TAMPA, Fla. — Michigan football needed all of the help it could get in the ReliaQuest Bowl against an Alabama team that had thought it belonged in the College Football Playoff. And at the outset of the game, the Wolverines gained exactly what they needed.
Not too long after kickoff, it started to sprinkle. Before long, that sprinkle became a deluge. And of the two teams, the maize and blue handled it much better than the Crimson Tide.
As the rain came down, the Tide played tight, which resulted in multiple turnovers in a handful of plays. The Wolverines capitalized, jumping to a 16-0 lead before winning, 19-13.
After the game, coach Sherrone Moore discussed the big win, noting that with the defense creating turnovers and the rain falling, his team used everything to its advantage.
“The coolest part of that was it started to rain, and the boys went crazy,” Moore said. “It was like a party. I was like, what’s going on. They love stuff like that. They love adverse environments that people don’t expect, but they enjoy that.
“But it was awesome to watch our guys — we talked about being plus two, and to get plus three right there was huge for us.”
While it was shocking in and of itself that Michigan football came away with a victory after being 16 1/2 underdogs, what was more shocking was it did so without so many star players.
Though the Wolverines similarly upset Ohio State while being shorthanded, it was even more so on Tuesday. Like they were against the Buckeyes, the maize and blue were without tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson. But Michigan was also without both starting defensive tackles, both starting running backs, the leading wide receiver and others.
Moore said it speaks of the players still within the locker room that the Wolverines were able to beat a top-ranked team despite being so shorthanded.
“That we’ve got a great culture, and we’ve got great kids,” Moore said. “No one person wins a game. No one person, no two people. It’s a team. It’s always going to be a team sport. If you look at it any different, then you’ve got issues, and we’re always going to look at it as a team sport and be the best team we can be, whoever is out on the field.”
With the win, Michigan finished the season 8-5 and bookended 2024 with victories against Alabama. The Wolverines beat the Tide on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl and again on Dec. 31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.