Jalen Milroe talks about the last play of the Rose Bowl

Submitted by Hensons Mobile… on April 30th, 2024 at 2:16 PM

Alabama's On3 site:

Well, Milroe joined the Bussin With the Boys podcast when they visited the Crimson Tide during spring ball and it came up. The quarterback was very honest about being reflective after the game and using it as fuel.

Milroe was then asked by host Taylor Lewan: “do you think Michigan cheated?”

“It don’t matter, they won,” Milroe said repeatedly after some playful jabs from Lewan. “They won. It don’t matter, they won.”

His answer to "did they cheat" is what is getting the most attention, but honestly it came across as pretty benign.

He also acknowledges that he had an option to throw the ball but won't say if he would have thrown the ball with a better snap. "We'll never know."

The article includes a link to the YouTube video for Bussin' With The Boys with the interview. They ask Milroe about the Rose Bowl starting at around the 24:20 mark.

drjaws

April 30th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^

They weren’t scoring on that play regardless. Even if the snap was decent we were in the backfield by the time the ball was in his hands.

Johnny Blood

May 1st, 2024 at 9:22 AM ^

The thing that annoyed me the most about that play though was that we lined up to run the play, then there was a timeout called, and we came out and lined up to run the exact same play.

And we had run that same play earlier in the game.  

Poor coaching on our part, OSU knew exactly what we were going to do and aligned themselves to stop it.

energyblue1

May 1st, 2024 at 5:23 PM ^

So much this.  I’ve watched this play a 1000 times from every angle.  Milroe gets the ball and never once looked to the RB.  So it may have been called an option but I never thought so.  You can see the bama rec’s looking back and not even break on the snap to block, Michigan’s corners came up with that motion thinking it could be and nothing.  IMO, I thought it was a read for Milroe, if the rb is covered run, if not it’s zone and hit the rb.

The snap was low but Milroe cleanly got the balll and just went straight ahead.  The blocking was so bad that the entire Dline hit the bama oline and stonewalled the run leaving now place to go.  The pulling guard clears the los blocking nobody and Barrett comes through right under his hip.  As that is happening Josiah Stewart planted the RT 1st round pick into Milroy’s lap ending the play.  But you also saw Derrick Moore beat his block, Sainristil came up hard to interfer with the pass or force Milroe back inside if he tried to bounce as did Jalen Harrel on the double outside blitz.  Graham and Grant stoned the interior…  boom play over.  At the end of the play almost all of Michigan’s dline and lber’s and Mikey were in the bama backfield past the bama oline..  Not a chance….

JHumich

April 30th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^

Exactly how would they have cheated? Voodoo?

And why would it matter what the losing QB, who received the bounce-snap, thought?

It seems like it's just for riling people up. Lewan is not my favorite human.

Amazinblu

April 30th, 2024 at 2:54 PM ^

I think context is important when referring to "run through an mf'er's face".   Usually, it's a play by an offensive player (lineman) who pancakes the opposing DL.  

Let's be honest - Michigan's been "creating an unlevel playing field" this way for the past three seasons.   In '21 - in the snow - Hutchinson plowed through the LT that was there to stop him - and, laid the LT on his back.  It was no different on that last play in the Rose Bowl.  Technique - leverage - drive - and force.   The play was busted the moment the OL got in their stance.

Perkis-Size Me

April 30th, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^

That ol' NCAA hammer coming down on Michigan aaaaaaaany day now!!!! Get your popcorn ready, because justice is at hand!!!! They have no idea what they're in for. DEATH PENALTY!!!!!

-11W, probably

rice4114

May 1st, 2024 at 12:33 PM ^

When we started the 2021 season the gap between OSU and us was huge. Or so everyone thought. They have a 65% chance of winning every game against us they just have a stacked roster but... it comes down to the lines and the strategy in game.

Sure their defense will be absolutely outstanding but that wasnt their problem before. As they add in attribute points to their d it feels like they take them from their o.

If all the 5 star WRs and CJ Stroud cant get it done how is this poor mans Tim Tebow and oline going to do it? If we win 9 in a row are OSU fans still going to puff out their chests at the superior spring roster they have?

DHughes5218

April 30th, 2024 at 4:00 PM ^

Actually they had a big “update” the other day that said the death penalty is not on the table, but everything else; vacating games, loss of scholarships, show cause, etc. are in play. They also added that our side reached out regarding a negotiated settlement, but the NCAA isn’t interested in settling. 
I don’t care what was alleged, the ncaa would never give Michigan the death penalty. We are too big and too successful for that punishment. We could be poisoning opponents and killing people, and we still wouldn’t get the death penalty. So any “update” referencing it is clearly fabricated.

Perkis-Size Me

April 30th, 2024 at 4:36 PM ^

To me, all of this is just OSU fans telling themselves what they want to hear. Michigan shattered their twenty year indestructible cocoon of success. Michigan couldn't have been better than them on the field. They just couldn't have been. There HAD to be some other explanation. 

This whole Sign-Gate deal allows them to take that feeling and run with it. It allows them to return to the 2000-2020 days where all was right with their world. 

If cheating was the only reason Michigan won, then why couldn't they stop Hassan Haskins? Michigan practically telegraphed its gameplan in the second half of 2021 and OSU STILL couldn't stop it. They didn't want to pass. Didn't bother trying. They still mowed OSU the f**k over. 

Why couldn't they tackle Donovan Edwards in 2022? What does that have to do with sign stealing? Why didn't Sainristil know exactly where Stover was on that 3rd down play? Why did Sainristil have to sprint basically half the width of the field to catch up and break up that pass? If we knew the play, shouldn't someone have been blanketing Stover like a glove? 

Why didn't Michigan fall apart before the 2023 Game? I mean hey, the jig was up when OSU came to town. Stallions was gone, Harbaugh was suspended, Michigan couldn't steal their signs, Michigan lost Zinter and Johnson for large portions of that game and OSU still lost. 

---

At what point do you just take some f*****g personal accountability and say "You know what, maybe the other team was just better than mine today."

Blinkin

April 30th, 2024 at 7:46 PM ^

While you are absolutely right, I hope they never do that kind of introspection. Let them keep trying the same shit over and over because they're certain it's only the cheating that's holding them back. The minute they actually look at themselves in the mirror and make changes, we'll be in a worse situation. 

BleedThatBlue

April 30th, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^

Ah hell, people are figuring it out. Michigan deployed the greatest heist of all time. They scouted 30+ teams for tfe last three years. They even knew who they were playing in the playoffs and started “cheating” before the season started! How else could they even possibly go 15-0?!? Talent? Development? Better coaching? Lol gtfo


/s clearly. 

Vasav

April 30th, 2024 at 3:10 PM ^

Yea like the program coached by the NFL's winningest active HC and had more NFL draft picks than anybody else not including major contributors DE, Rod Moore, Will Johnson, Mason Graham or Kenneth Grant - clearly the only explanation for their success was cheating. 

Despite them very clearly unable to for half the season. And the impacts of that cheat being equivalent to what their opponents did. Its the only explanation for 15-0, even if it makes zero sense upon further examination.

OldSchoolWolverine

April 30th, 2024 at 2:32 PM ^

Why is Lewan even entertaining it? That's annoying as fuck, and rather stupid to even ask.  Far better to not even acknowledge it at that point, and it had nothing to do with the early part of the season with Stalions.

PopeLando

April 30th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^

Taylor Lewan fishing for the clickbait, and Jalen Milroe with very classy deflections.

I didn’t think I’d ever have nice things to say about Alabama, but after a PhD-level football game, Saban was classy about losing to us, and Milroe is classy about the loss AND avoided throwing anyone under the bus.

Lewan…man, what a piece of work. Exhibit A for “getting older =/= maturing”

NittanyFan

April 30th, 2024 at 4:22 PM ^

20 years ago ......... folks like Lewan simply disappeared into the ether once his football days were done.

But now we have social media and podcasts!  The perfect platforms for an aspiring influencer and/or professional troll!  And he can also take on a side job as a JumboTron mascot at Nashville Predators' games!  

We're going to be hearing from this guy until 2050!  Joy!

WoodleyIsBeast

April 30th, 2024 at 2:35 PM ^

The Rose Bowl took place about 2.5 months past when Stallions was involved with the program. These kinds of things are convenient excuses for butthurt fanbases that are looking for an out.