For Michigan, It’s Not Good Enough Just To ‘Be Here’
A year ago to the day, then-ranked No. 2 Michigan rolled into Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Florida.
Coming off their first win over Ohio State since 2011 and first Big Ten championship in even longer, the Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh had already exorcised their demons. A few short hours after they arrived at the stadium, they watched as Kirby Smart hoisted the Orange Bowl Trophy and quarterback Stetson Bennett won the MVP award. The Wolverines were trounced by the big and physical third ranked Bulldogs, and looked inferior in every aspect of the game.
As the confetti fell, most of the shell-shocked Michigan roster headed back to the locker room, to digest the events of the game and try to grapple with the end of the season, and for some, their careers.
But some remained.
Quarterback JJ McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, wide receiver Andrel Anthony, and a few others continued to watch the proceedings. They stayed near the outskirts, out of sight of most, stoically watching their opponents take one step closer towards their dreams. They watched as a team that had outplayed them in every aspect experienced the pure elation of victory.
In that moment, they swore they would be back.
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And one year later to the day, they are back, and have the chance to take that same step for themselves.
”I feel like last year was just kind of a benchmark that we could look at for the whole offseason and realize that we can get there,” McCarthy said. “... It fuels us even more that we need to get past that point. We're not just happy to be here. We want to get past it.”
Many of the players present at last year’s Orange Bowl game have discussed the stark differences in how the team is approaching each edition of the semifinals. While last year felt like a ‘vacation,’ this year is all business.
That mindset correlates directly to a change in expectation. In 2021, Michigan defied the odds, beating the Buckeyes after beginning the season unranked. They did so behind careful consistent play and several key players, especially defensive stalwarts Aiden Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Daxton Hill. During the offseason, the national media expected Michigan to take a step back, convinced that the significant defensive pieces lost would inhibit its dominance. But within the program, the unwavering confidence was never shaken. The players and coaching staff were sure they could be back, and had to make sure they could take that next step.
And now, against a confident and scrappy TCU team, that chance is finally here. After feeling the sting of defeat on the biggest stage of college football, McCarthy and the rest of the Wolverines will make sure not to waste it.
The expectations, now equivalent both within the team and outside it, are for Michigan to continue doing what it’s done all season long — bully whoever stands in the way to submission.
Because now, it’s no longer good enough to just ‘be here.’ Now, it’s time for the Wolverines to take the next step, dominate the Horned Frogs, and yet again take their place among college football’s elite.
