Key things you may have missed from Michigan's wild CFP win over Alabama — from locker room trolling to a shirtless Tom Brady

Nearly 100,000 took in college football's biggest and most historic bowl game on New Year's Day.

The Rose Bowl played host to an impressive 96,371 fans — well above the historic venue's 88,565-person capacity — on January 1 as the No. 4 Crimson Tide challenged the top-ranked Wolverines for a spot in the 2024 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship.

Before Monday's contest, Alabama had appeared in the CFP in seven of the nine years since the current CFP format began in 2014, with the Crimson Tide bringing home three national titles in that span. Michigan, meanwhile, had only made three CFP appearances and had never advanced to the championship game.

But Jim Harbaugh's undefeated Wolverines were the favorites heading into the blockbuster matchup. Alabama, which had taken a loss to Texas early in the season, was a contentious pick over the likes of the undefeated Florida State Seminoles and one-loss Georgia Bulldogs for the final spot in the CFP.

Michigan's defense put Alabama QB Jalen Milroe under pressure constantly in the first half.

The Wolverines got off to a hot start in the first half, and their impressive defense was the difference-maker. Five sacks from five different Michigan defenders — plus constant pressure throughout the opening 30 minutes — left Milroe rattled.

He and the Crimson Tide struggled to get their offense going as a result. They headed into the locker room with just 96 total yards, which head coach Nick Saban attributed to "a combination of several things."

"We didn't give Jalen an opportunity to make some plays, nor our receivers to make some plays down the field, which was a big part of this game," he said in his post-game press conference.

Still, Alabama managed to keep the Wolverines' lead at just three points come halftime, leaving plenty of room for Saban's squad to find its footing and take the lead.

The Crimson Tide's offense caught steam in the second half.

Adjustments from the offensive line allowed Milroe to find his stride in the second half of Monday's contest. A few big runs from the quarterback — including an 18-yard rush into the red zone — helped set Alabama up to score.

The Crimson Tide racked up 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and held a seven-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the contest.

A big drive from the Wolverines' offense and huge defensive stops left the game tied at the end of regulation.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy marched his offense onto the field with 4:41 remaining and all of the pressure to score. McCarthy found star running back Blake Corum on fourth-and-2 for a 27-yard catch to break into Alabama territory and secure the first down.

The junior QB broke away for a 16-yard run on the very next play. Right after that, he found wide receiver Roman Wilson, who made a leaping catch for a 29-yard gain that put the Wolverines in the red zone. Wilson hauled in a four-yard pass and crossed into the end zone a few plays later to tie the game up at 20.

The Crimson Tide got the ball back with 94 seconds left in regulation, but several key stops from the Michigan defense forced Alabama to punt on what could have otherwise been a game-winning drive. The Wolverines narrowly avoided a safety on the other end and headed into overtime with momentum on their side.

It only took two plays for Corum to find the end zone in overtime.

The Crimson Tide won the toss and elected to start overtime on defense, but Michigan wasted no time making that decision look foolish. Corum ripped off an eight-yard run to start OT, then charged through Alabama's defense — breaking several tackles along the way — for a 17-yard touchdown run that gave the Wolverines the lead.

With a trip to the national championship on the line, Michigan's defense came up huge.

Milroe and the Crimson Tide offense had to find the end zone in order to keep their chances of a trip to the CFP National Championship game alive. But the Wolverine defense, which had put Milroe on his heels in the first half, stifled Alabama's attempts to break through on the ground.

The Crimson Tide broke into the red zone after the quarterback found wide receiver Jermaine Burton for an 11-yard completion. But on fourth-and-three, Michigan crushed Milroe's rush attempt well before the goal line to clinch the overtime victory in dramatic fashion.

A shirtless Tom Brady went wild after his alma mater's win.

Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, couldn't contain his joy after his Wolverines punched their ticket to the title game. The legendary quarterback posted a video to his Instagram story of his reaction to Michigan's massive defensive stop on the final play of the game, which included high-pitched screeching and a glimpse of the shirtless 46-year-old screaming "Let's Go!" at the top of his lungs.

Saban later defended the play call that ended the game.

During his press conference, Saban explained that his offense had come out with three different play calls for the final snap of the game. On the first, he said his side "had a good look," but the Wolverines "must have known it" when they decided to call a timeout.

On the second, Alabama suffered the opposite fate, and Saban called his own timeout as a result. But on the final try, the Crimson Tide opted for a QB run that failed because "they didn't execute it very well."

"The fact that it didn't work made it a really bad call," Saban said.

Milroe was grateful his coaches trusted him, and his Alabama teammates had his back.

In that same press conference, Milroe said he was "appreciative" of the Crimson Tide coaching staff for trusting him "to have the ball in my hands on that last play." He didn't express any concern with the play call or with his teammates on the offensive line.

"You win some, you lose some," Milroe said. "That's all a part of the game."

Alabama players, including cornerback Terrion Arnold, defended their quarterback after the game. According to Sports Illustrated's Austin Hannon, Arnold warned that "anybody who wants to criticize him, criticize anything he did, they can take it up with me."

Crimson Tide linebacker Dallas Turner declared for the NFL Draft immediately after the game.

But other Alabama players, including Turner, were clearly frustrated with Monday night's outcome. The junior told ESPN he'd be entering his name in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"I'm gone," Turner said. "Ain't no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

The star edge rusher also questioned why he hadn't been instructed to pressure the quarterback on every single defensive snap. He presumably felt he could have altered the game had he spend more time rushing McCarthy.

"It sucks knowing that I won't win what I came here for, you know?" Turner said. "I came here to be a national championship and I won't never be a national champion."

His teammate, offensive lineman Tyler Booker, congratulated McCarthy on the win in a moving display of sportsmanship.

Despite having just suffered a heartbreaking loss, Booker embraced the opposing quarterback — a longtime friend with whom he played in high school — and said "I'm so happy for you."

Then he had strict instructions for McCarthy: "Go finish the job."

Harbaugh's parents believed their superstitious seat switch made all the difference.

Jackie and Jack Harbaugh — Jim Harbaugh's parents — were all smiles after the Wolverines' big win. And they took some credit for the final outcome.

Jack explained that his wife came up with a plan "right before the long drive" that may have made all of the difference:

"Jackie decided that we should switch seats," Jack said with a laugh. "I moved to her seat, she moved to mine, and this is the result that we get."

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins and his mom shared an emotional moment in the end zone.

Jenkins joked that "you're gonna cry more than me" as his mom hugged him from behind with tears in her eyes. She didn't shy away from the accusation and explained that she was crying "because I know how hard you've worked for this."

"I'm so proud of you," she said. "You've worked for it so hard. People don't get it. They don't know."

Jenkins also addressed the cheating scandal that rocked the Wolverines earlier in the season.

Earlier in the season, Michigan football came under scrutiny after a staffer for the team was caught stealing signs from the Wolverines' upcoming opponents. But after Monday's big win, Jenkins proclaimed that he had heard enough about the scandal.

"We won fair and square against Bama," he said. "No more excuses!"

Michigan players still couldn't believe Florida State hadn't been their opponent.

Fellow defensive lineman Cam Goode agreed with Jenkins' sentiments, then noted that he wasn't expecting to face the Crimson Tide in the first place:

"We were more shocked that Florida State didn't make it," Goode said. "We wasn't worried about Bama."

As previously mentioned, the Seminoles and their fans felt they had a good case to make the College Football Playoff after going undefeated during the regular season. Instead, Alabama earned the final spot in the CFP — a decision Goode seemed to question after the game.

A few of the Wolverines engaged in some quality trolling from back in the locker room.

After his big game, Wilson gathered a few teammates to tease their Rose Bowl opponents and the Crimson Tide faithful. The Michigan players mouthed the words to a pro-Alabama skit published this season by comedian and actor Druski and shared the resulting clip on TikTok.

The post had accrued nearly 400,000 likes less than 24 hours after it first appeared on Wilson's profile.

McCarthy stayed behind after the field cleared out to take in the monumental moment.

Prior to Monday's contest, the quarterback had twice led his Wolverines to the CFP, only to fall in the semifinals. The win against Saban's Crimson Tide — arguably the greatest dynasty in college football history — marked a career-defining triumph for the 20-year-old.

He walked out onto the confetti-covered field after everyone had left to absorb the magnitude of the moment.

And Harbaugh offered McCarthy high praise in their post-game press conference.

Harbaugh has coached many big names at all levels of the football world, so he knows talent when he sees it. And he sees it in McCarthy.

"This is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan college football history," Harbaugh said.

He added that caveat that McCarthy has "a long way to go" before he matches Brady is the greatness category. But when it comes to a college career, Harbaugh insists that "there's been nobody at Michigan better than JJ."