The Michigan football squad has been heavily criticized this season, and their Rose Bowl showdown against Alabama football was no exception. Many people predicted that the Wolverines would not be able to compete in the College Football Playoff, but Michigan won one of the biggest games in the program’s history. The Wolverines defeated the Crimson Tide in overtime, and quarterback JJ McCarthy was a significant reason for their victory.
Many of the coaches from the Big Ten were among those who questioned Michigan’s football team in this game. Before the Rose Bowl, The Athletic published a piece in which they questioned various Big Ten coaches about the Wolverines and how they would do versus Alabama in the playoff. The coaches remained unidentified, but they didn’t have much faith in Michigan.
Following Michigan’s Rose Bowl victory, The Athletic published another article in which these anonymous Big Ten coaches had much better things to say about the Wolverines. JJ McCarthy had maybe the most detractors, but the Big Ten coach was thrilled with his performance on Monday.
“J.J. hadn’t played that well in a long time, but he played really well (Monday),” added the unidentified coach. “You saw it in both playoff games. The squad with the best quarterback performed the best. It’s the same as you’d see in the NFL. Because these teams are so strong, it all comes down to the quarterbacks. Special teams just can’t beat you, and Michigan almost did in the Rose Bowl. But they were able to retain it in the hands of their quarterback, and (McCarthy) really stepped up when he needed to.”
McCarthy played much better than Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Milroe had a few of nice runs in the game, but he was a non-factor in the passing game, and Michigan did an excellent job of putting pressure on him the whole game. That defense delivered a fantastic performance.
“I knew (Milroe) was gonna have to play well, but Michigan did a great job against them,” A Big Ten head coach predicted Alabama would win. “Michigan demonstrated that they have the physicality to compete with them and handled them admirably.” It was outstanding. Their defense is really strong. They demonstrated a lot by going toe-to-toe with Alabama, and then they finished them off.”
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Michigan eventually won in overtime, but it shouldn’t have been that close. The Wolverines made a lot of special teams blunders throughout the game, giving Alabama a lot of life, and it could’ve been a comfortable win for Michigan if they had played a cleaner game.
“Michigan gave them 7 (points) on a fumbled punt and 4 points on its kicking unit and still won,” the coach added. “Bama’s defense was poor, in my opinion, on things that Michigan does every game — condensed formations get the running back the ball through rubs and picks.”
What a victory for the University of Michigan football team. The Wolverines are now on their way to Houston to face Washington football in the national championship game. That game will take place on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium, and it will be broadcast on ESPN. Michigan now has a 4.5-point advantage over the Huskies. JJ McCarthy’s team will need another great game if they are to finish the job and win the national championship.
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