Jase McClellan’s 34-yard TD gives Alabama early Rose Bowl lead after Michigan muffed punt

Jase McClellan and Alabama took advantage of a muffed Michigan punt to jump out to a 7-0 lead just over 5 minutes into the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl.

A special teams blunder by the Wolverines’ Semaj Morgan put the Crimson Tide at the Michigan 44 yard line, and 4 plays later, they were in the end zone. Despite a low snap to Tide QB Jalen Milroe, he was able to hand it off to McClellan, who took it 34 yards for the score.

Here’s video of McClellan’s touchdown run:

JASE MCCLELLAN AND BAMA STRIKE FIRST IN PASADENA‼️#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/KdmAVKPTr4

— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2024

That was the 7th touchdown of the season for the senior, tying his career-high from a year ago as Jahmyr Gibbs’ backup.

It hasn’t been the cleanest of starts for either team — Alabama’s offensive line has already yielded a pair of sacks — but the Tide have drawn first blood in this CFP semifinal. The winner faces either Texas or Washington in next Monday’s championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.