Jim Harbaugh escapes Gatorade bath at last second after Michigan wins national championship
The traditional Gatorade bath awaited Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh following a 34-13 victory against Washington to claim the 2024 national championship. However, he was ready for it.
As the Wolverines players attempted to sneak up on their coach as the final seconds ticked off, he appeared not to notice. But Harbaugh did see them approaching, and managed to get out of the way at the final moment as only a little bit of the ice cold Gatorade got on his sleeve. You can view the moment below.
The Wolverines never trailed on their way to the dominant win, jumping out to a 17-3 lead early on. Washington would battle back to make it a one-score game heading into halftime, and it remained just a 20-13 advantage for Michigan entering the fourth quarter.
However, the Wolverines go on to add two touchdown in the final 15 minutes to pull away for good. Both scores came from running back Blake Corum, with the first a 12-yard run that made it a two-touchdown advantage. Washington still had a chance to score and drove down to the 30-yard line before Michigan forced an interception to seal the game for good.
Corum later added the final touchdown with 3:37 to go, punching it in from the 1-yard line. He finished the game with 124 yards rushing and a pair of scores to lead the Wolverines.
The national championship victory was the first in the career of Jim Harbaugh, who previously escaped the Gatorade bath after winning the Big Ten Championship. It is also the first national title for the Wolverines since 1997.
Jim Harbaugh describes ‘glorious’ feeling of winning national championship
For the first time in 26 years, Michigan has won the national championship. Jim Harbaugh was brought to Ann Arbor to bring the program back to the promised land and delivered on Monday night in Houston. A performance against Washington that fits the description of the 2023 season, the Wolverines are the final team standing.
The Harbaugh Family is an accomplished one in football but Jim himself did not have a championship on his resume. He was asked how special this one was for him describing it as “glorious.” Then, he pulled out an old quote from his quarterback.
“It’s such a glorious feeling,” Harbaugh said when speaking to ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “Really don’t have any more words than that. Maybe to quote JJ McCarthy ‘Bet.’”