going to be where we are right now. And just all credit goes to the players on this team, everybody in that facility, Coach Harbaugh. That man, he's the reason we're here today. So just all thanks to him and to everybody on the team.

Jim Harbaugh was asked after the game whether or not he wants to tackle a Super Bowl next. And he said, I really would just like to live in this moment. I really would just like to enjoy the time that I've got right now. I've got two great loves. My love at work, you know, the people I work with, coaches, the staff, players, and the love I have for my family at home. And it just means a lot to a couple of the kids here right there.

Jimmy, Grace, Sarah, Johnny, Jack, Katie, Addie. They're just the loves of my life. And my brother John being here, my dad and mom being here. You know, and then to be here with our team. And that's those two families together celebrating. It's glorious.

It is just a beautiful thing. Who has it better than we do? Who has it better than Michigan?

Nobody. And definitely not on this night. He sounds so content, so satisfied. And he did say this is exactly how it was supposed to work out. Just got this tweet from Mike who says Michigan radio man Doug Karsh is saying bet at the end. The Michigan rally cry behind Jim Harbaugh and the team. Might need some more explanation there. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Nobody wants a surprise in their jelly donut.

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