Despite Outcome Alabama's Roller-Coaster Rose Bowl One for the Ages
The exhale in relief from Pasadena could be felt all the way to Ann Arbor. Oh, how close, though, it came to going in Tuscaloosa's direction. Either way, the Alabama Crimson Tide's base spent most of New Year's Day in frustration or at least extremely agitated while watching the Rose Bowl against Michigan, only to see it end in agony.
For many, the narrow 27-20 loss, fittingly in overtime, only made it that more emotional, kind of like this season. At minimum, Crimson Tide fans know they won't won't need a stress test for a while.
That's a big difference with this Nick Saban team, and watching the 2023-24 season was not for the faint of heart. Just like any play could be a botched snap or a clutch touchdown, it's kept everyone wondering what it might, or might not, do for months. We've all watched it go from losing to Texas in Week 2, and struggling mightily at South Florida, to being one step away from playing for the national championship.
"If you really analyze it, we didn't play well enough on defense when we needed to, and we had too many drive-stopping plays on offense," Saban said.
Yes, the "Living on the Edge" season finally came to an end, as Michigan barely survived and will head to the title game in Houston to face either Texas or Washington. Alabama knocked off one opponent ranked No. 1 in the SEC Championship Game, but couldn't repeat the magic despite coming oh-so-close to again beating the top team at its own game.
In this case, it got more physical, it took control of the second half and then tried to hold on. It couldn't, despite having its chances.
Although Michigan nearly had a turnover on its first play, and then basically handed the Crimson Tide a touchdown following a muffed punt, it was Alabama that had the slow start. With the Wolverines looking like they spent the entire month working on its pass-rush, and how to take advantage of facing three offensive linemen who were sophomores, they held a 104-38 edge in total yards during the first quarter, and notched four sacks before Jalen Milroe was able to make his second completion.
The scoring may have been even, with a 34-yard touchdown run by Jase McClellan offset by a 10-play, 75-yard drive with Blake Corum scoring on a well-designed 8-yard touchdown pass.
Even without injured All-American Zack Zinker, Michigan's offensive line was as good as advertised. The lead was extended to 13-7 on a short pass that Tyler Morris, with a linebacker in coverage, was able to turn the corner on along the sideline and score a 38-yard touchdown (on Michigan's first third-down conversion).
At halftime, Milroe had dropped back 15 times, was pressured on eight, and sacked five times, by five different players. But down just 13-10, and fortunate to be down only three points after failing to gain 100 offensive yards, Alabama adjusted, which has been the story of this season.
The score may have stayed the same through the third quarter, but the momentum slowly changed. Offensively the Crimson Tide worked the edges. Running back Justice Haynes got involved, and Milroe started running in open space. Alabama started to win the field-position game as Michigan's offense started to struggle.
It translated into a touchdown to take the lead, and then a field goal for a seven-point lead. But Michigan was finally able to answer with a 75-yard drive to tie the game at 20, with 1:34 to go. Alabama couldn't move the ball enough on its final possession, and give the SEC's all-time leading scorer a shot, and then couldn't match Michigan's touchdown in extra time.
It got as close as fourth down at the 3. A low snap and a lineman got pushed back, and Milroe was stopped at the 2, for maybe Alabama's most agonizing finish since losing to Clemson on the last play in the 2016-17 title game.
"With anything, all it came down was fall back to your level of training, and we just failed on that play," Milroe said. "That's all it was."
Did Alabama deserve to win? One really can't say that. The Crimson Tide simply made too many mistakes. However, a flawed win would have been just as good as a pretty one, and it nearly pulled it off.
From an entertainment standpoint, it was an outstanding game, featuring more drama than it probably deserved. Alabama fans can tip their hats to Michigan, take pride in how much this team overcame, and remember that the Crimson Tide was probably playing with house money after the Auburn win.
They have a whole summer to grow some fingernails back.
This column will be updated following postgame press conferences.
