Colston Loveland could be a difference maker against Alabama
Michigan and Alabama fans have been spending the last few weeks looking for areas in which they might have an advantage in the upcoming Rose Bowl. This one seems destined to be a lower scoring affair given how good each defense has been, which means it could come down to an offensive player or two as a difference maker.
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Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has been elite in preparing his team for the semifinals, having won six straight since losing his first one in 2014. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s already well-schooled on the Michigan offense, having watched plenty of film over the last several days. He identified what most have known for a while — Michigan tight end Colston Loveland could be a problem for his team.
Saban compared the Michigan sophomore to Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, one of the best in the game.
“It’s pretty cool,” Loveland said after hearing what Saban said about him. “But … I do think I’m a mismatch.
“But a lot of times, it’s a big game, a lot of stress … a lot of people are stressing. I think it’s good to sit back a little bit, get everything right, get your mind right leading into a game like this.”
Loveland enters the game with 572 yards and 4 touchdowns, having become one of the Wolverines’ most consistent offensive players. Teams have taken to double teaming him, in fact, to try to slow him. While Alabama has athletes all over the field, that’s a strategy Saban and Co. could employ, too.
Loveland said he’s preparing for anything and everything.
“You can obviously tell they are well coached,” he said. “A lot of what they do is check on the field. You can see with the players there’s a lot of communication. Everyone is on the same page — they’re a good team.
“It seems like they’re always where they need to be. They’re fast, physical … obviously, just a great ball team, great on defense. The key for us is just to stay on schedule, doing what we do. Being physical, coming off ball hard … I think things will go well.”
But there are no guarantees, something Loveland and Michigan found out last year in a loss to TCU in which they were heavily favored.
“We didn’t play great. lack of focus and detail. Our preparation was pretty good but just lacked a lot of things in the game. We just got to stay on schedule and play our game.
… “It starts with the culture and what we have going on inside this building. Coaches and the strength staff have done a great job … with the mentality. What we can’t control , let it be. If you can’t change anything, don’t worry about it. Just worry about what you can control. I think we’ve really adapted to that mindset.”
His game has improved to the point he’s extremely comfortable, Loveland said, and prepared for whatever Saban and Co. throw at him. He knows he has the chance to play a big role in what would be a huge victory, and he can’t wait to show out in one of college football’s most iconic venues.
“It’s a blessing to be able to play there,” he said. “It’s one of those bowl games as a kid you heard of — it’s the Rose Bowl, you know? It’s super exciting. Just excited to see how the team is when we all get there … and do what we do at a high level.”
