Michigan players know they’ve ‘got to punch the bully in the mouth’ in the Rose Bowl
Alabama is a different challenge than Michigan has faced this year in terms of athleticism, and several pundits believe the Crimson Tide will get the better of the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl because of it. But U-M is better equipped to handle the Tide’s size and speed this year, especially on the defensive line … sophomore Kenneth Grant expressed confidence that they’d meet the challenge in the Jan. 1 College Football Playoff.
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Grant and his Michigan teammates gave Nick Saban’s team its respect during Thursday press conferences, but nobody was in awe or overwhelmed. They did seem to acknowledge the Alabama offensive line was different than any they’ve this year.
“Completely different,” Grant said when asked to compare it to the Ohio State offense, for one. “They’re definitely more physical, I think. They’re bigger in size and stuff … a different team. Just the defensive lines they played, how they do their combo blocks and stuff. Certain blocks they do. They’re bigger, faster … we’ve just got to complement that.
“But it’s just another game, I think [in terms of approach]. Pretty much just like everybody else, we thought Florida State was going to get in there. But … just Alabama. That’s probably what the “oohing” was about [from the team when it was announced].”
They’re going to have to play their best game, Grant said, and his teammates agreed with him. Senior receiver Roman Wilson talked about the details — making sure they did every little thing perfectly and bringing it all on every down. They might have been caught off guard a few years ago by Georgia’s talent and strength, but they’ll be prepared this time, Grant added.
“They’ve definitely had success, but it really doesn’t say anything. That first year we played Georgia, that set the tone,” the big Michigan DT continued. “This year, we know we’re going to face a bigger, faster team than the Big Ten, so we’ve got to come prepared.”
That means being ready for a quarterback in Jalen Milroe who can do things no quarterback Michigan faced this year could. Alabama’s coaches have unleashed him in the latter part of the year, and U-M defenders are preparing for a healthy dose of him Jan. 1, too.
“In the beginning of the year, they weren’t kind of building around him. At the end of the year, they started doing more things around him, building the offense around him, doing what they could around his skill set,” Grant added, comparing him to Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa. “That’s a similar type of game we’re preparing for.
“We’ve definitely got to tackle him like a running back. He invites contact, for sure. We’ve just got to tackle him like we tackle everybody else.”
But he’s confident they’ll be up to the task. The goal hasn’t changed, Michigan senior running back Blake Corum insisted — they want to win it all. Grant seemed ready to show they were up to the task.
“I think we finally got the formula down and are ready to go,” the Michigan sophomore said. “The past two years we’ve been there, so we know what it takes. We’ll also learn from our mistakes the past few years, what we did or didn’t do on the field.
“The SEC likes to play bully ball, so we’ve got to bully those bullies. From that standpoint, just … we’re the No. 1 team for a reason. We’ve got to come out there and punch the bully in the mouth.”
