Down Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Michigan, like it did at many other positions, turned to a younger player to pick up the slack. At running back, that younger player was true freshman Jordan Marshall.

No. 23, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native, logged his first-career start in the 19-13 win over Alabama. Expectations were high for the young duo of Marshall and Ben Hall, and Marshall lived up to the high hopes, earning ReliaQuest Bowl MVP.

The rushing attack started out very slowly for the Wolverines. In the first quarter, Alabama gifted Michigan three drives that started inside the red zone, but Davis Warren and the offense only managed to score one touchdown.

As the game progressed, the ground game improved marginally, but it still wasn't as effective as it typically is from Sherrone Moore's Michigan Wolverines.

But when Warren exited the game with a right leg injury, Michigan's offense quickly turned one-dimensional. Alex Orji, who is in the Transfer Portal, entered the game and the Wolverines leaned heavily on the rushing attack, giving Marshall an opportunity to make a name for himself.

The true freshman back missed a good chunk of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, and he was relegated mostly to kickoff returns, but he made the most of his opportunity against Alabama.

Marshall's 24-yard run early in the fourth quarter set up Dominic Zvada for his fourth field goal of the game, which ultimately proved to be a big difference maker for the Wolverines. Without Zvada's fourth field goal, Michigan would have only been leading by three as Alabama marched into field goal range late in the fourth quarter.

By the end of the game, Marshall recorded 100 rushing yards on 23 carries. His performance was good enough to earn ReliaQuest Bowl MVP.

"I think he's got a bright future," Moore said of Marshall after the game. "Like I said, he reminded me so much of Blake (Corum). And the way he approaches his business and what he does off the field to take care of his body, and you obviously saw how he runs. He's a physical runner, he can make people miss, he can run you over, he obviously has that burst."

At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Marshall is a few inches taller than Corum, but he has a similar build and playing style. It's easy to see how Moore compares him to the former Michigan great.

"He's gonna be a special back. He's got a lot of ability, but he works really hard, so I think that's the piece that really makes him different."

Perhaps Marshall's best quality is that he isn't satisfied with playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The freshman back told five-star early enrollee Bryce Underwood as much after the win.

"It’s a good season, but it’s not Michigan’s standard," Marshall said after the game. "We gotta get it back to the standard, which is bringing national championships back here. And like I told Bryce (Underwood) right when we walked into the locker room, I was like, ‘This isn’t happening again. We’re playing for the ‘chip. We’re playing for the whole thing — the natty. That’s what we want.’"

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