No. 11 Alabama was unable to overcome three costly first quarter turnovers and fell 19-13 to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday.
The loss breaks a 16-year streak of 10-win seasons. Tuesday's bowl game was a replica of the Crimson Tide’s season. Take the field with more talent than the opponent but play down to or even below the competition and still find a way to be in the game at the end.
Here are some takeaways from the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Another Embarrassing Loss For DeBoer
Yes, this was a “meaningless” bowl, but all indications before the game pointed towards the Alabama players taking this game seriously to get their 10th win of the season. Even potential first round draft picks decided not to sit out of this game. On the other side of the ball, you had a Michigan team missing multiple key starters. Like other losses this year, Alabama should have been able to cruise to victory but looked unprepared. Kalen DeBoer had multiple weeks to put together a solid game plan and once again fell short. An embarrassing loss like this will leave a sour taste in the mouths of Alabama fans for the entire offseason.
Devastating First Quarter
The first quarter of the game put Alabama in a hole that they just couldn’t dig out of. Three costly turnovers led to a short field for the Michigan offense and 13 points off turnovers. Milroe was the culprit of all three. A fumbled snap, a bad read interception, and a strip sack from not stepping up in the pocket. This quarter was the Crimson Tide’s season in a nutshell.
Defense Bends But Doesn’t Break
Alabama’s defense was the only thing that prevented the game from getting out of hand and actually gave the offense a chance to win it. On three occasions, the offense put the defense in a terrible spot, and two of the three times, the defense responded by holding Michigan to field goals. The defense held the Wolverines to just 190 yards of offense, but it wasn’t enough.
Milroe’s Inconsistency
Each and every week you never know which Jalen Milroe you are going to get. If good Milroe shows up, Alabama looks like one of the best teams in the nation. If bad Milroe shows up, the Crimson Tide look like the worst team in the SEC. Bad Milroe showed up on Tuesday and he was unable to generate much offense. Three turnovers and inaccurate passing the entire day led to an underwhelming potential last game for Milroe in an Alabama jersey.
Atrocious Offense
Outside of Germie Bernard’s four catches for 80 yards, the Alabama offense looked terrible. The offensive line had trouble facing mostly Michigan’s second team defensive line. Milroe was connecting on just 50% of his throws, and there was zero running game. Some of the blame falls on the players' lack of execution, but a heavy amount falls on the coaching staff having multiple weeks to devise a successful game plan, and they were unable to provide one.
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