Championship bound

Michigan Wolverines entered the contest as the heavy favorite, but the Frogs came out hot.

The defensive plan was to get settled in two plays, and that's what happened. Michigan got all the way to the TCU 2-yard line, but a 4th down sack by defensive lineman Dylan Horton forced them to end the drive empty-handed.

One of two TCU interceptions was made by safety Bud Clark, who returned the ball 41 yards to put TCU up 7-o in the first quarter and gave the defense something to celebrate early on.

The Frogs' second offensive drive ended in the hands of Heisman finalist quarterback Max Duggan. Duggan broke across the goal line on a 1-yard run to give the Frogs a two-score lead over Michigan with a little over two minutes left in the first quarter.

Deep in Wolverine territory with two defenders on his heels, Duggan completed a touchdown pass to WR Taye Barber, who took a moment to hush the Michigan fanbase after giving the Frogs a 21-3 lead.

After Duggan completed a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston to start their drive, Emari Demercado went to work. The senior running back was handed the ball on five straight plays, capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Frogs a 28-16 lead.

Linebacker Dee Winters made his presence known all day en route to earning Defensive Player of the Game. The exclamation point? His 29-yard interception return touchdown to give TCU a commanding 34-16 lead over Michigan.

Enter wide receiver and Offensive Player of the Game, Quentin Johnston. Facing a third-and-long deep in their own territory, Johnston delivered by catching a pass from Duggan, stutter-stepping and breaking past Michigan defensive back DJ Turner for a 76-yard touchdown.

The old adage is defense wins championships. In the case of TCU, it was defense that sealed their championship fate. Following the Johnston touchdown, the TCU defense held Michigan to seven points on their final four drives, capped off with a game-sealing fourth down stop with 25 seconds left in the game to give the Frogs their first-ever Fiesta Bowl victory.