Previewing Michigan Vs. Alabama With A Crimson Tide Insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Bama Online‘s Charlie Potter for insight on Alabama ahead of its College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl matchup with Michigan Wolverines football Jan. 1 in Pasadena. Potter broke down the Crimson Tide and provided a final score prediction. We begin with the projected Alabama starting lineup.

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Alabama projected starters on offense

• #4 – Redshirt sophomore QB Jalen Milroe (6-2, 220) — Finished No. 6 in Heisman Trophy voting, after completing 65.5 percent of his 261 pass attempts for 2,718 yards and 23 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. He’s added 468 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 140 carries. Taking out sacks, Milroe has accumulated 693 rushing yards. His 34 completions of 20-plus air yards rank tied for sixth in the country, and 16 of his touchdown tosses have come on such throws.

• #2 – Senior RB Jase McClellan (5-11, 212) — He’s questionable with a foot injury, having missed the SEC championship game. Leads the team with 803 rushing yards on 166 carries, adding 6 touchdowns, in 12 outings. He’s caught 13 passes for 126 yards. He’s forced 45 missed tackles, ranking tied for third in the SEC according to Pro Football Focus. Senior Roydell Williams (110 rushes, 561 yards, 5 touchdowns) also rotates in the backfield.

• #3 – Senior WR Jermaine Burton (6-0, 194) — The Georgia transfer is in his second season at Alabama. He leads the team with 777 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns on 35 catches (second). His 22.2 yards-per-reception average leads the SEC and slots third in the nation. He leads the team with 9 contested catches.

• #11 – Junior WR Malik Benson (6-1, 195) — The juco transfer has hauled in 14 catches for 162 yards and 1 touchdown.

• #17 – Sophomore WR Isaiah Bond (5-11, 182) — With seven games of 4-plus catches, Bond has totaled a team-high 44 receptions on the season. He’s racked up 621 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Most of his snaps come in the slot.

• #81 – Junior TE CJ Dippre (6-5, 257) — Caught 9 passes for 172 yards. He hasn’t had a game with more than 1 catch. He’s mostly a blocking tight end, while sophomore Amari Niblack has seen most of his snaps come on pass plays, with 19 grabs for 321 yards and 4 scores.

• #74 – Freshman LT Kadyn Proctor (6-7, 360) — The former five-star recruit has started every game this season. He has a 65.3 overall PFF grade. He’s allowed 33 pressures and 11 sacks, with both marks ranking as the worst among SEC tackles. No other SEC tackle has given up more than 7 sacks.

• #52 – Sophomore LG Tyler Booker (6-5, 352) — The second-team All-SEC selection has started 13 career contests, including 12 this season. He has a 76.0 overall PFF grade and 80.3 pass-blocking rating, giving up 11 pressures and a sack.

• #56 – Senior C Seth McLaughlin (6-4, 305) — Started 24 career outings. His 60.9 overall PFF rating is the lowest among Alabama’s starting offensive linemen. He’s yielded 12 pressures and no sacks this season.

• #77 – Redshirt sophomore RG Jaeden Roberts (6-5, 316) — Took over as the starting right guard in Week 6 and has opened eight contests there during his first year as a starter. His 76.2 overall PFF rating checks in second among Alabama’s starting offensive linemen, and he’s given up 9 pressures and 3 sacks.

• #56 – Junior RT JC Latham (6-6, 360) — Set to make his 27th career start in the Rose Bowl, the first-team All-SEC honoree leads the Alabama offensive line with an 80.8 overall PFF grade and 82.4 pass-protection rating. He’s allowed 11 pressures and 1 sack.

Alabama projected starters on defense

• #96 – Redshirt sophomore NT Tim Keenan III (6-2, 315) — Totaled 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup and 7 quarterback hurries with 19 pressures.

• #91 – Sophomore DT Jaheim Oatis (6-5, 320) — Made 25 stops, including 1 behind the line of scrimmage and a half-sack, with 2 pass breakups and 2 quarterback hurries.

• #92 – Redshirt senior DE Justin Eboigbe (6-5, 292) — The first-team All-SEC honoree has racked up 59 tackles, including 11.5 behind the line of scrimmage and 7 sacks, to go along with 1 pass breakup and 4 quarterback hurries. He’s added 28 pressures and lines up anywhere from the ‘A’ gap to the edge.

• #15 – Junior OLB Dallas Turner (6-4, 252) — The consensus first-team All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year is second in the SEC and 15th in the country with 52 pressures, per PFF. He’s added 50 tackles — 14.5 of which have come behind the line of scrimmage, including 10 sacks — with 1 pass breakup, a team-high 13 quarterback hurries and 2 forced fumbles. Though not a full-time starter, senior outside linebacker Chris Braswell has played the seventh-most defensive snaps on the team. He leads the SEC with 54 pressures and has made 10.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and an interception.

• #32 – Redshirt sophomore LB Deontae Lawson (6-2, 230) — One of seven Alabama defenders with 55-plus tackles, he’s made 61 stops, including 5.5 for loss and 3 sacks, with 2 pass breakups and 4 quarterback hurries. He’s totaled 20 pressures on 65 pass-rush snaps but has the worst PFF coverage grade in the starting lineup (41.8), having given up 28 catches for 318 yards and 1 touchdown on 40 targets.

• #30 – Sophomore LB Jihaad Campbell (6-3, 230) — Second on the team with 65 tackles, adding 4 tackles for loss, a half-sack, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 3 quarterback hurries. He has 11 pressures on 55 pass-rush opportunities.

• #13 – Senior DB Malachi Moore (6-0, 198) — Starts at the ‘star’ position, Alabama’s hybrid defensive back spot, and takes the most snaps as the team’s nickel back. He’s registered 49 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups and 1 quarterback hurry. He has an 81.0 PFF coverage grade and has given up 32 catches for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns on 43 targets.

• #3 – Redshirt sophomore CB Terrion Arnold (6-0, 196) — The Associated Press first-team All-American is tied for third on the team with 61 tackles and leads the unit with 5 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He’s also added 6.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. His 86.8 PFF coverage rating ranks 11th in the country and third in the SEC. He’s given up 38 catches for 419 yards and 2 touchdowns on 71 targets.

• #1 – Junior CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (6-1, 195) — The Associated Press first-team All-American has recorded 27 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 7 pass breakups. He has an 86.3 PFF coverage grade, allowing 17 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown on 37 targets.

• #2 – Freshman S Caleb Downs (6-0, 203) — The former five-star recruit was the No. 5 overall player in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. The strong safety’s 99 tackles lead the team, and he’s also contributed 3.5 stops for loss, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. His 88.9 PFF coverage grade slots second on the Alabama defense, and he’s yielded 31 catches for 426 yards and 2 touchdowns on 48 targets.

• #6 – Graduate S Jaylen Key (6-2, 210) — The UAB transfer has recorded 56 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception and a pass breakup in his first season at Alabama. He has a 70.6 PFF coverage grade and has given up 13 catches for 145 yards and no touchdowns on 21 targets.

Alabama specialists

• #16 – Graduate K Will Reichard (6-1, 194) — The first-team All-SEC selection has made 20 of his 23 field goals for the season, including 10 of his 13 tries from 40-plus and all 3 of his attempts from 50-plus (51 yards is his long). He’s made 82 of his 98 career attempts with a 52-yard long. He’s 53-of-53 on extra points this season. He’s also booted 47 touchbacks on 82 kickoffs.

• #86 – Redshirt junior P James Burnip (6-6, 220) — The Australian averages 47.2 yards per punt with a long of 67 yards. The second-team All-SEC selection has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line on 17 occasions and has 19 kicks of 50-plus yards. Both his 4.4-second average hangtime and 91.0 PFF punting grade lead the nation.

• #19 – Sophomore KR Kendrick Law (5-11, 201) — The wide receiver takes a lot of end-arounds on offense and has returned 15 kicks, averaging 25 yards per, with a 33-yard long.

• #2 – Freshman PR Caleb Downs (6-0, 203) — Returned 4 punts for a total of 87 yards, with an 85-yard touchdown that came against Chattanooga.

Jalen Milroe’s improvement

Potter said the most impressive aspect of Milroe’s season to this point is how much he’s improved since the start of the year. He was benched after a 34-24 loss to Texas in which he threw 2 interceptions but reclaimed the starting job in Week 4 and has continued to grow all year.

“He is uber-athletic but has seemingly gotten better as a passer and reading the defense,” Potter explained. “Since the bye week just before Halloween, he has been great, throwing for 17 touchdowns and just 1 interception. He has also rushed for 7 touchdowns, and 70 percent of his rushing yards for the year (since then).

“From an overall impressive standpoint, his ability to make a big play, whether with his legs or downfield, deserves praise. Milroe ranks second nationally at 10.4 yards per attempt and has a number of big-time deep shots this season. When UA needs a play, he often makes it.”

How teams have defended Jalen Milroe

Milroe has seen 479 of his 693 non-sack rushing yards come on scrambles, while 214 have been the result of designed runs. Milroe averages 3.4 first-down rushes per game.

Georgia went with two quarterback spies on numerous plays against Alabama. Others have chosen not to spy. Some have brought a lot of blitz. There hasn’t been one specific way that opponents have found success against Milroe and his athleticism.

“I know how elementary this sounds, but you’ve got to get him on the ground before he gets in the open field,” Potter said. “Texas recorded 5 sacks during its win in Tuscaloosa, and it will take multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage to bottle this guy up. The Crimson Tide offensive line didn’t do a great job early on, but Alabama was still able to win games.

“Of late, however, Milroe has had more time to throw as the big fellas up front have improved as the season has progressed. Pressure should still be a top priority, which could lead him to poor decisions, but as stated above, he has done a much better job of taking care of the ball later in the schedule. Texas did the best job, but the dual-threat quarterback hasn’t been shut down since.”

Strengths and weaknesses of Alabama’s offense

Potter broke down the best and worst areas for Alabama’s offense this season.

“Most of Alabama’s offensive numbers aren’t going to jump off the page, but the Tide has made a lot of big plays through the air,” Potter pointed out. “Milroe has more than twice as many plays of 30-plus yards (25) than [Michigan junior signal-caller] J.J. McCarthy (10), which isn’t a knock on the Michigan offense but rather an indication of one of the strengths of this year’s offense with Milroe running the point.

“As for a weakness, it hasn’t been as big of an issue of late, but the Alabama offensive line has allowed way too many sacks this fall. UA ranks 13th out of the 14 SEC teams with 43 sacks given up in 13 games. For comparison, the Tide only allowed 22 in 2022. The group has gotten better, though, but that will be something to watch against a UM defense with 32 sacks so far this season.”

Edge rushers and cornerbacks headline the Alabama defense

Turner and Braswell highlight the Alabama front seven. Those two pass rushers, who lead the SEC with a combined 106 pressures, can get after the quarterback, and the Crimson Tide also possesses a pair of elite cornerbacks in McKinstry and Arnold.

“The combination of Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell off the edge has been one of the best duos in the nation,” Potter stated. “The pair of outside linebackers has combined to record 17 sacks and 24 tackles for loss. Add in defensive end Justin Eboigbe and those totals rise to 24 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss. That trio has been effective at applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long.

“Alabama’s secondary as a whole has been good, improving from last year, but the cornerback tandem of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold has been impressive. McKinstry is a lockdown corner, and Arnold leads the team in interceptions (5) and pass breakups (11). Both players are projected to be first-round draft picks.”

Alabama’s rush defense has been hit or miss

Just like opponents have struggled to contain Milroe, Alabama has had issues in a couple games defending mobile quarterbacks. Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels recorded 163 rushing yards and a score in LSU’s 42-28 loss to Alabama. Meanwhile, Auburn signal-caller Payton Thorne — not nearly as athletic as Milroe or Daniels — completed just 6 passes but ran for 57 yards on 15 carries and had Auburn in position to win late before falling 27-24 to the Tide.

“There have been times when Alabama has given up too many yards on the ground,” Potter said. “Games like LSU (206 yards) and Auburn (244) immediately come to mind. The thing that both of those have in common is a quarterback who can tuck it and run whenever things break down around him. Both Jayden Daniels and Payton Thorne were able to see success with their legs.

“Daniels won the Heisman, but McCarthy is a much better player than Thorne, which I’m sure U-M fans would agree. He doesn’t run it a lot and I’m not sure how many designed runs — if any — he’ll see, but that could be a way the Wolverines hurt Alabama’s defense. The threat of [Michigan senior running back] Blake Corum is also out there, though the Tide kept Georgia’s run game in check last time out.”

The Tide ranks 31st nationally by allowing only 124.5 rushing yards per contest. Only four opponents have amassed 150 or more rushing yards.

Potter’s final score prediction

“I think it should be an entertaining matchup,” Potter began. “First of all, these two helmets playing in this venue is just [chef’s kiss]. I can’t wait to watch it on New Year’s Day.

“I think Alabama will look to get off to a fast start and not only set the tone early with some deep shots but designed runs from its quarterback. If Milroe has success on those early on, I see the Tide rolling to the national title. But if Michigan’s defense plays like it has against teams that aren’t Alabama, this one could come down to the wire.

“I do like how the Tide matches up in this one, especially if it can get the job done in the trenches. If UA gives Milroe time to throw and keeps the Wolverines’ running game in check, it could be worse, but I’ll meet in the middle.”

Prediction: Alabama 27, Michigan 21