Michigan Wolverine Football Podcast — Bowl Game Preview Edition Michigan vs Alabama

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In this episode of the UM Go Blue podcast, @pcallihan and @Clint_Derringer preview the Reliaquest Bowl matchup with Alabama. Michigan football faces its next big test against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, a matchup brimming with challenges and opportunity. Despite being underdogs, the Wolverines bring momentum from recent victories. This bowl game is more than just another contest—it’s a proving ground for Michigan’s growth, resilience, and a glimpse into its future. Tune in as Phil Callihan and Clint Derringer dive deep into the stakes, the strategies, and why Michigan fans should be optimistic about the program’s trajectory.

Don’t miss this compelling episode that sets the stage for an unforgettable showdown—share, subscribe, and join the conversation!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #12 – 12/30/2024 – Non-Conference Finale Blowout, And Mid-Term Grades

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Sunday (12/29/2024), they beat Western Kentucky 112-64 in Crisler Arena.   Michigan’s record is now 10-3 (2-0 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

The WKU game was the last non-conference game of the season, and Michigan’s chance to make it through the non-conference portion of the schedule with no “bad losses”.  They responded with an emphatic blowout.

Michigan’s 3 losses have all been to quality opponents by 2 points or less, and are not considered to be “bad losses”.  It would have been better if a couple of them had been “close wins”, but oh well.

Game Flow

Michigan never trailed in the WKU game, and steadily built their lead for the whole game.  Their first big lead was 16-4 at the 16:17 mark, but WKU cut it to 4 points (18-14) with 14:38 left.  That was the only time they got close, as Michigan built the lead up to 19 points (39-20) with 7:05 to go in the half, then 28 points (55-27) at the 2:37 mark.  It was still a 28 point lead (59-31) at halftime.

The 2nd half was more of the same.  UM started the half with an 8-2 run, to go up 34 points (67-33) at the 18:05 mark, then pushed the lead up to 39 points (83-44) with 11:50 to go.  They pushed the lead through the 40s, and as high as 50 points (102-52) with 5:49 left.  At this point, the game turned into a 3-point shooting contest, which Michigan won.  The Scout Team came in for Michigan with 2:15 left, and they managed to score 7 more points, ending up with a nice 48 point win.

Stats

The game stats were very good.  Michigan shot well overall (33-for-64 = 51.6%), they shot 3-pointers very well (19-for-40 = 47.5%), and they shot free throws pretty well (27-for-35 = 77.1%).  They absolutely clobbered WKU on the boards (54-27), but they lost the turnover battle (17-14).  They won this game with great shooting and rebounding.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr., Vladislav Goldin, and Danny Wolf.

Who Looked Good?

All five starters hit double figures, along with one bench player, so there were lots of players who looked good.

Burnett was tied for high scorer for Michigan with 17 points on great shooting: 5-for-8 overall, 5-for-7 from deep.  He also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers.  A great performance.

Goldin was the other player who tied for high scorer, also with 17 points.  He shot even better than Burnett: 7-for-8 overall, 2-for-2 from deep.  Let’s stop for a moment to consider Vlad’s 3-point shooting.  Keep in mind that he never attempted a 3-pointer in his first 4 seasons (1 at Texas Tech and 3 at Florida Atlantic).  He made his first career 3-pointer (on his first career attempt) vs. Xavier, missed his secondcareer attempt vs. Wisconsin, then went 2-for-2 in the WKU game.  So now he’s shooting 3-for-4 (75%) from deep for his career.  Amazing!

Donaldson managed to score 12 points, but his shooting was off: 4-for-12 overall, 2-for-5 from deep.  He was the leading rebounder for Michigan, with 11 rebounds.

Wolf also had 12 points, on much better shooting than Donaldson: 4-for-6 overall, 2-for-3 from deep.  He had 10 rebounds, for a nice double-double.

Gayle was the 5th starter in double figures, with 11 points.  He shot pretty well: 3-for-5 overall, 2-for-4 from deep.

Sam Walters was the bench player who hit double figures, with 13 points on decent shooting: 4-for-8 overall, 2-for-6 from deep.

L.J. Cason almost hit double figures, with 9 points.

Will Tschetter had 7 points, on terrible shooting: 1-for-4, all from deep.  The rest of his points were from 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line.

Justin Pippen also had 7 points, on decent shooting: 2-for-4, all from deep.

Jace Howard had 4 points.

Phat Phat Brooks played for 7 minutes and had 3 points, on 3-for-4 shooting from the free throw line.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All the mainstream players looked OK.

Who Else Played?

Ian Burns played for 2 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Howard Eisley Jr. played for 1 minute, and missed his only shot attempt.

Harrison Hochberg played for 2 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Charlie May played for 2 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Rubin Jones is apparently injured, and didn’t play.

What Does It Mean?

This was an important game for Michigan to not lose.  It assured that Michigan won’t have a “bad loss” for the first time in 4 seasons, and it gave Michigan another win.  WKU is a decent opponent, and this win will look good at the end of the season.

At this point, Michigan is looking good for making the NCAA Tournament, but there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played: 18 Big Ten games.

Mid-Term Grades

This is not quite the exact middle of the season, with 13 games played and 18 left to go, but it’s a good natural breakpoint, at the end of the non-conference portion of the schedule and before the conference portion starts up again.  Here are the mid-term grades:

Freshman Eligibility

  • Durral “Phat Phat” Brooks (C) – Phat Phat has gotten his chances to show what he can do, and he hasn’t taken them.  He’s played in 10 games, and scored 9 points.  He has plenty of potential, but he hasn’t produced yet.
  • L.J. Cason (B) – L.J. started the season with some solid games, but he has been uneven since then.  He’s played in 11 games, and scored 65 points.
  • Howard Eisley Jr. (Inc.) – Howard is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much.  He’s played in 3 games for 4 minutes, and he missed both of his shot attempts for the season.
  • Justin Pippen (B-) – Justin missed the first 2 games with an injury, but since then he’s played in 10 games, and scored 22 points.  He looks calm and confident out there.

Sophomore Eligibility

  • Harrison Hochberg (Inc.) – Harrison is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much.  He’s played in 4 games for 7 minutes, and scored 4 points.
  • Charlie May (Inc.) – Charlie is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much.  He’s played in 4 games for 6 minutes, and hasn’t attempted a shot yet.
  • Sam Walters (B-) – Sam started the season with some solid games, but he has been uneven since then.  He’s played in 13 games, and scored 78 points.

Junior Eligibility

  • Nimari Burnett (B) – Nimari has been steady-but-not-flashy so far this season.  He’s started all 13 games, and scored 125 points (9.6 points/game).  He’s the only starter who isn’t averaging double digits.  He’s also the starter with the fewest turnovers (11).
  • Tre Donaldson (A) – Tre has had several very good games, several good games, and a couple duds.  Still, he is a leader out there, and he is running the offense very well.  He’s started all 13 games, and scored 160 points (12.3 points/game).  He leads the team in assists (49), against 28 turnovers, not a bad ratio.
  • Roddy Gayle Jr. (B+) – Roddy has had a few very good games, several good games, and a few duds.  He’s started all 13 games, and scored 161 points (12.4 points/game).  He’s a ferocious rebounder for his size (47    rebounds), and he’s got 44 assists.
  • Will Tschetter (B) – Will has done a nice job coming off the bench and giving the team a spark.  He often plays (small) center, and he holds his own.  He’s played in all 13 games, and scored 89 points.  He’s the leading scorer among the bench players.
  • Danny Wolf (A) – Danny has been the biggest surprise on the team so far this season.  He was very good at Yale, but he’s blossomed into a weapon at Michigan.  He’s started all 13 games, and scored 154 points (11.8 points/game).  He’s the leading rebounder on the team (132).  He’s 2nd on the team in assists, with 46.  Not bad for a 7-footer.  He often brings the ball upcourt in transition, and he plays “point center” quite often.  He runs a mean pick-and-roll game with Goldin.  On the downside, he occasionally gets a little too “creative” (crazy) with the ball, and he leads the team in turnovers (47).

Senior/Grad Eligibility

  • Ian Burns (Inc.) – Ian is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much.  He’s played in 4 games for 7 minutes, and missed his only shot attempt, a 3-pointer.
  • Vladislav Goldin (A) – Vlad started the season slow, but he’s gotten better each game for the last month.  He’s started all 13 games, and scored 181 points (13.9 points/game).  He’s the leading scorer on the team, and he has the best shooting percentage (69-for-101 = 68.3%).  He’s the 2nd leading rebounder on the team (77), and the leading shot blocker (25).  My only complaint about him: he often passes up a dunk for a short jumper or a layup, and he doesn’t shoot as high a percentage on these short shots as he would with a dunk.  Plus, a dunk at home is worth more than 2 points, since it gets the crowd and the rest of the team fired up.
  • Jace Howard (C-) – Jace is a scholarship player, but he gets playing time as if he were on the Scout Team.  He’s played in 5 games for 19 minutes, and he’s scored 4 points.
  • Rubin Jones (B-) – Rubin has been the most disappointing of the transfer players so far this season.  He’s played in 11 games, and scored 40 points (3.6 points/game).

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game, resuming Big Ten play.  On Saturday (01/04/2025, 8:00 p.m. EST, FOX), they play at USC.

USC is currently 9-4 (1-1 in Big Ten), with no impressive wins, and a questionable loss to Cal.  They have one noteworthy player: Terrance Williams II, who played for 4 seasons at Michigan, with mixed results.  He’s doing well this season, averaging 10.6 points/game and 4.6 rebounds/game, with decent shooting numbers.  He’s going to be highly motivated to beat his former team.  USC doesn’t have much height (two 6’10” players), but they have an impressive collection of 6’6” – 6’8” players.  This is going to be a tough game, especially on the road.  This is a team that Michigan can beat, but they need to play a clean game, with not too many silly turnovers and reasonable shooting percentages.  They can’t afford 19 turnovers or 4-for-32 3-point shooting.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

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.

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 2012

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

The fourth installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes to the Cowboys Classic on Sept. 1, 2012 at Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas. The national economy was stable in 2012, and overall, things were looking pretty good, particularly if you were dressed in maize and blue. Brady Hoke was now the Michigan coach, and in 2011 his Wolverines produced an 11-2 record that included wins over Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. It’s always great to be a Michigan Wolverine, but suddenly, it felt great, too.

So Michigan entered the 2012 campaign with a renewed vigor. The Wolverines chose to embrace greater challenges by playing the defending national champions at a neutral site in the south.

It was certainly an ambitious goal, but it also provided a sobering assessment of the Wolverines’ skill level. In the simplest of terms, Alabama was the better team.

As far as the competitive portion of the game, Alabama scored 31 points before Michigan scored at all.

Will Campbell sacked Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron 16 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Denard Robinson ran for a touchdown and threw a 44-yard scoring pass to Devin Gardner. The Michigan uniforms looked excellent. The Wolverines wore their old school black shoes and traditional maize pants.

Honestly, there were few positives about this game. Michigan played with courage, but needed better players and better coaches to compete with the best.

Thanks to YouTube and ESPN for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ebaGzSsQk8

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 2000

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

The third installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes us to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2000. It’s difficult to fathom, but there was a time when people didn’t recognize Tom Brady’s excellence.

Brady spent the first half of 2000 platooning with Drew Henson. Henson was the more recruited quarterback, having been rated as a five-star recruit in high school. Brady gradually seized full-time control of the quarterback position as the season went along, and Michigan’s play improved with Brady at the helm.

Twice, Michigan fell behind by 14 points, but each time Brady calmly rallied the Wolverines, honing his reputation as the master of comeback victories.

Trailing 14-0, Brady connected with David Terrell for a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter, one for 27 yards and one for 57 yards. By halftime, the game was tied at 14 apiece, and fans realized they were watching a classic.

Alabama reclaimed the lead and the momentum in the third quarter when Shaun Alexander scored on a 50-yard run and Freddie Milons added a 62-yard punt return to extend Alabama’s lead to 28-14.

Undeterred, the Wolverines came roaring back again. Brady found Terrell again for a 20-yard scoring strike and Anthony Thomas added a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Brady wasted no time in overtime, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Thompson. Hayden Epstein added the extra point, and the Wolverines had the lead for the first time. Alabama responded promptly as Andrew Zow threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Carter. A mere extra point by Ryan Pflugner would now tie the score.

Except, Pflugner’s kick sailed wide, and the Wolverines claimed the Orange Bowl championship with a 35-34 overtime victory. It’s always tempting to wonder how Michigan’s season might have turned out had Brady been the sole quarterback since the first game, but that was useless to consider now. Michigan had won the Orange Bowl and concluded the decade of the ’90s with a bang.

We thank YouTube and ABC Sports for the attached broadcast.