As the sun set behind the majestic mountains of Pasadena, California, it appeared that the sun was also setting on Michigan's undefeated season. The Wolverines looked inept on offense, and the defense was showing signs of wear and tear as Alabama took a touchdown lead with 10 minutes to go.

Michigan hadn't yet scored in the second half, and it appeared Nick Saban's Crimson Tide were going to roll to yet another National Championship Game appearance.

But the moments that happened in the waning minutes of regulation — and eventually overtime — at the 2024 Rose Bowl were ones that will be written and talked about for years in Ann Arbor.

After not scoring for more than two entire quarters, Michigan, led by J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and Roman Wilson, put together a drive that drastically turned the momentum.

Michigan strung together an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in which no players other than the three aforementioned players touched the ball.

Then, in overtime, Corum scored in two plays, and the Michigan defense came up with a critical stop on 4th down and 3 to seal the victory.

"Glorious," Jim Harbaugh said after the game. "It was right where we wanted to be. It's everything that we worked for, everything that we prepared for, everything we hoped for, everything we trained and strained for."

The final five minutes of regulation and the eight plays in overtime proved that Michigan was the team that wanted it more, and Harbaugh said as much after the big win.

"The team was just not going to be denied," Harbaugh said. "JJ said it when he walked off this same podium last year in the semifinal game. He said, 'We're going to be back.' What he told me was, 'Not only are we going to be back, we're going to win.' And there he did."

Harbaugh then compared McCarthy and Michigan to the Michigan team — and its quarterback — that beat Alabama in overtime in 2000.

"And in overtime against Alabama, I think the last quarterback to win in overtime against Alabama was none other than Tom Brady."

Harbaugh even went as far as to say that in terms of collegiate accomplishments, McCarthy surpasses anything Brady or any other Michigan quarterback has ever done.

"I've said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan -- college football history. Got a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT. He lapped the field when it comes to that. But in a college career there's been nobody at Michigan better than JJ. I know we talk about it an amalgamation of quarterbacks. He is that guy."

In his 27 career starts as Michigan's quarterback, McCarthy has led the Wolverines to a 26-1 record, two Big Ten Championships and now an appearance in the National Championship Game.

For a team that had so many players come back for a moment like what occurred on Monday night, perhaps it was McCarthy, a player who had no choice but to return to school, who wanted it most.

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