<
        >

          Reactions, sights and numbers from TCU's College Football Playoff semifinal win

          play
          Michigan's botched snap sends TCU to the CFP title game (0:38)

          Michigan botches the snap as TCU takes over and seals their trip to the College Football Playoff championship game. (0:38)

          • ESPN
          Dec 31, 2022, 08:31 PM ET

          The College Football Playoff got off to an entertaining start with the semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl between the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs.

          TCU built a 21-6 lead by halftime, then things got exciting in the third quarter. The Wolverines and Horned Frogs scored 44 combined points in the frame. Michigan continued its comeback effort in the fourth, but TCU held on for the 51-45 victory.

          The Horned Frogs are the first Big 12 team to play for a CFP title. For Michigan, it's a second straight season being ousted in the semifinal round.

          Here is a look at some of the huge numbers from this thrilling contest:

          96: Total points scored, a record for the Fiesta Bowl. That breaks the mark set by the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators in 1996 (86 points). This is also the third-highest-scoring CFP game and the third-highest for an AP top-five matchup.

          51: The Horned Frogs' 51 points are the most in a bowl game in school history. This is also the fifth 50-point game by a team in CFP history.

          Michigan also made history. The 51 points are the second-most given up by the team in a bowl game. This is the third time a Jim Harbaugh-coached Wolverines squad allowed 50-plus points. The other two instances came against the Ohio State Buckeyes (62 in 2018 and 56 in 2019).

          44: TCU and Michigan scored 44 combined points in the third quarter. That's the most points scored in a quarter in CFP history, breaking the mark of 40 set by the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter of the 2016 national championship game.

          45-plus: This was the second AP top-five matchup in the poll era (since 1936) in which both teams scored 45 or more points. The other occurrence was the 2018 Rose Bowl, also a playoff semifinal, between the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners.

          1: The Horned Frogs ended a winless streak for the Big 12, as teams from the conference were a combined 0-4 in CFP games entering Saturday.

          Stars offered their thoughts on the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl via social media.

          Here are the sights and scenes from the game in Glendale, Arizona:

          Scenes from the Fiesta Bowl

          TCU added another touchdown in the second quarter courtesy of a 6-yard touchdown pass from Max Duggan to Taye Barber. Michigan kicker Jake Moody made two field goals in the frame and the Wolverines trail 21-6 at halftime.

          A strong first quarter

          A pick-six by safety Bud Clark and a touchdown run by quarterback Max Duggan gave TCU a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Horned Frogs fans in the stands and on social media were thrilled about the team's fast start.

          A star in attendance

          Team USA Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps showed up in Arizona to take in the CFP semifinal action.

          Pregame huddle

          Arrivals

          What they're wearing

          Michigan is keeping things traditional while TCU is going with the all-white.

          Animals making picks

          If you can trust the prognostications of mongooses or rhinoceroses ...

          Fans check in

          TCU has alumni and seemingly all of the Dallas-Fort Worth area behind it.

          ESPN Stats and Information contributed to this story