ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football will face a stiff challenge in Jalen Milroe and the Alabama offense at the College Football Playoff in the Rose Bowl.
Milroe, a former four-star prospect, is a dual-threat QB to a caliber the Wolverines haven’t encountered this year. He’s “talented, real athletic, freaky,” as Jaylen Harrell said earlier this week, and he’s not afraid to throw it deep; Alabama ranks fourth nationally in pass plays of 40 or more yards. Milroe has 12 rushing touchdowns this year and his improvements over the course of the 2023 season were key to the Crimson Tide’s return to the CFP
Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator for Michigan, discussed the difficulties Alabama presents on Tuesday. He discussed the Wolverines’ preparations and the elements of the Crimson Tide that are challenging to duplicate in real life as follows:
To assist us get ready for these situations, I believe we get the opportunity to play against a really solid offensive every day. Undoubtedly, there have been teams with talented players who we have had to match up with and attempt to contain. We haven’t seen a quarterback like this, in my opinion. The closest thing we see, in my opinion, is when some of our guys practice. As a scrambler, Taulia at Maryland was somewhat of the same kind of guy. But a player with this level of run game involvement and his ability to make plays off the schedule. Some of our men said yesterday that they thought Alex Orji did an excellent job of mimicking Milroe as the quarterback of the scout team. He’s performed admirably;
It’s not easy to play the offensive line, I know. You are discussing 6-7 360, 6-7 360. There isn’t anyone here. Our offense is led by Myles Hinton. As a result, we have no one, which makes simulating their speed and actions extremely difficult. Therefore, even while the quarterback is crucial, and we’re working very hard to manage him, it’s more difficult to replicate the other positions and the quality they’ve accumulated over time.
Everyone is aware of their high-level recruitment process. That makes it the most difficult to replicate. On the first, we’ll find out if we’re ready. To be honest, it’s cheap to talk about it now. If we’re ready, we’ll find out when the ball is kicked off. Because of the way our troops have tackled it and are working on it, I have no doubt that we will have a chance to succeed.
Two of the best quarterbacks the Wolverines saw this year, Drew Allar of Penn State and Kyle McCord of Ohio State, were mostly pocket passers. Even while U-M saw Tagovailoa and other dual-threat quarterbacks earlier in the season, none had the same potential as Milroe. His capacity for scurrying aids
On January 1, 2024, Michigan and Alabama will play at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
