The Michigan Wolverines landed in sunny Tampa, Florida as -13.5 point underdogs to the No. 11 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl. With a number of Wolverines starters opting to not play in the game, including arguably their best defensive and offensive players in Will Johnson and Colston Loveland, Michigan had a tall task ahead of them.
Coming off of a high from defeating the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for the fourth straight year, Michigan was used to being underdogs and essentially being written off for victory in games this year. However Head Coach Sherrone Moore has found a way to rally his players and keep them believing.
Behind a spectacular defensive performance, forcing three Alabama turnovers in the first quarter, Michigan was up 16-0 at the end of the first 15 minutes of play. Even with that much of a lead, it was way too early to celebrate victory as this was Alabama they were playing, and despite having a somewhat off year, this is a program traditionally having a roster of several 5-star players contributing to a high powered offense to go with a suppressing defense.
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide team did indeed adjust and scored ten unanswered points in the second quarter. The comeback was in motion as Alabama came alive, heading into halftime down just six points, making it a game again and ultimately setting up for a thrilling second half.
With Michigan winning the pregame coin toss and electing to defer, they would start the second half receiving the ball. On the first possession after the break, Alabama’s defense prevailed, getting a sack during the first drive. That loss of 13 yards would however be negated by an Alabama personal foul penalty and Michigan would have a fresh set of downs to work with. Despite this, the offense stalled and could not make it past their own 35 yard line and would be forced to punt.
Throughout the rest of the third quarter, both teams’ offenses struggled and could not put a successful drive downfield together. Unfortunately for Michigan, they also lost starting Quarterback Davis Warren in the quarter, who would be sidelined with an injury. At the end of the third, it was the Crimson Tide that would catch a break though as their defense would pick off a pass by Wolverines reserve QB Alex Orji at midfield, giving the Tide their best starting field position thus far after halftime.
Alabama looked as if they would take advantage of the turnover, moving the ball all the way down to the Michigan 34 yard line but Quarterback Jalen Milroe and the Tide failed to convert on a fourth and seven, giving the ball back to the Wolverines from there. That’s when Michigan freshman running back Jordan Marshall, having the best game of his career, stepped up rushing for a total 35 yards on a drive that would put Michigan in the red zone. The result of the drive would set up a Dominic Zvada 37 yard field goal with just over seven minutes left in the game, increasing Michigan’s lead to nine points with the score 19-10.
On the ensuing drive, Alabama would move the ball downfield and make it to the Michigan 33 yard line where they were again faced with a fourth down decision. This time it was fourth and eleven and Coach DeBoer made the decision to have his kicker attempt a 51 yard field goal. Kicker Graham Nicholson would successfully make the long field goal making the score 19-13 in favor of the Wolverines.
With just under five minutes left, Michigan’s offense would need to run the clock and if they could get any points, whether a touchdown or a field goal, it would essentially seal their upset victory. However the Crimson Tide defense got the stop they needed, giving their offense a chance with two and a half minutes left in the game.
Just as in the Rose Bowl, where the two teams met earlier in the year, Alabama would have one final drive and if they could get a touchdown, they would win. Ironically, the scenario in the ReliaQuest Bowl game would be of similar fashion and the Crimson Tide’s game winning drive would end in the hands of QB Milroe. In the Rose Bowl, it was Michigan’s defense stopping him short on a fourth down run into the end zone. This time it was Michigan’s defense forcing him into an incomplete pass on fourth down. With the stop, Michigan took a knee to run out the clock and celebrated the triumph, shocking the world of college football once again 19-13.
Alabama came into the ReliaQuest Bowl game looking to get redemption from their loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. The victory for Michigan meant the team started out 2024 winning against the Crimson Tide (at the Rose Bowl on January 1), and ended the year doing the same (on December 31).
Despite a disappointing 8-5 final record for the Wolverines, success came with victories over their rivals (Michigan State and at Ohio State), a ranked USC Trojans team, and now a second straight victory in the same calendar year as underdogs to Alabama in bowl games.
While Michigan will be watching two different teams play for the National Championship on January 20th, as Coach Moore mentioned, the future looks bright for the program. Michigan has a top 10 recruiting class coming in next year led by the No. 1 ranked high school player Bryce Underwood, who was in Tampa practicing with the team. Add to that, a top 5 transfer portal class, a few key players returning including kicker Zvada and with that fans can’t be more excited for next season.
Final Score: Michigan 19 – Alabama 13
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