2024 ReliaQuest Bowl: Michigan Stuns Alabama
What a year to be a Michigan Wolverine! On January 1st of 2024. the future national champions beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, despite having the worst night on special teams of the entire season. On December 31st, Michigan defeats Alabama again, 19-13, in the ReliaQuest Bowl (AKA the Outback Bowl). Only one team has ever beaten Alabama twice in one year. Ole Miss did back in 1969, that’s it. For the full highlights of last week’s game, click here.
This time, Alabama didn’t have Nick Saban, and they had a 9-3 record. Michigan had an even worse record of 7-5. Several Alabama players did opt out of the game, but others, including NFL-bound QB Jalen Milroe, chose to play in it to get revenge for their loss in January. In addition, many of our best players were out, including 12 starters such as star running backs Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, along with future 1st-round draft picks and All-Americans Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson, Josiah Stewart, and Colston Loveland. Michigan was running a literal “backup of backups” offense.
I wasn’t sure what our chances were of winning, but I estimated them low. Remember, in 2024 Michigan didn’t really have an offense–of the 130+ teams in the CFB, only six teams had worse offenses than ours. The only thing we had going for us was defense; we were the 10th best in the country, but we didn’t have our defensive stars. Michigan entered the game as 16.5-point underdogs.
Imagine my surprise with how the first quarter went! Three minutes in, Milroe is sacked (FYI, the same QB we sacked 7 times in the Rose Bowl). A few minutes later, it started to rain, and rain hard. Our kicker, Zvada, is maybe the best one in the country and scored first from 45 yards. The rain got worse, leading to some pretty hilarious plays, mostly at Bama’s expense.
Alabama’s first play after getting the ball back, they fumbled it, and we recovered on their 20! We couldn’t score a TD because again, we have no offense, but Zvada kicked another 3 points. Two plays later, Milroe gets sacked again. Literally the next play, Wesley Walker, a Michigan DB I’d never heard of, intercepts the ball and runs it down to their 20! A couple of plays later, Michigan finally scores a TD from receiver Frederick Moore. Unbelievably, the very first play Alabama has, Milroe fumbles the ball while getting sacked for the third time, and Michigan recovers it on their 5-yard line! Teams with an offense would have scored a TD under those circumstances, but since we lacked one, we settled for another FG, and now it’s 16-0. This is all in the first quarter! Alabama slipped and slid all over the place, the Wolverines not as much.
The second quarter was less exciting, but Milroe would get sacked again. Alabama finally woke up in the last 6 minutes of the half. But even during that drive, the Tide fumbled the ball again, and this time barely recovered it. They couldn’t blame the rain as much because at this point it had stopped. With four minutes left in the half, Bama finally scores a TD. They looked scary during their last drive of the half, but had to settle for a field goal. It’s now 16-10.
The second half was dominated by Michigan’s defense. They had to be great because our QB, Warren, got injured early in the third quarter, and Orji came on the field. Milroe would get sacked for a fifth and sixth time, but not much would happen until the end of the quarter, when Orji threw a pick. Enter Jordan Marshall, a true freshman making his college debut on a national stage. By the end of the night, he had 100 yards rushing and looked like the future of the Michigan backfield. It turned into nothing as the Maize and Blue got the ball back and Marshall had some terrific runs, capped with another FG. He would rush for 23 carries for 100 yards in his first college game. Bama made a FG, and with 2 minutes left, they began to drive down the field, getting all the way to our 15 before throwing four straight incompletions to end it for them.
Here are some stats that will surprise and amaze. Michigan has more wins against Alabama in one year than Georgia has in the last 17! Alabama’s new coach, Kalen DeBoer, was Washington’s coach last year. In one calendar year, we beat DeBoer in the national championship and again in the Bowl Game! In the second half, Michigan gained only 81 yards but held Alabama to just 97 — including only 3 rushing yards.. This is the 7th meeting all-time between Michigan and Alabama, and we are winning 4-3. Finally, across the final four games of the season, U-M’s defense allowed six points total. Imagine next year when we actually have an offense again! Go Blue!
