2022 Donovan Edwards showed up during the first quarter of the College Football Playoff national championship game.
DONOVAN EDWARDS OPENS THE SCORING FOR MICHIGAN #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/TIaUfkNlZU
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2024
SO NICE HE HAD TO DO IT TWICE
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2024
Donovan Edwards with his SECOND TD of the night #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/HiaSyzfTLb
Edwards broke the title game open in the first quarter with 41- and 46-yard touchdowns against Washington.
The Wolverines junior running back often takes a backseat to senior Blake Corum, making it easy to forget his monster 2022 season. He finished with 1,191 yards from scrimmage and averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and had strong performances against Ohio State, Purdue and TCU in the season's final three games, gaining 520 yards on 70 carries during that span. This season was a struggle, though. Edwards entered the title game with 642 yards from scrimmage while averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
His 41-yard touchdown against Washington was his longest this season before his 46-yarder. He only gained at least 41 rushing yards three times in Michigan's first 14 games.
Michigan was expected to have an advantage with its running game, but that was because of Corum's production. He had 1,111 rushing yards entering Monday, including the winning touchdown against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
If Edwards continues to flash his 2022 form, the Wolverines will likely run away with their first outright national title since 1948.
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