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.