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ORLANDO, Fla. — Michigan’s biggest challenge in the VRBO Citrus Bowl isn’t just stopping Alabama’s offense as a whole.
Yes, there’s Najee Harris at tailback and a vaunted offensive line bookended by tackles Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills. But the passing game — rated third in the nation, by far the highest-rated attack on that front Michigan will have seen all season — is the tallest hurdle the Wolverines must jump.
That said, how does the Alabama offense see the Michigan defense? After all, the Wolverines secondary is fifth in the country, which is also — by far — the best pass defense the Crimson Tide will have seen all year. The next best, Tennessee, held Bama to just 233 yards through the air — 121 yards below its average.
Junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith leads the Crimson Tide with 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but against the Volunteers, he had just one reception for 18 yards. So when he looks at Michigan on film, he sees a group of defensive backs that have a skill set that’s unparalleled to what he’s seen thus far.
“Just how crafty they are,” Smith said. “They can switch it up. They can be physical. They can be patient and adjust in the things that they do. They switch it up, keep you guessing, and have you just wondering, like, ‘OK, what is he going to do this time?’”
Though he’s looking at it from a broader standpoint, Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian agrees with Smith’s sentiment
For him, he credits the job that Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown has done, and notes how versatile and multiple the Wolverines are on the back end.
“I think from a scheme standpoint, I think Coach Brown does an excellent job,” Sarkisian said. “They’ve got a lot of man-to-man principles they play. And, as DeVonta said, they’re crafty at corner. I think (Lavert Hill) and (Ambry Thomas) are both crafty in their man-to-man skills. But they do a really good job in their scheme of mixing it up, mixing up different zone coverages, zone covers that match up in the man coverages.”
If Alabama is to unleash its formidable attack, then, what would it have to do to keep the Wolverines at bay?
Sarkisian says that the receivers have to be technically proficient while backup-turned-starting quarterback Mac Jones has to quickly diagnose what he sees on the playing field.
“So I think the challenge for the wideouts is their releases and how they’re running specific routes,” Sarkisian said. “And then also for the quarterback, because of the variations of coverages, the quarterback’s got to be on point of where his progression and his where his reads need to go.”
Michigan and Alabama will face off on Jan. 1 in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Kickoff is set for 1PM EST.