ORLANDO, FL — Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban have had their differences over the years, but the two coaches had nothing but good things to say about each other’s programs Tuesday in Orlando. Michigan’s head coach praised Saban’s Alabama squad during a joint press conference, the last media availability before tomorrow’s Citrus Bowl.

First, Harbaugh dished on Saban’s squad, acknowledging Alabama ‘has no weakness.’

“He's got a lot of great things to talk about schematically and players [and] an offense that is built for speed and attacks every part of the field in the passing game, in the running game,” Harbaugh said. “They’re physical – a physical football team and defensively, it’s really the same thing. It's a very attacking [defense], multiple coverages.

“The special teams are really dangerous, especially in the return game. The punt return, the kickoff return, in all facets. Everything is tight. Everything is battened down.”

The first thing that jumped off the screen about Michigan’s team, Saban said, is how well coached they are in every phase of the game.

“Their players play really, really hard. They play with tremendous toughness,” he said. “They've got great intangibles in terms of their discipline, their accountability to do their job, how they play together as a group.

“On defense, they do 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 of what the quarterback has to read and receivers have to adjust to.”

Coordinator Don Brown’s defense will be different than anything they’ve seen this year, he acknowledged.

“They're very, very good and very challenging with the scheme that they have, and I think the quickness and how aggressive they are and how they utilize their quickness on defense by stunting, gaming, changing up the coverage multiples is very, very challenging,” Saban said, noting it’s also ‘very, very effective,’ if somewhat unconventional.

They’re very physical on special teams, he added, and offensively have “a lot of the 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,” Saban said. “The quarterback plays well, can make all the throws, and they've got good, skilled guys that can make explosive plays, so they've got great balance on offense.

“I see a team that is very strong in every area, but I think the number one thing is they play with great intangibles and they're really well coached.”

NOTES

• This will be the second time Saban’s Alabama team has faced Patterson. Patterson was a sophomore at Mississippi when he lost 66-3, completing 14 of 29 passes for 165 with two interceptions.

“We'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 effective in high school in Louisiana, in Shreveport, and I thought he played well when he played at Ole Miss and I think he's got nothing but better as he's played at Michigan.

“He can make all the throws. He's very athletic. He can pull the ball and make you respect him on all the zone reads. But he 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, and I just see a growth in the guy from a maturity and experience standpoint. I think he's playing in the system now where he's very well coached and he's done a really good job for his team.”

• Saban grew up learning from Harbaugh’s dad, Jack, who was well regarded as one of the best secondary coaches in the country. Saban was an up and coming young coach who cut his teeth as an MSU assistant.

“I've had the good fortune of having a lot of good mentors through the years, whether it was my college coach Don James or George Perles at Michigan State, and the time that I spent there with him, or Bill Belichick,” he said. “But I've always had a tremendous respect for Jim and his family as coaches. His dad Jack kind of came up with me. I was a little younger. He was one of the most respected secondary coaches. That's what I coached.

“I used to try to visit with him as much as I could and had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Tom Crean, who is Jim's brother‑in‑law – his sister is married to Tom Crean, was an assistant basketball coach at Michigan State for Tom Izzo. So we've kind of had a tremendous amount of respect for the whole family as coaches and Jim has obviously had a fabulous career in the NFL as well as college.”

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