jalen milroe

Things hadn't gone well for Michigan in the second half. Through 26 minutes of football, the offense hadn't scored a point and a three point halftime lead turned into a seven point deficit in the later stages of the fourth quarter. Michigan needed a drive to tie the game and as the eleven men took the field, it was fair to deem it a legacy drive for so many veteran heroes of this Michigan team, JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, and the rest of the OL. They needed to make plays and tie the game. They would. Then a little while later with the score 27-20, Michigan's defense needed to get one stop to slam the door and win the game. They did.  

Backs against the wall, this Michigan team dug deeper than they've had to all season, battling their own errors and demons to rally against #4 Alabama and win the 110th Rose Bowl Game, 27-20. Touchdowns from Wilson and Corum late put Michigan in the lead and the defense shut down two potential Alabama drives to tie or win the game as this veteran Wolverine team had the necessary answers. 366 days after the heartbreak at the hands of TCU in the 2022 semifinals, Michigan got to give the great Crimson Tide their own dose of heartbreak. Michigan is 14-0 and headed to the National Championship Game. 

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It's hard to envision a more disastrous, BPONE start to the game than what nearly occurred on the first play from scrimmage. JJ McCarthy took the snap, rolled to his right, and despite having Roman Wilson open for free yards, held the ball looking for Cornelius Johnson. Johnson was not open but McCarthy threw it anyway, right to Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who toe-tapped for an interception deep in Michigan territory. Catastrophe... or not. It was pointed out shortly thereafter that Downs had stepped out of bounds on his last step before catching the ball, never re-establishing himself in the field of play, which made the pass incomplete instead. Michigan was let off the hook. 

[Patrick Barron]

The drive that followed after the mulligan Michigan had been gifted was a dud. The Wolverines ran a quick screen to Semaj Morgan with TEs blocking in front of him and he was tackled promptly. That set up 3rd & 8 and McCarthy threw short of the sticks to a well-covered AJ Barner, which was an easy PBU by the Bama defense. The Wolverine offense was out of sorts early and needed the defense to pick them up, which happened. Michigan sacked Jalen Milroe twice on the opening Alabama drive, one from Braiden McGregor and one from Josaiah Stewart, forcing a quick three-and-out. 

Then came the deadly mistake that did count. Alabama punter James Burnip lofted a rather short kick and Semaj Morgan ran up to field it, sensing the opportunity for a good return. Perhaps Morgan had his eyes pointed downfield too early but he never secured the catch and put the ball on the ground. Alabama recovers, taking over at the Michigan 44. Gifted great field position, the Tide grinded out a first down on the ground and then hit a home run shot when the right side of Alabama's OL caved in the Michigan DL and Mike Sainristil blew a tackle on Jase McClelland, who was off to the races and into the end zone. 7-0 Alabama and about as bad of a first five minutes for Michigan as you could have imagined. 

With the team reeling, the Michigan offense needed to step up and they did, utilizing a well-crafted scripted drive from OC Sherrone Moore that used all kinds of tricks to put Alabama's defense in conflict. A neat pitch play to Blake Corum picked up 21 and then a designed run for JJ McCarthy picked up 7 on 3rd & 8. Michigan paved Bama on 4th & 1 to pick up the first down and two plays later they got Kalel Mullings running a route matched up on a LB, which McCarthy identified and targeted for 19. That got Michigan into the red zone and they needed just two plays to get it in the end zone, a jet sweep to Morgan and then a pass to Corum who was wide open underneath for a walk-in TD. 7-7 tie. 

[Patrick Barron]

Alabama's third drive looked a lot like their first, utter domination at the hands of the Michigan defense. The first down run was stuffed, then a quick incompletion, and finally pressure forced Milroe to scramble, falling down short of the line to gain. Three-and-out and another punt. Michigan did appear to be let off the hook on the punt when Kechaun Bennett made contact with the Alabama punter, who did his best to sell the call. Referees didn't buy it and the Wolverines took over. They had another solid drive brewing near midfield when Max Bredeson was called for a personal foul after jumping on the player he had been blocking, making helmet-to-helmet contact. That erased a first down run and turned it into 2nd & 11 for a foul unrelated to the play. Michigan ended up getting to 4th & 1 despite the setback but opted to punt on their half of midfield. 

Still no dice, for the Bama offense, though. Mike Barrett sacked Milroe on first down, then Milroe was sacked by Kris Jenkins on 2nd down. Faced with 3rd & 23, Michigan conceded the 12 yard QB draw from Milroe and forced another punt. Michigan's offense was still missing an effective McCarthy and that killed their next drive. They gained four yards on first down thanks to an Alex Orji run but McCarthy missed an open Cornelius Johnson down the field, airmailing it over his head. On 3rd & 6 McCarthy targeted Roman Wilson, who was not open, and the ball fell incomplete. Punt. 

The defensive struggle continued. Michigan shut down Bama runs on first and second down and then Mike Sainristil sniffed out a 3rd & 9 Milroe keeper to force yet another Alabama punt. Michigan took the ball back over and began what would be a much busier close to the half for the two teams after a long stretch of defensive dominance. Michigan started it on the ground, Blake Corum churning out yards and then McCarthy delivered a missile to Colston Loveland for 12 yards over the middle. Michigan then dialed up a double pass, with Donovan Edwards throwing laterally across the field to McCarthy. His throw was nearly too high for McCarthy, who had to catch it, step backwards, and throw, all with Alabama EDGE superstar Dallas Turner bearing down on him. Amazingly, JJ did so and got it complete deep down the field for Wilson into Alabama territory. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: more recap]

Two of college football's five or so most iconic brands will do battle on New Year's Day 2024 in the sport's most iconic venue, Michigan and Alabama in the Rose Bowl Game. The Wolverines seeking to win their first national championship in a quarter century, Alabama looking to add to the greatest dynasty of all time. No shortage of narratives to discuss in the run up to this year's CFP game and it's my job to introduce the Alabama offense, a unit with a new QB this season and a high degree of variability. 

The Film: Running with the SEC Championship Game since Alabama played Georgia, in my view the best opponent they played all season. Also it happens to be the most recent game... convenient! I'm also going to use some of the Texas tape, since that was Alabama's other game against a truly elite team, and the contrast from early September to early December can give us a few clues into how much this Alabama team has grown. There may be some clips from other games as well but the main charting is from the Georgia game in Atlanta. 

Personnel: Click for big. 

Alabama's new QB for the 2023 season eventually turned out to be Jalen Milroe, following an exceptionally messy QB competition that saw Alabama start Tyler Buchner against USF and their offense crumbled. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' familiarity with Buchner probably played a role in why the QB competition went on as long as it did, and I imagine Milroe's unpredictability and occasional ugly decisions scared the staff some. However, make no mistake, this competition should never have lasted that long. Milroe has his downsides, which we will discuss, but he's a vastly better QB than Buchner and a player with immense talents, tremendous athleticism, and a great arm. He's a dual threat passer and has taken 'Bama to heights they could never have reached with Buchner. 

The Crimson Tide lost 2022 star Jahmyr Gibbs to the Detroit Lions of the NFL in the offseason, but returned the #2-4 backs from last season, Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams, and Jamarion Miller. McClellan is their leading rusher in yards and attempts, though he missed the Georgia game I charted with a foot injury (status for New Year's Day is unclear). Williams got the start and looked just fine in his place. I don't think these RBs are monsters on the level of a Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, Najee Harris, etc. but they are all good players. Not incredible, not getting the star, but nothing wrong with any of them either.  

The WRs are a number of the same players from last year, with 2022's leading WR Jermaine Burton (a one-time Georgia transfer who played Michigan in the 2021 CFP) returning for this season and has blossomed into a star. Watching Bond's 9 catch, 197 yard, 2 TD toasting of Texas A&M back in early October was the moment I knew he had arrived and got the mental star in my mind. Isaiah Bond has seen his production uptick significantly over last year, leaping well in front of Kobe Prentice on the depth chart. Bond caught the answered prayer against Auburn and leads the team in catches (Burton leads in yards), a tick below star status for me but quite dangerous. Both Burton and Bond are around 6', while Prentice is the 5'10" slot, only 17 catches compared to 31 last season. I don't have too many notes on him. Malik Benson has 13 catches as a rotational outside receiver, actually appearing more than Prentice, while Kendrick Law is a slot receiver who lines up in the backfield a decent amount and is used quite a bit as a blocker or to run shallow crossing routes. 

Alabama has used 12 and 13 personnel quite a bit this season, with three TEs who all have more snaps on offense than their third-most used WR (Benson). Those TEs are Maryland transfer CJ Dippre, blocker Robbie Ouzts, and flex receiver Amari Niblack. Dippre is the most balanced tight end of the three in terms of responsibility, some receiving and some blocking, but his PFF grades have been lackluster and he only has 9 catches on the year. Ouzts is a pure blocking tight end, heavily utilized on rushing plays and acts as a fullback on some of Alabama's inside zone concepts, with only three catches on the season. Niblack is the opposite of Ouzts, a flex TE who rarely blocks but does damage as a receiver. The 6'4" sophomore Niblack has 19 catches for 321 yards and 4 TDs on the season, second on the team in all three categories.  

The 'Bama offensive line got quite a bit of heat early in the season for being well below the program standard and while I think they are still a bit down for the typical Alabama OL (which normally is laced with NFL-ready studs), it isn't bad. The strength of the OL is on the right side in your author's view, RT JC Latham being a projected first round pick by most scouting services in this upcoming NFL Draft. Next to him is RG Jaedan Roberts, who gets the star for a strong showing against Georgia. The other half of the line isn't quite as sharp, with its biggest weakness at C, where Seth McLaughlin has had issues blocking and snapping this season, earning him a cyan circle. The left side of the line is notable for its youth and inexperience, LG Tyler Booker being a true sophomore and LT Kadyn Proctor a true freshman(!!). Proctor has had the wobbles you'd expect and I think is a vulnerability for Michigan to target, but hasn't been bad enough to be cyan'd. Booker has been pretty good and was close to star status. As a line they are better run blocking than pass blocking. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: The Jalen Milroe Experience]