Tag: VRBO Citrus Bowl

Iowa vs Kentucky Prediction, Vrbo Citrus Bowl Game Preview

Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might or might not win.

Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, Saturday, January 1 

Iowa vs Kentucky: Vrbo Citrus Bowl How To Watch

Date: Saturday, January 1
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ABC, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Iowa (10-3), Kentucky (9-3)
CFN Predictions | Bowl Schedule

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Iowa vs Kentucky Vrbo Citrus Bowl Preview

– Both teams manage to defy logic and reason to win a whole lot of games. They’re a perfect fit for each other.

– Iowa doesn’t do anything on offense. It averaged fewer than 300 yards per game, the normally great O line – that has a few NFL talents – couldn’t keep anyone out of the backfield, and the downfield passing attack was too often nothing more than a polite rumor. Now it has to find things that move without RB Tyler Goodson – he opted out.

– However, few teams were better at avoiding penalties, and only Middle Tennessee was better when it came to turnover margin. When the defense forced a ton of takeaways, good things happened.

– And then there’s Kentucky. It was the third-worst team in college football in turnover margin, which would normally equal death for a team without a high-powered offense, but it all somehow worked well enough to get here.

– The Wildcat offensive line was outstanding at preventing defenses from generate consistent pressure. Because of that, the offense was among the best in the nation at converting on third downs, and like Iowa, there weren’t a whole lot of penalties.

Why Iowa, Kentucky Will Win
Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
Vrbo Citrus Bowl Top Players To Know

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Northwestern vs Auburn: Vrbo Citrus Bowl 10 Thoughts On NU 35-19 Win

Northwestern 35 Auburn 19. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Northwestern win over Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.

Northwestern 35 Auburn 19. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Northwestern win over Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.

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Northwestern vs Auburn: Vrbo Citrus Bowl

10. Really, Auburn defense?

Auburn didn’t get the memo that the Northwestern offense just doesn’t do a whole lot.

It failed to hit 300 yards of total O in four of its eight games before this and only hit 400 yards against Maryland and Illinois. The 457 yards against Auburn were the third-most this season, with everything clicking early to take control of the game, and then hammering to take over late.

Auburn struggled to get a third down stop, didn’t generate enough pressure, and couldn’t hold up as the game went on. The Wildcat passing game had time to operate, and the offensive line was able to blast away on a run defense that had big, big problems against teams that were able to control things on the ground. The 51 carries by Northwestern tied Ole Miss for the most against the Tiger D. And with that …

9. Cam Porter is going to be really, really good

The 5-10, 220-pound freshman didn’t do much of most of the season, and then he tore up Illinois for 142 yards on 24 carries and ran for 61 yards in the Big Ten Championship. This was his day to be the hammer, running 33 times for a tough 98 yards and a late touchdown.

Auburn didn’t give up a ton of big runs, but it got nickeled-and-dimed to death.

8. The Northwestern coaching staff

Is that it for Pat Fitzgerald? He’s being rumored to have a whole lot of interest from the NFL types, but he was supposedly in the mix for the next level a few years ago, too. For a program that couldn’t win bowl games and struggled to come up with any sort of success, that’s four bowl wins in four tries – five in the last six bowl appearances – to go with two Big Ten West championships in three years.

 

Fitzgerald might still stick around, but defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz is calling it a career after being a part of the success since 2008. The 73-year-old was tremendous during Colorado’s heyday, was a big part of great defenses at Arizona and Wisconsin, and then with the Cats. His D allowed some late yards, but it dominated.

7. Northwestern went Northwestern

You want to pitch a near-perfect game if you’re Northwestern? Control the clock for almost 36 minutes, don’t turn the ball over, dominate on third downs, and most of all, get up fast.

The 14-0 in the first quarter meant the world. This isn’t necessarily a come-from-behind team – even though it was able to do it at times – and it works a whole lot better when it got to rely on its defense and ball control style.

NEXT: Top Six Thoughts From The Vrbo Citrus Bowl

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Auburn vs Northwestern: Vrbo Citrus Prediction, Game Preview

Auburn vs Northwestern: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction and game preview

Auburn vs Northwestern: Vrbo Citrus Bowl prediction and game preview.

Auburn vs Northwestern: Vrbo Citrus Bowl Broadcast

Date: Friday, January 1
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Network: ABC

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Auburn (6-4) vs Northwestern (6-2) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM 

Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The Vrbo Citrus Bowl

– It’s a big game for the Big Ten. Northwestern played for the Big Ten Championship, it pushed Ohio State a bit in the 22-10 loss, and it has one of the hottest head coaches in all of football with the NFL about to be knocking on Pat Fitzgerald’s door.

It’s Northwestern, but it’s supposed to beat a mediocre Auburn team with interim head coach Kevin Steele keeping the seat warm before newly hired head man Bryan Harsin takes over.

– Yeah, it’s a big game for the Big Ten. Not only does it supposedly have the better team, and not only has Auburn gone 2-5 in its last seven bowls since 2011, but the conference has struggled lately against the SEC in this thing. Michigan’s loss to Alabama last year made it 1-7 in the last eight in the Citrus between the two power conferences.

– If you like lots of fun, exciting, high-octane offense, this isn’t for you. However, Northwestern doesn’t miss a whole lot of tackles – despite getting run over by Trey Sermon and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship – it leads the nation in pass efficiency defense.

Auburn’s D has been sneaky-decent, and QB Bo Nix is a hit-or-miss playmaker who could use a big performance going into the offseason. This should be a close, tough battle.

Why Auburn, Northwestern Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History

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Why Cam McGrone sees Michigan’s defense ‘getting better’ in future

Why the Wolverines middle linebacker sees a bright future on that side of the ball moving forward.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The biggest challenge facing Michigan heading into the VRBO Citrus Bowl was how the defense would perform against the high-flying Alabama offense.

The Crimson Tide came into the game on Jan. 1 with the No. 6 offense — perhaps a bad omen for a Wolverines defense that’s struggled the past two years against the best offenses it’s faced.

But, for awhile, Michigan hung tough.

The maize and blue allowed 480 yards overall, which — yes — was the third worst performance of the season for the Wolverines. But it was also Alabama’s third-worst offensive attack of the year, and the Crimson Tide tied a season low, with just 35 points scored.

However, Michigan holds itself to a higher standard than that.

“We just gotta execute at a very high level,” Michigan linebacker Cam McGrone said. “Against a good team like this, you can’t make any mistakes. And we made too many today.”

However hopeless it might feel, given the seeming leveling off of the trajectory, McGrone left the VRBO Citrus Bowl with his head held high, considering how hard Michigan played to the end.

The score was closer than 35-16 suggests, as Alabama scored a touchdown as time had nearly expired. McGrone noted that it was ‘a smack in the face,’ but appreciated his teammates’ efforts to keep working as hard as they could.

For that reason, he came away from the game with some positives.

“Just the heart we have as a team,” McGrone said. “No matter how much we’re down, how much time is on the clock, we go full-speed every time, try to come back, try to get the offense the ball as a defense. So it’s just the heart we have. We can build on that with the talent we have and the skill that we have.”

Ultimately though, why does he feel like there’s hope out on the horizon, if there is any?

Michigan loses several players on defense: Lavert Hill, Josh Uche, Khaleke Hudson, Jordan Glasgow and Josh Metellus. Carlo Kemp could petition for a fifth-year, but it’s unknown whether or not he will.

Still, McGrone is confident in the defense’s future.

“I see it getting better,” McGrone said. “We had a bunch of dogs on the field this year, a bunch of seniors leaving, but we have a bunch of people coming back. And this freshman class coming in, they’re (going to work hard) to get on the field, so I’m excited to see what they can do.”

So who stands out in the next generation?

Coming out of bowl practices, McGrone didn’t hesitate to give an answer as to which singular player has been impressing him the most.

“(Defensive tackle) Chris Hinton – he definitely showed what he’s capable of,” McGrone said. “We got spring ball and summer camp coming up so I can’t wait to see what he can do.”

‘Not my best game’ – Shea Patterson grapples with final outing as a Wolverine

The Wolverines quarterback wasn’t pleased with his final performance in maize and blue.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Going into the VRBO Citrus Bowl against Alabama, the expectation was that the heavyweight bout would be between the Crimson Tide offense and the Wolverines defense. However, with soaring expectations for the maize and blue offense, and an Alabama defense that’s been Nick Saban’s worst, struggles on that side of the ball weren’t nearly as anticipated.

After three-straight 300 yard passing games — the first-ever stretch of its kind for a Michigan quarterback — to finish the regular season, Shea Patterson struggled throughout the contest, passing for a more pedestrian 233 yards, having gone 17-or-37 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Patterson struggled to connect with receivers downfield, which is also a credit to Alabama’s defensive backs, who stayed tight with the Michigan receivers throughout.

Still, Patterson readily admitted following the game that he wasn’t terribly happy with his final performance as a Wolverine.

“I didn’t play my best,” Patterson said. “I missed a few throws. Thought I could have calmed my feet down early on in the first and second drive. I felt like I didn’t make enough plays. Not my best game.”

The run game was a surprise, as Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins rumbled for 145 yards, the fifth-most allowed by the Crimson Tide this season.

But running the ball hasn’t been Michigan’s strength as of late — Patterson and the passing game have been.

Still, he put the onus of the loss on himself after noting that ‘the defense played lights out.’ But his misses downfield might have been the difference, especially since Mac Jones on the other side managed to connect with star wideout Jerry Jeudy with impunity.

“It just comes down to making plays and I missed a couple tonight,” Patterson said. “I didn’t make enough of them.”

Now Patterson’s college football and Michigan career come to a close.

It’s not what anyone expected when he came out of IMG Academy as the top-rated quarterback in the county, committed to Ole Miss. Patterson spent two years with the Rebels before transferring to his self-proclaimed dream school after the 2017 season. While he had solid performances throughout his two years in Ann Arbor, he really seemed to have figured out how to live up to his elite billing towards the end, putting the team on his back while tallying big numbers through the air.

Patterson had a chance at jumping to the league a year ago, but it would have been either as a day two or three selection in the NFL Draft. But he stayed, determined to improve himself, the team and everything in between.

But Michigan regressed in the win-loss column, going 9-4 in his senior year and having lost to all of the best teams on its schedule.

It didn’t go the way he thought, the way he hoped. And now that it’s over, Patterson isn’t grappling with his future or next step as much as he is that he just took off the winged helmet for the final time.

“Not sure how to feel,” Patterson said. “Just tried to embrace everything in that last half. Just trying to enjoy my teammates. Just proud to be a Michigan quarterback. As far as anything else, I just want to enjoy my teammates for the last couple days I’m with them.”

Patterson’s 2019 season won’t go down in the memories of Michigan fans as being one of the best. But he leaves Ann Arbor with the second-best single season passing in Wolverines history, as his 3,061 yards through the air surpassed Jake Rudock’s 3,017 mark in 2015.

Perhaps he never quite lived up to his potential, and perhaps he’ll never be a fan favorite. But he always battled, despite the adversity. Having played for two teams and three offensive coordinators, the odds were always stacked against the former five-star. He persevered, but his final performance is one he’d like back.

But the chance to suit up for his childhood favorite team? That’s something he’ll never take back.

Everything Jim Harbaugh said about the loss to Alabama

Everything the Wolverines head coach had to say about the loss to the Crimson Tide.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Michigan showed early it had the bona fides to hang with Alabama, but couldn’t score in the second-half, all while giving up big plays on defense to lose the VRBO Citrus Bowl.

Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media after the game to discuss the loss, what went right, what went wrong and what’s next for the maize and blue in the postgame press conference.

Full transcript below:

COACH HARBAUGH: It’s a hardfought game.Congratulations to Alabama. I thought both teams played extremely hard, and congratulate them on their victory.

Q. Coach, obviously, losing is never fun, but at one point you had  as kind of a bright spot for your squad, you had Alabama with more punts on the day than they had thirddown conversions made. What do you feel like worked for the defense today?

COACH HARBAUGH: We were doing a good job containing the run and then we created some pressures and got some, first downs and three and outs, had a good stretch in the first half that helped us. Second  you know, and then we had some big plays and weren’t able to get the turnovers. Ultimately, you know, they – they made some really big plays, made some really good plays, some outstanding catches and throws.

Q. Coach, can you talk about some of the senior leadership? Obviously a loss is devastating to these guys. They want to go out and win. But can you maybe share a story with us about how these guys matured, not only on the field but off the field as well, and what they meant to your program?

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. It’s a tremendous group of seniors. And that’s something we talked about in the locker room.You know, they’re the kind of guys that have always represented the program extremely well, always played football the way it should be played, with great effort and passion. And what they’ve done, you know, I have great admiration for and appreciation for.And I want them to come back. This is the kind of senior group that, as they go off and do their life’s work, you want to see them again. You want to keep in touch. You want them to come back and visit and know them, you know. It’s that kind of group.

Q. Jim, Quinn Nordin hit a 57-yarder that tied a school record and hit three field goals for you. Talk about his effort particularly on that kick.

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. It was a tremendous kick. He had been kicking the ball really well leading up to the game, hit three from that same spot in pregame and got a great snap and a great hold and had real good spin on the ball. He hit it perfect.

Q. Coach, kind of talk about the biggest improvement that you’ve seen in your team collectively and then for you, kind of talk about your personal improvement that you’ve seen overall in the season.

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. Our team has improved in just about every area: offensively, defensively, special teams, in many areas. But the leadership out of the group, I think, I would pinpoint at is the best thing, along with the effort. It’s been a group of seniors that have given great effort and leadership throughout their careers and especially this year.

Q. Jim, you guys really had the run game going in the first half. What did Alabama do in the second to try and keep it stopped?

COACH HARBAUGH: They started cutting our edge. Thatjammed up a few of the outside running plays. But I thought Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet really ran well the whole game. We just  you know, we didn’t make enough plays, keep enough drives going. We were backed up. The 1-yard line, I think we came out, got the ball out — we ended up getting a field goal.The time we were on the 4, drove it all the way to the 40. So there was some field position but, I thought our guys moved the ball well in the running game throughout the game.

Q. Jim, obviously you knew about Alabama’s receivers and their speed and everything else. When you’re out on the field with them, does it jump out even more how hard it is to keep up with that receiving corps and maybe their speed in general?

COACH HARBAUGH: It’s an impressive group. Yeah, I would have to say that is as impressive group as you’re going to ever see. They’re fast but they also made the contested catches, made some great catches, ran some tremendous routes and they were able to get behind us two or three times.

Q. Coach Harbaugh, can you just talk about Alabama’s level of excellence over the past decade and what Coach Saban has done? And have you studied that and why do you think they have been able to maintain what they have?

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. I think their level of excellence has been at the highest level. I think Coach Saban deserves a great share of that credit, along with the program that they’ve built. It’s at the highest level.

Q. Hi, Jim. Can you talk about Giles Jackson’s evolution this season and how he’s evolved and what type of elements he brings to your guys’ offense?

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. Giles is a real ascending player. Kick returns, had some good ones today. He’s a true freshman. So I didn’t know exactly what you’re going to have in a true freshman, but he has really produced and had a heck of a year.I thought he had a good game today. He made a real tough catch that got us a first down in the game. Can’t say enough good things about him.

Q. Jordan, what has Coach Harbaugh meant to you?What has he taught you in your time here at Michigan?

JORDAN GLASGOW: I mean, it’s difficult to say right now.I haven’t really, you know, thought about it. I haven’t really reflected that much, as the season ended 10 minutes ago.

But, I mean, my experience at the University of Michigan and Coach Harbaughled teams, my brothers have been on them and I was on them for my entire five years. It’s been an honor to be coached by Coach Harbaugh — by a person who, you know, wants to develop a person’s character as well as their football skills. And it’s difficult to put into words, but it’s just been a pleasure playing for him and for the people that he’s brought in.

Q. Coach, this game, the final score didn’t reflect how close this game really was all the way through. What was the turning point where Alabama was able to create some separation?

COACH HARBAUGH: It was a very competitive game through the half, into the fourth quarter, until, really, until about six minutes left in the game. Their ability to create the big play was critical in the game and their ability to keep us out of the end zone and through the drives. We had long drives and settled for field goals.

I think at the end, you know, stopping us when we had a chance out on the interception and then came back and drove the length of the field for 80 yards or so. You know, that was  that was a huge difference in the game.

Q. Jim, did you feel like there was an opportunity to hit some bigger plays down the field? We saw Shea take some shots and what did you see from Shea just in terms of not quite being able to connect on some of those?

COACH HARBAUGH: Yeah. There was  I thought there wassome really good coverage. And some of the shot plays, I don’t know that  I don’t know if he missed any open receivers. I thought Shea had a good game. I thought he did as much as he could in the game.

Q. Jim, with Giles, Hassan, Zach all having these, you know, solid games that they had today, just what does that say about the future of the program and how you feel about the future of the program heading into next year?

COACH HARBAUGH: Well, I feel good about that. I feel good about some of the young players that got great experiences this season and, you know, them getting their opportunity, going to work on that. I mean, as Jordan said this season just ended ten minutes ago, so  but I know I’m going to be excited about it.

LIVE-THREAD: Michigan football vs. Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl

Come talk about the final game of the 2019 season with the WolverinesWire staff.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s finally here, the final game of the 2019 season.

Michigan has arrived at Camping World Stadium, ready to take on Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, which starts at 1PM EST which will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is live at the stadium, while Brandon Knapp and Matthew Lounsberry are back in Michigan taking in the game remotely.

Come talk about the game in our live-thread via the WolverinesWire Forum.

Click here to access the forum.

What Nick Saban sees in Don Brown and Michigan’s defense

What the Crimson Tide head coach sees on tape when he looks at the Wolverines defense.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The biggest challenge for Michigan on Wednesday as it takes on Alabama and the No. 6 rated offense will be stopping the Crimson Tide and its variety of offense.

But, on paper, the Wolverines have the best defense that Nick Saban and Alabama will have seen in the 2019 season — and it’ll be facing Michigan without its star QB in Tua Tagovailoa.

Michigan comes into the VRBO Citrus Bowl with the No. 7 defense by total yards allowed per game. The next best Alabama has faced? No. 21 Auburn, which beat the Crimson Tide in a shootout.

Asked about Wolverines defensive coordinator Don Brown at the joint head coach press conference on Tuesday morning, Saban noted the challenges that the Michigan defense presents, what it’s good at and why it presents a particular difficulty given the other teams the Crimson Tide has faced this season.

“They’re very, very good and very challenging with the scheme that they have,” Saban said. “I think the quickness and how aggressive they are and how they realize their quickness by stunting game and changing up the coverage multiples, it’s very, very challenging.

“So, a little different than maybe anybody we’ve seen this year, but very, very effective.”

Naturally, for Michigan fans, there’s a lot of worry given how top offenses have shredded the usually stout maize and blue defense. Can the Wolverines pull off the upset? If it’s possible, it will assuredly start on that side of the ball.

Michigan and Alabama are set to face off at 1PM EST on Jan. 1 in the VRBO Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. The game will be nationally broadcast on ABC.

Why Nick Saban is impressed with Michigan QB Shea Patterson

The Crimson Tide head coach had a lot to say about the Wolverines signal caller heading into his final game.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Naturally Jim Harbaugh is a fan of Shea Patterson.

Patterson transferred from Ole Miss to Michigan in December 2017 and has been the starting quarterback for the Wolverines ever since. It’s taken him some time to acclimate both last season as well as this year, given that he had to learn new offenses both years — with Michigan’s Pep Hamilton departing and Josh Gattis taking over in 2019 — so there’s been some up and downs.

But Harbaugh has firmly remained in Patterson’s corner, even when sects of the fanbase were outspokenly skeptical. And with the past three games being the senior QB’s best as a Wolverine, his faith has certainly proven to be warranted.

With Patterson’s last game in maize and blue on the horizon, Harbaugh shared how he’s grown as a player and what he’s seen from him in his time in Ann Arbor.

“Shea’s been tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a great player, great competitor. Been a tremendous teammate. He’s just gotten better and better and better. And he came in really good. Once he got comfortable with his teammates and the new system, you always saw the growth. You always see the growth. He’s better today than he was yesterday, better tomorrow than he was today. He’s always had that mindset.

“The competitive edge, I’ve always – that just keeps coming back to me when I talk about Shea or think about Shea. His humility with a competitive edge. As Coach Saban said, Shea can make all the throws. His accuracy has just gotten better and better. His understanding is at a very high level. And he can run. He can get out of the pocket, he can create plays. He can create space. He’s effective both as a runner and a thrower.”

That’s all good, of course, but Harbaugh is biased, naturally. Of course he’s going to back his starting quarterback — even if he’s the starter for a reason.

But to get praise from the opposition? That’s another element of respect entirely.

Coming out of high school, Patterson was the top-rated pro-style quarterback in the country, a five-star according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 3 player in the country, regardless of position. The Army All-American MVP actually had an offer from Alabama and Nick Saban, with Billy Napier and now-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin working to bring him to Tuscaloosa.

Patterson initially ended up in Oxford, as mentioned, but Saban naturally has a lot of familiarity with the Toledo native who finished his career at IMG Academy, going back to before he was at Michigan.

“I’ve known Shea since he was a freshman in high school, I think,” Saban said. “He’s one of those guys that came up with a great reputation and was very in high school in Louisiana, Shreveport. I thought he played well when at Ole Miss and I think he’s gotten nothing but better as he’s played at Michigan.”

But what has Saban seen since Patterson became a Wolverine?

An excellent quarterback that can hurt teams in myriad ways.

“He can make all the throws,” Saban said. “He’s very athletic. He can pull the ball and make you respect him in all the zone-reads. But can also extend plays and has made a lot of plays this year by extending plays, scrambling, because he is athletic and a good player. I just see a growth in the guy from a maturity and experience standpoint. I think he’s playing in a system now where he’s very well-coached and he’s done a really good job for his team.”

Saban will see Patterson in his final game as a Wolverine come Jan. 1 at 1PM EST in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. The game will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban each break down opposing team

With the VRBO Citrus Bowl coming up on Wednesday, the two opposing head coaches gave their scouting report of the other team.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — In the only joint appearance of the VRBO Citrus Bowl, while sitting on a dais in a ballroom in the Rosen Plaza Hotel, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Alabama’s Nick Saban traded pleasantries, smiles, laughs and even a moment of bonding in the end. The two very similar personalities could do that on Tuesday, given that the smile will likely disappear from the face of the coach of the team that does not emerge victorious.

It was an odd sight, the two iconic coaches sharing the same stage — especially given that this is not a New Year’s Six game, nor one in the College Football Playoff.

At the college level, Harbaugh does not have the accolades of Saban — no coach does — but he did have more success in the NFL compared to Saban’s two years with the Miami Dolphins. As the two traded mutual pleasantries, each was asked in the joint press conference about what they see in the other team, and while the Crimson Tide are the perceived favorite — which makes complete sense given their talent and track record — it wasn’t just Harbaugh gushing about what he’s seen out of the Tuscaloosa outfit, Saban had a lot to say about what he’s seen out of Michigan.

Starting with Harbaugh, he noted from a more holistic standpoint what makes Alabama so formidable, sharing just how sound it is across the board.

“A lot of really good things,” Harbaugh said. “Offensively – I’ll let Coach Saban talk about his own team, he’s got a lot of great things to talk about. Schematically and players – offense that’s built for speed. Attacks every part of the field in the passing game, in the running game. Physical, physical football team.

“Defensively, really the same thing. It’s a very attacking, multiple in coverages. And the special teams is really dangerous, especially in the return game. The punt return, the kickoff return. In all facets: everything’s tight, everything’s batten down. There are no weaknesses.”

Saban went much further, going slightly beyond surface-level to break down what he’s seen on tape of the Wolverines.

“I think the first thing that comes off the screen to me is they’re a very well-coached team in every phase of the game,” Saban said. “I think players play really, really hard. They play with tremendous toughness. They’ve got great intangibles in terms of they’re disciplined. The accountability, they do their job. How they play together as a group.

“On defense, they’ve got a lot of movement. They’ve got a lot of quickness. They’re very aggressive. A lot of multiples in terms of what you see and how it challenges your offensive line and the coverage aspects with what their quarterback has to read and what their receivers have to adjust to. On offense, they have a lot of multiples that a lot of college teams have now in terms of how they attack the entire field. They can run the ball effectively. The offensive line is really, really good. Quarterback plays well, can make all the throws. They have really good skill guys that can make explosive plays. They’ve got great balance on offense and they’re very physical on special teams and do a really, really good job in that area of the game as well.

“I see a team that is very strong in every area, but I think the No. 1 thing is they play with great intangibles and are really well-coached.”

The Wolverines and Crimson Tide kick off on Jan. 1 at Camping World Stadium at 1PM EST.