Michigan's Blake Corum: I Knew We'd Win Rose Bowl After Forcing Overtime vs. Alabama

Michigan running back Blake Corum was confident his team would win the Rose Bowl after scoring late to force overtime.

Alabama took a seven-point lead with less than five minutes to go in the College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup, leaving Michigan with one last opportunity to tie things up. The Wolverines did just that, mounting a 75-yard drive to score and even the game at 20 apiece with just a minute-and-a-half to go.

Alabama fell short on a game-winning drive and the game went to overtime. Per Fox Sports' Bryan Fischer, that late touchdown gave Corum confidence that Michigan would handle business.

"When we scored and forced overtime, I knew it was over," Corum said after the game.

Michigan got the ball first in overtime and scored thanks to Corum's 17-yard touchdown run, and the Wolverines' defense held strong on a goal-line stand to win the game.

It was only fitting that Corum, who had 88 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards and two touchdowns, was the one who sealed the game for Michigan. The senior running back has been integral to Michigan's success this season, recording 1,028 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on the year.

Now, he's looking to lead the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997. Michigan appeared in the CFP in 2021 and 2022, but couldn't get it done either time. The Wolverines will take on the winner of Texas and Washington next Monday in the CFP title game.

The Wolverines have been dominant all season, cruising through the regular season undefeated before beating Iowa in the Big Ten Championship to secure the top seed in the CFP. Michigan has proved itself with huge wins over Penn State and Ohio State — both without head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was serving a three-game suspension at the time — and it added to its list of impressive wins by defeating Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide on Monday.

Corum confidently led Michigan to a win in the semifinal, and he'll be looking to have that same confidence in the biggest game of his career next week.