Michigan defense pressures Milroe all day, Wolverines beat No. 11 Alabama 19-13 in ReliaQuest Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. -- — A year removed from winning the national championship, Michigan finished its first season under Sherrone Moore with a victory setting the tone for a bright future.Moore replaced Jim Harbaugh after the former Wolverines coach left for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers last winter. He called Tuesday's 19-13 victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl a total team effort that bodes well for the Wolverines moving forward.
“We’ve got a great culture and great kids,” Moore said. "No one person wins a game ... no two people. It’s always going to be a team sport.”
Michigan's defense sacked Jalen Milroe five times and forced three turnovers by the Alabama quarterback. ReliaQuest Bowl MVP Jordan Marshall rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries to help the Wolverines dominate time of possession.
Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals and Davis Warren threw a first-half touchdown pass to Fredrick Moore as Michigan (8-5) finished the season on a three-game winning streak that included back-to-back upsets of rival Ohio State and Alabama.
“We were 5-5 and then we won some games, but it’s not the standard,” Marshall said. "We’re going to be better than this next year.”
Alabama's season ended with a loss to Michigan for the second year in a row. The Wolverines and the Crimson Tide (9-4, No. 11 CFP) met in a College Football Playoff semifinal at last season's Rose Bowl, with Michigan winning on the way to capturing the national championship.
Tuesday's loss ended Alabama's string of 16 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins. Kalen DeBoer inherited the streak from seven-time national championship-winning coach Nick Saban, who retired after last season.
“Every time you’re in the locker room and you have something like this, it’s disappointing. But I think there’s a lot of things that you take from it,” DeBoer said, reflecting on his first season with the Crimson Tide.
“So to me, it’s a success if we move forward and we take advantage of the lessons (learned this season), even though we don’t want to learn those lessons sometimes, because they’re hard,” DeBoer added. "We’re going to learn from those lessons, move forward and be better next year because of it.”
Milroe shrugged off a disastrous first quarter that was played almost exclusively in Alabama territory during heavy rain that sent many in the crowd at Raymond James Stadium scurrying for cover. The Crimson Tide had a chance to win it in the closing minutes but turned the ball over on downs after driving to the Michigan 15.
Milroe lost two fumbles and threw an interception on three of Alabama's first four drives. The fourth possession ended badly, too, with Milroe being sacked for an 11-yard loss at the Crimson Tide 44 on fourth-and-4.
Michigan, however, was able to turn the blunders into only 16 points — Warren's TD pass to Moore and field goals of 45, 30 and 21 yards for a 16-0 lead.
Milroe cut into Alabama's deficit with a 25-yard TD pass to Robbie Ouzts, then ran for 41 yards and threw to Germie Bernard for 40 on back-to-back plays to set up Graham Nicholson's 24-yard field goal just before halftime.
Michigan defense made the narrow halftime lead stand until Zvada's 37-yard field goal put the Wolverines up 19-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Alabama countered with Nicholson's 51-yarder to make it a one score game again with 4:38 to go.
Milroe finished 16 of 32 passing for 192 yards, one TD and an interception.
Warren was 9 of 12 for 73 yards without an interception before limping off the field after being sacked early in the third quarter. Alex Orji finished up at quarterback for the Wolverines.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide opens their second season under DeBoer on the road on Aug. 30 at Florida State. One question heading into the offseason is who will take the first snap at quarterback. Milroe hasn't said if he'll enter the NFL draft or return to school.
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