Michigan vs. TCU ended as a one-possession game, but the Horned Frogs led wire-to-wire and took every punch the Wolverines threw.
TCU led 21-6 at the half and seemed to have things in control. It ended up winning 51-45 after all hell broke loose in the second half.
MORE: Michigan responsible for its missed opportunity in Playoff loss to TCU
The madness began with 6 1/2 minutes remaining the third quarter. Starting with Ronnie Bell's 34-yard touchdown reception for Michigan, the teams combined for 56 points over nine possessions.
MORE: Football world reacts to targeting non-call | Officials draw ire after Michigan TD overturned
It was the type of track meet you'd expect to see in Texas Tech vs. Baylor when the two schools were at their height, not TCU against the No. 3 rushing defense in the country.
MORE: What is Jim Harbaugh's bowl record after Michigan's Fiesta Bowl loss?
The result was an instant classic that ended with TCU earning an opportunity to become the first College Football Playoff national champion from the Big 12.
MORE: Watch the College Football Playoff live with fuboTV (free trial)
Here are four stats that show just how wild TCU vs. Michigan got:
Michigan vs. TCU, by the numbers
44
The teams combined for 44 points in the third quarter alone, the most in College Football Playoff history. They scored on six consecutive drives (one of them was a pick-six of Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy) in less than seven minutes.
Minus-77
Michigan was badly outgained on the ground. The Wolverines' rushing differential was plus-1,857 entering the game, and they hadn't been outrushed all season. Illinois had the narrowest gap at 20 yards. Saturday, TCU outgained Michigan 263-186. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards dominated on the ground for the Wolverines this season, but Corum was out for this game with a knee injury. The Horned Frogs were powered by Emeri Demarcado, who rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown. Every time it looked as if Michigan would close the gap, Demarcado seemed to break off another run.
2
Sometimes, the simplest numbers are backbreakers. Michigan gave up two pick-sixes, one for the first points of the game and the other during the third-quarter slugfest. While it isn't fair to say these plays were the difference in the game, there's no denying they were massive swings in the game.
3
Michigan made it inside the TCU 5-yard line three times during the game's first 40 minutes. They scored three points in those trips. Some of the play-calling was confusing, to say the least, and the execution didn't help: an end around that lost 9 yards, a fumble at the 1 after handing the ball to linebacker-turned-fullback Kalel Mullings, and a tunnel screen that was doomed to fail and led to a field goal. That inability to play in a condensed field did Michigan in.
