No. 3 TCU beat Michigan 51-45 for the biggest upset in College Football Playoff history and one of the most exciting semifinal games Parmat has seen since his debut in 2014. The Horned Frogs trailed by eight points. kickoff of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, but the Frogs now sit 6-1 in one-score games after eliminating the previously undefeated Wolverines, the same DNA that helped them overcome a few second-half deficits during the regular season.
Saturday’s first CFP semifinal was not only the highest-scoring Fiesta Bowl (dating back to 1971), it featured the highest-scoring quarter in CFP history (44 points, third quarter) and the highest-scoring playoff game by regulation.
TCU led by 18 points in the first half and led 21-6 at halftime before that third quarter. Not only did Michigan reach the end zone for the first time all game, but it also had two more touchdowns and a field goal in 15 minutes, a void that would have suggested the Big Ten champions made their move. Greatest comeback in playoff history.
But at almost every turn, TCU had an answer.
As Michigan cut its deficit to 21-16, TCU scored a lead-extending touchdown with 2 minutes to go down the field in the first. Then it intercepted UM quarterback JJ McCarthy for his second pick-six of the game. McCarthy came off the mat and led two touchdown drives in the final 3 minutes of the third quarter, but another TCU touchdown came in between.
Michigan cut its deficit to 41-38 — its closest all game — and the Horned Frogs came back with 10 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter to extend their lead. The first of those two scores, a 76-yard touchdown pass from Duggan to Quentin Johnston, gave TCU a 48-38 lead.
Of course, this is not the final turn of the game. Michigan used field position from a key defensive stop to set up McCarthy and the offense for a 56-yard touchdown drive, cutting TCU’s lead to 51-45 with 3:18 left. However, TCU was able to pick up a first down and enough clock to limit Michigan’s chances to steal the win in the final minute.
CBS Sports will update this story with more to-do’s and things to know about TCU’s epic win.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Devoted analyst. Total alcohol scholar. Infuriatingly humble food trailblazer.”