UMGOBLUE.COM

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 2024

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Rivalry Games

The fifth installment of the series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Alabama takes us to the Rose Bowl. Michigan won the first Rose Bowl handily, beating Stanford 49-0 to claim the 1901 National Championship. The Wolverines repeated that feat on Jan. 1, 1998, beating Washington State, 21-16, to capture the 1997 Associated Press National Championship. The Wolverines have also suffered many frustrating outcomes at the Rose Bowl.

On Jan. 1, 2024, the Rose Bowl served as the site for one of the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Michigan had a loaded roster, but pundits predicted that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe would give the Wolverines fits. It was only natural that Michigan fans approached this game with some concern.

There was a depressing sense of deja vu when J.J. McCarthy appeared to throw an interception to Caleb Downs on the first play from scrimmage. Then, suddenly, Downs was ruled out of bounds when he seized possession of the ball. Everyone wearing maize and blue breathed a collective sigh of relief. When Alabama got the ball, Michigan’s defense put the heat on Milroe, sacking him twice in the first series. The Tide then got a second chance when Semaj Morgan fumbled the ensuing punt. Four plays later, Jase Mclellan ran 34 yards for an Alabama touchdown, and the Crimson Tide drew first blood.

But Alabama’s touchdown did not dampen Michigan’s resolve. The Wolverines mounted a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard scoring pass from McCarthy to Blake Corum. If Michigan had any jitters, they were gone by this point.

Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Michigan still had time for heroics. McCarthy connected with Corum on fourth down to keep the drive going. Then Wilson caught a tipped pass from McCarthy and ran to the Alabama 6-yard line. On second down from the 4-yard line, McCarthy played pitch-and-catch with Wilson, who trotted in untouched for the tying score.

Jake Thaw then earned recognition as one of Michigan’s unsung heroes when he calmly recovered his own fumble on a late Alabama punt, narrowly averting disaster. In overtime, Michigan asserted its dominance in convincing fashion. The Wolverines scored on a pair of runs by Corum, the second one a 17-yard run involving three broken tackles. Michigan now held a 27-20 lead, but Alabama would get the football.

Alabama threatened, but the Wolverines were up to the task. Mason Graham had a tackle for loss and Josh Wallace had a huge tackle two yards short of the goal line, setting up a do-or-die fourth down. One missed assignment or missed tackle could be disastrous, but one excellent team effort could keep the dream season rolling one more week.

Michigan got that tremendous effort, most notably from 6-foot-1, 245-pound defensive end Josaiah Stewart, who knocked 6-foot-5, 350-pound Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor off his feet and into Milroe, allowing the Michigan defense to swarm around Milroe and tackle him well short of the goal line. Michigan completed a goal line stand to beat Alabama, 27-20, and advance in the College Football Playoff.

A week later, the Michigan was firing on all cylinders like a vintage Detroit engine. The Wolverines routed Washington, 34-13, to win the National Championship and complete a perfect 15-0 season, claiming their place among the greatest teams in college football history!

Thanks to YouTube for the ESPN broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. He’s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.