Offensive Blunders Cost Wolverines Shot At National Title

It’s been nearly nine years since Jim Harbaugh took the head coaching job for the Michigan Wolverines football team.

While six seasons saw him coming up short of making the top five, his past two seasons have been fruitful.

Saturday night’s Fiesta Bowl was his chance to send the Wolverines to a National Championship game.

However, he and his team fell short yet again on the national stage.

They went into their bowl game as a heavy favorite against Texas Christian University.

But offensive blunders in the first half were the downfall for Harbaugh and his team.

Their production inside the redzone to start the game was awful.

Michigan’s red zone offense #FiestaBowl pic.twitter.com/etfmWDClUK

— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) December 31, 2022

However, it wasn’t just problems inside the 20 which hurt the Wolverines’ chances of winning against TCU.

Their quarterback had two passes which TCU intercepted and returned for touchdowns.

PICK-6 TCU!pic.twitter.com/pAIPel9GQc

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 31, 2022

The first came early in the first quarter, giving TCU a 7-0 lead.

But the second came in the closing moments of the third quarter, which lead TCU to a 34-16 lead.

While these two interceptions by J. J. McCarthy cost his team the game, they weren’t the only offensive mistakes in the game.

A fumble at the half-yard line with the Wolverines down by 11 was a heartbreaking turnover from the TCU defense.

MICHIGAN FUMBLE ON THE HALF YARD LINE! 😱 #TCUvsMICH pic.twitter.com/RZYfkh8Fti

— Stephen Lux (@stephenjlux) December 31, 2022

There was also a questionable call by Harbaugh to go for it on fourth down early in the game with a trick play.

With all the blunders on offense, it led to TCU leaving the Fiesta Bowl with a six-point victory.

Now Harbaugh must wait for another season to bring a National title back to Michigan.