Anonymous SEC Coaches Say M Will Struggle vs. Alabama
As a followup to the previous Athletic article, Bruce Feldman is back with an anonymous survey of the SEC coaches. They think Michigan will struggle against Milroe:
“(Milroe’s) going to be a big problem for Michigan,” said an SEC defensive backs coach. “There is nobody in the Big Ten like him. He’s the best athlete on the field. He can run over your DBs and your linebackers can’t catch him.”
“I think Michigan is going to struggle to tackle Milroe,” said another SEC defensive coordinator who faced Milroe late in the season. “He’s very dangerous. I was not worried about the QB-designed runs. I was worried about when the pass is not there and he takes off and he has space.”
On the plus side, SEC coaches aren't scared of Alabama's RBs or WRs. More here.
December 19th, 2023 at 8:53 AM ^
Water is wet, I suppose.
#BeatBama
December 19th, 2023 at 9:48 AM ^
Maybe we can learn from the vaunted and stout Auburn defense somehow so we have a prayer against Alabama.
December 19th, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
We need to get into the weeds: New Mexico State
December 19th, 2023 at 2:38 PM ^
UCF anyone?
December 19th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
Yeah but Michigan didn't have to face mighty, always-ranked Kentucky, so it's all just child's play, really.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:13 PM ^
SEC quality is usually over blown because in any given year they gave 2 or 3 top heavy teams and usually play their bowl games in their region.
The " Michigan doesn't have anyone or has seen anyone resembling Milroe" is BS, to me it seems that Orji is the scout team QB and he looks bigger and stronger than Milroe.....we'll see how things shake out.
December 19th, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
The most interesting thing about these articles is that much of the Big Ten resents Michigan's success, and much of the SEC seems in awe of Bama. Still.
There's bad in these articles - obviously, the "JJ needed sign stealing" and "their OL is pretty" and "IU stuffed them" comments all sort of grated (and 2 of them seem just untrue - but if the big boys look good that's cool). There's also some good - our OL does seem a step down from last year, but is still very good. We haven't faced a QB like Milroe. That doesn't mean we can't win - we've scored more than anyone else on elite D's in PSU and OSU (altho TO assisted), our TEs are a matchup problem, and we do have a great defense.
These two articles make it seem like Bama should be favored, and I think it's probably pretty even, if not leaning towards our strengths matching well against their weaknesses. And the reason it seems that way is because the Big Ten is salty and the SEC is sugary.
December 19th, 2023 at 1:58 PM ^
When you read the article, not one of the SEC coaches (or their assistants or their SID's or whoever they had talk to Feldman) mentions ANYTHING about what Michigan does well or what problems Michigan presents to Alabama.
Of course they're going to say that they'll give us problems, considering they're apparently only familiar with Alabama.
Ummm, this is the playoffs. You expect that you're not playing patsies.
December 19th, 2023 at 3:53 PM ^
History vs. SEC hasn't been kind, but if last year's osu can almost/shoulda beat Georgia, this Michigan team can beat Alabama.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
Yeah, what do we expect them to say? SEC gonna shill for SEC. That's about the only thing I'm jealous of....they seem to circle the wagons pretty well, unlike the B1G who wants to eat it's own.
What would they have said before the Auburn game, I wonder? A good win against Georgia has washed everything else from the season out of their brains. Easy, I guess, when it's walnut sized.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:50 PM ^
Nothing to be jealous of...I don't care what other B1G programs think...and if OSU or PSU or MSU were in UMs position I doubt they'd get any love here.
So fuck'em...and the SEC.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:51 PM ^
Nothing to be jealous of...I don't care what other B1G programs think...and if OSU or PSU or MSU were in UMs position I doubt they'd get any love here.
So fuck'em...and the SEC. Oh, and the horse they rode in on..:)
December 20th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^
Haha more like, "What would they have said right after the Auburn game?"
IMO that 'win' was a worse data point for Bama than the South Florida game. Auburn is trash. They were coming off a curb stomping at home to New Mexico State in a game that will forever make RichRod feel better about himself any time he hears the name Toledo. Bama was +3 in turnovers. Jalen Milroe outdueled the Great (checks notes) Payton Throne in that one, who put up a whopping 6 completions for 93 yards on 5.4 yards per attempt. If you look at the 4th&31 horseshoe Milroe pulled from his ass and come to scouting conclusion that "You can't beat a team who's QB literally walks on water" then... like... I don't know what to tell you man.
But if you can wipe the slobber off your chin and devote 90 seconds of sober analysis to this Bama match-up, then maaaaaybe you can see that a mere one game ago, in his rivalry game, with everything on the line, Saban's troops surrendered nearly 250 yards on the ground to a team with sub-service academy level play at QB.
Is it possible that UM's OL, TE's and backs are just a tad better than Auburn's? That our outside weapons are in the same zip code? To put it terms that SEC coaches can better understand, how many nights at home alone with his wife would Hugh Freeze be willing to suffer through if he could have traded JJ for Throne in that game? A few 100? A thousand even?
December 19th, 2023 at 4:17 PM ^
And Auburn struggled against bama!!!
December 19th, 2023 at 8:53 AM ^
Shucks guys. It seems everyone thinks Michigan is phony...nevermind they have lost 3 games in 3 years.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:06 AM ^
To be fair, if you aren't a Michigan fan most people are going to view the game this way. Yes Michigan has only lost 3 games in the last 3 years. 2 of those have been in the playoffs. Until Michigan beats a sec champ this view of Michigan is going to exist, and rightfully so. Michigan has to finally get over that post season hump.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
Shit, I'm a Michigan fan and even I am not feeling all that confident about this game. Last year's TCU game struck me as a fluke but our recent history vs. Bama and Georgia got me puckering lmao.
December 19th, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
What do we think of Washington and Texas then? Isn't Washington similar to TCU except with a better defense and better offense? You can say the same with Texas.
I'm of the belief that Michigan is built to beat Ohio State but not necessarily built to win the NC whereas Ohio State is more built to win the NC but not to beat Michigan.
If Michigan ever gets down 10 or more it's hard gor them to comeback as that's not how the offense is designed or where JJ is comfortable.
December 19th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
I think JJ is plenty comfortable flinging the ball all over the field. I also think the offense is well suited to throw the ball all around the yard. What is holding them back is the play calling from a bunch of 'run first, run now, run then, run always, we must force the run to establish running' coaches.
When that philosophy changed late in the TCU game, the offense caught up quickly and looked FUN. But the Michigan way is to run into a stacked box until maybe something can open up for a big shot.
Adapt the play calling to fit the defense you're going against and Michigan can put 30-some points on Alabama.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:16 AM ^
We lack the horses in the WR room too. Don't forget that part.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
I don't know if Michigan is well suited to throw the ball around the yard. The pass protection has been a bit of a problem and Alabama is 7th in the country in sacks/game.
December 19th, 2023 at 12:58 PM ^
It's this mindset that worries me more than anything Alabama can do. The Tide will put points on the board - that's a given. But what does Michigan do if they're trailing by a couple of scores, and the clock becomes a weapon that's being used against them?
My fear is that they will mulishly insist on running up the middle into a stacked box again and again, especially on first down - no matter how predictable it is, no matter how many times they leave themselves with third-and-long, and no matter how many times it just doesn't work.
And I'm NOT advocating giving up the run game. Hell no. Just don't do it in such a predictable manner that Alabama, the media, and the entire population of Pasadena can't guess what your next play will be. Mix up your pitches, offense. Don't treat the idea "Thou shall run on first down" as though it was holy writ passed down from the Book of St. Bo.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:41 PM ^
throw it to the tight ends
December 21st, 2023 at 10:12 AM ^
UM fell behind because of 2 pick sixes and a dumbass red zone play call..takes those away and its likely UM cruises and doesn't need such late game heroics.
Also all that running the ball has worked better than what 99% of others have done over 3 years...so hard to fault the coaches for leaning into it more than some fans like...and then you see what Aurburn did against this Bama team...and UM would be nuts not to try to run right at them.
December 19th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^
I'm not sure what to expect from UW or UT. Obviously, all four teams are going to be good otherwise they wouldn't be there. But Bama has all the makings of the games that have given us nightmares for many years - they'll probably clog our oline, making running impossible and passing difficult, while we spend the whole day chasing Milroe around. I've seen that script too many times, but tbh this feels like house money after beating OSU again so I'll just sit back, enjoy the show and hope for the best!
December 19th, 2023 at 4:08 PM ^
Alabama does not have the DLine to "clog our oline, making running impossible and passing difficult." They are going to need to bring one or more safeties into the box to do that, and that leaves our tight ends covered by slow linebackers.
I can understand the fear that Michigan's coaches will be reluctant to move away from the run game, but I can't understand the expectation that that will be true.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:04 AM ^
People may neg me for this but so be it. I thought Michigan best chance to win a title was last year. I think Michigan was better last year and honestly had no business losing to TCU
December 19th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
The TCU game was a bad fluke but I don't think we closed against Georgia between 2021 and 2022.
December 19th, 2023 at 12:47 PM ^
I don't know about "best shot", but I also subscribe to the unpopular opinion that Michigan was even with Georgia last year. I think they just plain overlooked TCU and took them too lightly. There are exactly zero teams in the playoffs that will be a walk-over, and I hope the coaches learned that lesson from TCU. I hope they're taking it to heart and coming up with a gameplan like the one tailored to Alabama that Shea Patterson almost won. Something like that with JJ at the helm is a winner...
December 19th, 2023 at 2:43 PM ^
Unclench your sphincter: Michigan is better than Alabama.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
I care more about what Vegas believes.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:13 AM ^
I'm building off my comment here.
I try not to care about pre-game prognostication because it doesn't actually matter. But damn, do these people even pay attention, or are they just haters?
We have guys that are going to play on Sundays within the next 2 years at the following positions:
QB
RB x2
WR (maybe x 2? I think CJ will stick on a roster despite his lack of eye-popping numbers)
TE x2
OL x2 at least (weakest spot on the O, Zinter would've made it 3! though. And I think we have more bullets in the chamber at tackle than it first appears, but that may be a maize tinted take)
Edge x? (hard to say but at least Moore, maybe all 4 of the main guys)
DT x at least 3
LB x2
CB x2 (weakest spot on D, but Mikey S is a superstar in college and Johnson might be a top 5 pick so no that weak)
Safety x2
For those keeping track, that is AT LEAST 18 major contributors that are ticketed for the pros. But sure, we are a pretender.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
Tomer, Michigan is a pretender until they beat them. That's my point lol. You are looking at this as a Michigan fan. We are basically Georgia under Richt right now. Really good just can't get over the hump. That's how non Michigan fans look at this program right now.
December 20th, 2023 at 5:22 PM ^
I guess they probably study UM less than the average fan, but these are actual SEC coaches. I'm not surprised by their vibes based analysis of UM, but you'd think at least a few would say to themselves, "Hey, '23 Bama ain't '21 Georgia. Or even '21 Bama. And UM's strengths on paper at least match up pretty well."
December 19th, 2023 at 9:29 AM ^
Sure, there's this, but considering the players we've placed in the NFL, we are a bit of an underachiever. Add that to Harbaugh's bowl record and our record in the playoffs. And pit all that against Nick Saban's record in the same dimensions. Any prognosticator who knows to learn from history would probably think we have some inherent intangible disadvantages. And that would be the right read of history. We have an opportunity to change history.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:36 AM ^
Players in NFL start of 2023 season -
1) Alabama 57
2) Georgia 49
3) Ohio State 48
4) LSU 43
5) Michigan 38
December 19th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
Sure, Jimmy is overachieving through culture and football awesomeness. But I'm a 4-decade UM fan, and I think, over that period, we've underachieved compared to our talent. Not by a lot, but I wouldn't be surprised if, over the last 40 years our talent base was ranked about 5-8, and our average poll ranking to end the year about 10-12.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:59 AM ^
Bushwood -- I 100% agree. I too have watched Michigan for over 40 years, and Bo / Carr / Harbaugh 2015-2020 featured quite a lot of underachieving. Much of it was due to the conservative nature of the offense and the inability to deal with QB mobility and strong passing games.
To beat Alabama, we have to look to the 2000 Orange Bowl. The passing game was front and center, and Brady had an outstanding game. Now, JJ may not be Brady, but this Alabama team isn't that Alabama team either. Our game plan on O has to be creative and flexible, and our D has to have a plan for Milroe.
December 19th, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
I am the same since the late 70s
They should come out with a suprise game plan against Alabama like Carr did his last game against FL...Alabama would have zero clue and Saban would shit
December 19th, 2023 at 1:29 PM ^
I am on-board with this, it would be awesome.
December 20th, 2023 at 5:41 PM ^
Agree on the underachievement (esp in bowl games) compared to talent analysis.
Hard disagree on the game plan. JJ's not throwing to Terrell and Walker, and Bama's CBs/pass rushers are the strength of their defense.
M's been hamstrung plenty over the years by overly conservative play calling. I think this is a game where we need to swallow hard and live with it. UT beat Bama because they won the TO battle. Bama beat Auburn and Georgia because they won the TO battle. A few wrinkles (throwing to some angle route/choice routes instead of screens to Edwards, and coaching JJ to be a little more aggressive on his keep reads) would be nice. But otherwise, unless we're down by a couple touchdowns in the 4th like we were in that Orange Bowl, continue to be methodical on O and put the game in the hands of our D.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:33 AM ^
... and Alabama has even more, including3-4 projected 1st round picks this year and ~6 players being taken before the 1st Michigan player.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:56 AM ^
Not rub salt in the wound/add fuel to the fire/mix metaphors liberally, but it's been the case for Michigan in many prior years that Michigan has had more players taken in the NFL Draft than teams like Ohio State and Georgia (and sometimes Bama), but that they are almost all taken lower in the draft than those other schools' players.
Having said that, meh, I don't care. Michigan can take Bama this year. Go Blue.
December 19th, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
I don't think anybody questions the talent Michigan has, like you said there are pros all over the field. It's the play calling that holds this team back. 20 Corum rushes up the middle isn't going to get it done.
December 19th, 2023 at 2:01 PM ^
Notice that the article never mentions any of the talented players Michigan has. None of them. It's all about Alabama... which is probably to be expected since none of these SEC teams played us.
December 20th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
What drives me crazy isn't that so-called experts (or in the case of SEC coaches, I suppose we can drop the qualifiers and call them experts) give a firm edge to Bama in this game. There's a case to be made if you're of that belief.
What boils my blood are the flippantly stupid rationals. To your point... ask any pro scout if Will Johnson is the most coveted outside corner in all of college football right now. Then ask them who'll be the first nickel off the board in this year draft. That's 2/3 of our starting corners man, and this is the so called "weakness" of our defense!? Think maybe Will Freakin' Johnson and Mikey Sanristl are going to make life a little tougher on Milroe and his receivers than fucking Auburn's corners? Put Georgia and UM's corners in a room and see how fast Kirby Smart takes them with the first two picks. Come on.
PFF isn't the end all, but UM rolls out the #10/44/61 ranked defensive lineman and # 3/60 LBs. Milroe is gonna look like '05 Vince Young running all over that crew, and no one needs to check the tape to know that Bama is gonna wall up and crush our ground game with the 278/361/515 DL and 279th ranked backer?
Come on
December 19th, 2023 at 9:24 AM ^
The only games that will move the needle for SEC coaches are the CFP games and The Games, though even The Game may not be impressive to them. Maybe they consider the PSU games some but the rest won't factor in their evals at all. Plus, they've got the bias of thinking Michigan is fundamentally sound, big-but-not-SEC-big and fast-but-not-SEC-fast.
December 19th, 2023 at 9:31 AM ^
This. I live in Tennessee the people here think SEC football is head and shoulders better than everyone else. They ride the accomplishments of Alabama and Georgia like they are UTs accomplishments. The clan'ish vibe of the SEC is real and creepy.
They honestly believe the BIG TEN is like a minor league even when their lower tier teams lose in bowl games.
December 19th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
I see comments all the time like "The teams at the bottom of the SEC would win every other conference" meanwhile Tennessee lost to Purdue two years ago in the Music City bowl IN TENNESSEE.
December 19th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
A lot of years, the SEC is deep and talented. This year, not so much. What "big" game did they win this year? Mizzou beat K State, Ole Miss over Tulane, and Ms State over Arizona. Mizzou also barely beat Middle Tennessee... Cannot find any others. They also have losses to Texas (Bama), North Carolina (SoCo), UNLV/ Wake (Vandy), Utah (Florida), FSU (LSU and Florida), Miami (aTm), and NM State (Auburn). Some of those games were blowouts like FSU over LSU, Miami over aTm, and LOL NMSt over Auburn.