Alabama schadenfreude. But I kinda respect them
I couldn't help myself and wandered over to the Alabama forum this morning. Gotta admit, they are so much more mature than what you find on RCMB or 11warriors. Granted, that's some faint praise. But it's something.
A couple snippets:
"Have to give UM a little credit for that though. They created situations to cause some confusion about who was supposed to be where.
Yea {sic} clearly they had a few plays they knew would give us trouble"
"I don't disagree with not getting the best version of Bama, but Michigan is also just really good.
Their veteran leadership made the difference. Our immature mistakes as well."
Peruse if you're into this sort of thing:
https://www.tidefans.com/forums/threads/official-postgame-thread-bama-vs-michigan.335817/
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:12 AM ^
Right. The number of "cheaters" posts outnumber those giving due credit by about 3:1.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:15 AM ^
"Right. The number of "cheaters" posts outnumber those giving due credit by about 3:1."
Yeah, perhaps my OP was overly generous. But on RCMB and 11W it would have been 30:1 at best.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
Bama doesn't need to break the rules because the NCAA adjusts the rules to give Bama and the SEC whatever they want.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:40 AM ^
All the jealous punks can't stop the dunk.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:22 AM ^
It baffles me when I see the "cheaters" posts from Alabama and Ohio State fans.
We're talking two of the dirtiest programs in the country over the last 25 years. You'd think there would be a little self awareness.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:26 AM ^
Tribalism is a hell of a drug.
Heck, America's present population is largely descended from religious outcasts, so we may be even more susceptible to cult behavior than average.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:40 AM ^
Watch out for those damned Presbyterians.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:42 AM ^
the frozen chosen....
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:54 AM ^
Alabama's been grayshirting for years, but I guess that's just college football, right?
January 2nd, 2024 at 12:42 PM ^
January 2nd, 2024 at 8:26 PM ^
Totally agree from my perspective sitting in the northwest corner on the edge of Michigan and Bama sections.
The older ( 40+) fans who had lived through the troubles during the 90s to aughts have some perspective. They seemed to have a more realistic perspective and were charitable about good and bad plays.
The younger contingent I heard/interacted with including the drunk and vaping 5 fan contingent next to me in the row (mostly mid-20s) who know nothing but Alabama being unstoppable were much more cocky, talking shit and feeling that they were inevitable.
One of the memories I’ll have from the game is them nopeing out after the last play
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:08 AM ^
wait ... how is this thread allowed here? mgoblog only allows mocking and belittling of southerners
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:28 AM ^
Trying to be snarky and cryptic at the same time does not work. Just thought you'd like to know that.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:41 AM ^
The whininess kind of undercuts the snark, too.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:34 AM ^
and by saying anything nice about a southern school, you are openly promoting incest.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:37 AM ^
Southern hospitality is real. So is midwestern kindness
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
Not a lot of lamentations happening there.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
Alabama fans have seen a lot of winners and I think they sort of recognized that this year's Tide team wasn't quite elite and could tell UM was closer to that ideal. So credit to them for recognizing it. Similarly, I thought this Bama team looked better than they did against Texas and USF to start the year, and I'm really impressed by both UW and Texas in their bowl game. I don't think anyone this year is at the 2021 Georgia level of total domination, but the teams that made the playoff this year all looked like they could win the title, and that's made them all easier to enjoy watching as a fan.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:57 PM ^
It may not be an all time great team but it is elite. Maybe young. But it is elite. I’d say they are a vote for win it all in Vegas soon enough.
Michigan beat a very good, Saban coached team with many, many five stars. It was a great victory.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
Much respect to Bama and their program. We did however have the worst special teams effort in years, so it isn't like everything went perfectly for us to win.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:31 AM ^
bama likely had a net +14 points due to special teams yesterday
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:47 AM ^
If Semaj just lets that first punt bounce, and Doman doesn't screw up the PAT, we probably win by ~8 in regulation. Not that I'm mad about the outcome looking back on it now.
January 2nd, 2024 at 12:21 PM ^
My immediate post-game reaction was - well those mistakes made this game a memorable, Instant Classic. Most of M's classics are ones where we get upset - the Kenneth Walker comeback, the trouble with the snap, Kordell Stewart, Armanti Edwards, The Fiesta Bowl. The nailbiters we won in 2021 were overshadowed by "HOLY CRAP WE BEAT OHIO!" and that game was not a nailbiter so not a "classic" after about a year to anyone outside of Michigan. This year, we didn't play our best against OSU and so we finally won a "classic." And we made so many damn mistakes against Bama so that it too became a "classic."
January 2nd, 2024 at 1:58 PM ^
Underdog beats favorite in a close game that comes down to the end = "Classic".
That's how it works.
It's a credit to us that we are usually on the losing end of these "classics". There are not many upsets where we're not the favorite.
How many "classic" replays is Alabama ever in as the winner? Almost none. The Gravedigger game is a very rare exception, and that's only because the way it was done was so crazy surprising.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
"Most of M's classics are ones where we get upset - the Kenneth Walker comeback...."
Thank you for the trip down memory lane, jerk! /s
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^
We had enough mistakes on offense and especially ST for one more dispiriting Rose Bowl loss—if not two—but our defense made up for it and our best players on offense got it done when it mattered most.
I'm not convinced this team overall is more talented than the 1997 team, but its resilience is unmatched in Michigan football history.
January 2nd, 2024 at 2:04 PM ^
People forget that we were down in the 1998 Rose Bowl and did not look good at first. Woodson's pick kept us from getting down so far we wouldn't be able to recover. We were not built to come from behind.
And yet, I was never that concerned during that game that we wouldn't turn it around. It never felt hopelessly desperate.
I just watched the ESPN 60 minute replay of the Rose Bowl against Alabama and I can't believe we pulled out that game. Talk about hopelessly desperate. There were about 10 things in a row that had to go just right for us or we were toast. And they all did.
I was more excited at the end of that replay that we won than I was last night when it happened.
What a HUGE win for our program.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:38 PM ^
"I'm not convinced this team overall is more talented than the 1997 team, but its resilience is unmatched in Michigan football history."
Woodson was such a generational talent. It's hard to compare the teams. But I love this team even more, no matter what happens Monday.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:14 AM ^
If I were an Alabama fan, I might be saying some things about how/why the center was never replaced after a season of errant snaps.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
They're also lamenting the Tommy Rees call to run straight into our strength on the last play of the game.
I thought it was a poor play call choice, too.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
Do you think the play call was completely on Rees - or, did Saban also provide some input. IIRC, there were multiple timeouts before that last play - so there was time for input from the key members of the staff.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:53 AM ^
I don't know. But whoever called it, hmmn. "Hey, I know, let's go straight at Mason Graham after he dropped us for a 4 yd loss on our last run"
Not that I'm complaining.
January 2nd, 2024 at 2:10 PM ^
Saban addressed that. He said Alabama had three plays called. They cycled through them as we and Alabama kept calling TOs to make adjustments to what the other team was showing. It was clearly not their first choice play, but they thought it would work, and thought it almost did work except for a "one-guy screwup" thing.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:41 PM ^
I think Saban was actually being classy and defending his players for what was a botched play. Perhaps the play was poorly designed, but it was definitely poorly executed. To paraphrase Bob Ufer.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:35 AM ^
The play call was poor-ish, but the bad snap totally nerfed any chance it could work.
Thank god.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:06 AM ^
The play was supposed to pull left. The low snap likely led to the rash decision to just fly upfield. Plus Stewart blew up one of their guys.
January 2nd, 2024 at 2:11 PM ^
Milroe - still a 1st year starter - kind of went into a panic on that play and rushed his run.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:10 AM ^
I thought the play was bad, too - but it wasn't. Jeff Saturday (HoF OC) explained it on Get Up, it was an RPO that was nerfed by the snap. The RB motioned out left and took Barrett with him out of the middle. On the left side, they had one WR covered in man, and the RB with Barrett chasing. Given the game situation, Milroe knew there'd be pressure because why wouldn't Michigan bring pressure? Sure enough, both Sainristil and Rod Moore came up to cover the edge when Derrick Moore slanted inside. That left the WR with man coverage and Barrett isolated running down a RB with a head of steam and a WR in the way. With the low snap, Milroe had to look down and lost track of the LB, and with Sainristil and Moore coming in hard, all he could do was hope. If he had time to see the RB wide open with leverage, that probably goes for a TD.
But hope doesn't win you games.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:56 AM ^
Thank you for that.
I don't need to visit the parallel universe where the snap hits him in the hands solar plexus high. Still, he was probably going to have some intense pressure from Stewart and Moore. It wasn't going to be easy like M's game-tying TD, but yeah, it would have better for them than the no-hoper that was slamming it in the middle.
January 2nd, 2024 at 12:25 PM ^
Yea when I rewatched it too, I didn't notice the coverage but I did notice we had nobody second level - if Alabama wins more than one block, Millroe maybe has a chance. Both ends got in front of our tackles, Graham doesn't get budged, and the only person who gets moved is Grant. Stewart, and Moore all nerfed that play, with Sainristil forcing Millroe to make a quick decision and Rod Moore and Harrel ably making his run options limited to where he was toast.
didn't even think of the coverage
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:11 AM ^
It was interesting that on SVP (normally I ignore ESPN altogether but watching them have to give Michigan credit was worth it a little bit. (FYI - I jumped over the BTN network where it was far more enjoyable. Looked like Jake Butt was in tears as he was reporting)
Anyhow, ESPN brought on someone (Matt Hassleback I believe) and he broke down the play and to his viewpoint, Milroe screwed up. He should have followed the pulling guard to the C gap instead of running straight ahead. He broke the play down noting the pulling guard and the unblocked LB that shot straight up the field. Matt's case was the LB was too far up the field and ran himself out of the play (I don't agree but whatever) and that cleared the way for Milroe to follow the guard, who had Barrett 1 on 1 to block for a claimed "walkin TD".
Now, there were many assumptions within the breakdown:
1) the LB (actually I believe it was the Safety) was too far up the field. My take is he was positioned correctly to funnel the play back inside...containing..
2) The pulling guard would have been able to block Barrett in space cleanly enough to make him a non-factor
3) Milroe had the vision (or play design) to cut over to the C gap head right to the Michigan contained defender...
So it was a reach to claim that it would have been a walkin TD had Milroe cut left. To me Moore is the one that really blew the play up. He as able to duck inside the TE and crash down the hole (Bama's LT and Center had double teamed Grant, but he had then pretty much stoned walled) and of course Stewart up the RT on skates and shoved the RT right into Milroe.
Bottomline, Michigan's defense won the play convincingly...
January 2nd, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^
So Hasselback paid no attention to Rod Moore and Mike Sainrstil - both crashing down on the left side, occupying the C gap that Derrick Moore left a vapor trail in? Had Milroe drifted left, Sainristil would have eaten him alive with Rod Moore cleaning up. Sainristil was actually blitzing from the left slot, and Moore came down to replace Moore in run support.
That play was dead, man. Maybe there was a pass to the RB in the flat, but the snap ended that thought.
January 2nd, 2024 at 2:08 PM ^
you will note that in my post, I agree with you. Yes, it was Mikey that was the one that flew up field as the contain person (also as I noted above) and he was in position IF Milroe went left.
I was just point out how ESecPN was trying to spin the last play, either downplaying or ignoring the facts that Mikey was in position as contain and Barrett was ready to take on the guard...
Too many assumptions on Matt's part to call it a "Walk in TD"
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:37 AM ^
They thought the motion would clear out the box. But everyone who knows anything about football was expecting Milroe to run a draw or some sort of scramble. If he didn't trip or wait to pick up the snap, he would have gotten closer to the end zone.
Not that I am complaining.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
Oh they were...it was ALL OVER their Reddit threads lol
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:15 AM ^
Reports from people I know who attended the game were that the Bama fans were pretty cordial.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
Bama has probably won enough that they have crossed the fan Rubicon into rational observers if that makes sense. Like at a certain point joy and other emotions become removed if you win enough and you just see things clearly. I think they are at that point for the most part.
January 2nd, 2024 at 2:17 PM ^
When we were winning all those Big Ten championships in the '90s, the first time we lost to Northwestern was like that. "Good for them. They did what they needed to do and we didn't. Stuff happens, you can't win every time."
We took it "well". But the next time it happened we didn't take it so well.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
Florida State deserved to be in the playoff, but have to admit I'm glad Michigan took on Bama. Beating Bama means no one can discredit anything about the victory. Even if this Alabama team is probably more like the 5th or 6th best team in the country, Michigan still defeated college football's greatest modern dynasty and coach and a supremely talented team of 4 and 5 stars.
Win or lose the next one (please win), this team proved itself as elite.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:25 AM ^
Exactly. Alabama has more 5*s than the basically the whole Big Ten and is indisputably the greatest football dynasty of all time with the greatest coach of all time.
This win was literally slaying the dragon.