Washington's Johnson limited to 33 yards rushing as Huskies fall to Michigan in CFP title game

Updated Jan. 9, 2024 1:29 a.m. ET

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HOUSTON (AP) — Washington's Dillon Johnson had a tough night Monday in the College Football Playoff championship game.

He was hurt on Washington's first offensive play and finished with just 33 yards rushing as Michigan got a 34-13 victory. Johnson was actually dealing with multiple injuries as the Huskies fell short of winning their first title since 1991.

“I got a high ankle sprain on my left ankle,” Johnson said. "My right foot was the one that was messed up and my left knee was messed up.”

The Huskies entered the game averaging 123.6 yards rushing but managed just 46 with Johnson ailing. The Wolverines also battered quarterback Michael Penix Jr., leaving the Huskies scrambling to find production on offense.

“We just wasn’t clicking," he said. "We just wasn’t on the same page on some things. I feel like a lot of it was to do with me not being able to get those hard yards and putting us in long situations. I wasn’t really able to move. It kind of hurt us.”

Johnson, who ran for 1,162 yards this season, was asked which injury was bothering him most.

“I mean it was everything,” he said. "There’s only so much your body can do.”

MCCARTHY'S MEDITATION

With a gaggle of photographers and videographers around him, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy did his pregame meditation under the goal post about three hours before kickoff of the national championship game victory over Washington.

McCarthy sat cross-legged with his shoes off behind the Michigan end zone, closing his eyes for several minutes. He had a baseball cap pulled low above his eyes and the hood of his sweatshirt over that.

McCarthy was introduced to mindfulness at Nazareth Academy in his hometown of La Grange Park, Illinois, where he won a state title in three trips to the championship game. He spent his senior season in 2020 at IMG Academy in Florida, where he often was in his room without much interaction due to pandemic restrictions.

It's now part of his daily routine. McCarthy said he spends 20 to 30 minutes meditating each morning, He does it for 10 to 15 minutes on game days after the bus arrives at the stadium and before he warms up with teammates.

McCarthy, in his third year in college, is now 27-1 as a starter over the last two seasons after Monday night's victory over Washington.

SEVERE WEATHER

The weather in Houston was perfect for a domed stadium.

Severe weather blanketed the area Monday in the hours leading up to the championship game. A tornado watch was issued in the city and heavy rain fell for much of the day.

Steady rain fell outside the stadium about two hours before kickoff and wind gusts had fans struggling to hold their umbrellas as they walked to the gates. The city was under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. CST.

HALL OF FAME

The new College Football Hall of Fame class was announced earlier Monday, highlighted by receivers Randy Moss, who played at Marshall, and Larry Fitzgerald from Pittsburgh.

Michigan was also represented in the class with former offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson, a guard who played on the Wolverines' last national title team in 1997.

Hutchinson went on to a Hall of Fame NFL career, mostly with the Seahawks and Vikings.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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