With a 27-13 advantage with about five minutes remaining in the College Football Playoff national championship Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Michigan had a comfortable-enough lead, but would need one final play to put away a potent Washington team.

Mike Sainristil was able to provide it for the Wolverines.

On a fourth-and-13 from the Michigan 30-yard line with 4:29 remaining, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was intercepted by Sainristil, who nearly returned the pick for a touchdown, weaving up the field and followed blockers all the way the Huskies’ 8-yard line.

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Sainristil’s sixth interception of the season effectively clinched the Wolverines’ first national championship since 1997, with Blake Corum getting a 1-yard touchdown run two plays later to extend Michigan’s lead to the final score of 34-13.

A first-team all-Big Ten selection, Sainristil was part of a stingy Wolverines secondary that limited Penix and Washington’s slew of talented wide receivers to 255 yards through the air on 51 attempts (an average of just 5 yards per throw) with three minutes remaining in the game.  The Huskies entered the matchup averaging 350 passing yards per game, the best mark among 133 FBS programs this season.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mike Sainristil interception clinches Michigan football's CFP championship