A preseason SEC and National Championship favorite, Alabama finished second in the SEC West Division after posting a 6-2 conference mark. The Crimson Tide averaged 48.2 points per game while allowing 18.8 per contest — good numbers, but high on the latter by the program’s standards.
Regardless of the numbers, this will be a tough task for the Michigan defense in the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl. On a positive note, unlike last season, all Wolverines are expected to play.
In addition to running back Najee Harris (1,088 yards, 11 TDs), the Tide have a group of five receivers with six or more receiving touchdowns, including Jerry Jeudy (959 yards, nine touchdowns), DeVonta Smith (1,200 yards, 13 TDs) and Henry Ruggs (719 yards, seven TDs).
The key, though, is backup quarterback Mac Jones. He threw two pick-sixes in the loss to Auburn, but he also threw for 335 yards and four scores.
“Everyone is curious to see how he does, because he’s done a pretty good job,” BamaInsider.com's Kyle Henderson said. “Auburn has one of the best defenses in the country. I know Michigan’s defense is really good, but Mac is a capable quarterback. He’s very good and has so much talent around him.”
The offensive line, meanwhile, is elite. The tackles, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills are both “All-American type guys,” Henderson noted, and right guard Dionte Brown is a 6-4, 365-pounder who fared very well against elite Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown. They’ll be a challenge for the smaller Michigan defensive line, one that struggled against the bigger lines at both Wisconsin and Ohio State.
On the other side of the ball, Alabama finished 17th nationally in total defense (318.6 yards per game) but only 36th in run defense (135.2). The Tide struggled with the preseason loss of junior linebacker Dylan Moses, and they’ll be hurting more if a few of their standouts don’t play.
The defense is led by defensive back Xavier McKinney (85 tackles) and linebackers Shane Lee (77 tackles) and Anfernee Jennings (73 tackles, 12 TFLs, 7.5 sacks). Henderson didn't expect lineman Raekwon Davis, a second-team AlL-American, to play, but it appears the 321-pounder will.
Davis notched 45 tackles, three for loss, and four quarterback hurries.
“I wish I had another season,” Davis said last week. “I’d come back and do it again."
Trevon Diggs, a senior corner, won't play, and that is an issue for the Tide. Redshirt junior Terrell Lewis will also sit.
"From what I gather, though, everyone else is practicing for this Bowl game," Henderson said.
If Diggs doesn’t go, the Crimson Tide turn to sophomore Josh Jobe, a former Michigan recruit. That could work in U-M’s favor, Henderson continued.
“The sophomore corner got eaten up during the beginning of the season and last year against Clemson and Oklahoma. If Michigan’s got its talented receivers playing, that could really expose him,” he said. “That’s potentially a mismatch.”
Other than that, though, it’s hard to find an area in which the Crimson Tide don’t match up favorably.
The Wolverines will have their hands full, but Jan. 1 provides a great opportunity to close the season with a big win against an elite program.
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