The Michigan Wolverines appeared poised for a fast start in the College Football Playoff semi-final against TCU, but blew it with a failed attempt at a famous trick play.
The Wolverines got off to a great start when running back Donovan Edwards notched a 53-yard carry on the first play from scrimmage, and that appeared to set up Michigan for an early score. The TCU defense buckled down, however, and ultimately forced Michigan into a 4th-and-goal attempt from the two-yard line just over four minutes into the game.
Despite having a great running game and a dominant offensive line, the Wolverines decided to get cute on the 4th down play. They called their variation on the famous “Philly special” play, where tight end Colston Loveland was clearly supposed to pass to quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the end zone.
There was just one problem: the TCU defense sniffed it out immediately, and Loveland could not even get a pass away.
The play call looked like overthinking from Michigan’s point of view. It was as if the offense was trying too hard to fool TCU instead of playing to its own strengths, and the Wolverines paid for it by being left without any points. The offense may not even have been comfortable running the play, as analyst Todd Blackledge noted that the Wolverines looked somewhat unsure of what their formation was supposed to look like.
We have seen other NFL teams successfully mimic the play. It certainly could have worked here under different circumstances, but instead it turned into a fiasco that stunted any momentum the Wolverines had built.
More must-reads: