The four quarterbacks for the Canadian Football League playoffs are a topic of heated debate. Certainly not in terms of proper ranking. Among the four, Jalen Milroe may be considered the greatest by Alabama football fans. Those who root for Washington will disagree fiercely. The majority of Michigan and Texas supporters will probably vote for their favorite player.
In order for Michigan to defeat the Crimson Tide of Alabama, it is reasonable to assume that J.J. McCarthy will need to play well.
The Wolverines’ success is based on their formidable defense and explosive running game. Michigan has a dilemma on its hands because the Alabama football defense got a new lease of life in 2023. It was a different beginning to the season. versus the Crimson Tide in game three versus South Florida, the Bulls’ starting quarterback and running back averaged more than four yards per carry.
In that dreadful game, the Tide offense was the main source of most of Alabama’s troubles. Despite USF’s supposed offensive advantage, the Crimson Tide defense appeared vulnerable.
Renewal of Alabama’s Football Defense
Compared to the Crimson Tide attack, Alabama Football’s defense saw faster improvement. The Crimson Tide’s run defense was top-notch in their games against Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Arkansas averaged 2.8 yards per game, while the Aggies managed just 1.9. Among the SEC teams, the Tennessee Volunteers had a top-tier running game. Jaylin Wright had a rushing average of more than seven yards when the Vols visited Tuscaloosa. In four games in November following October’s third Saturday, Wright averaged more than eight yards per carry. The average yardage for Wright’s carries against the Bama defense was two. Alabama limited Jabari Small to just 3 yards per game in that matchup.
Blake Corum, Michigan, boasts a running back with 1,000 yards. He is the spearhead of Michigan’s offensive attack. No rushing back in the SEC had a better average yards per carry than Corum, no matter how talented he is. The Tide defense stuffed more rushing backs than just the two we just talked about from Tennessee. The other nineteen “better than Corum” backs in the SEC are Ray Davis of Kentucky and Kendall Milton of Georgia. Davis was held to 2.2 yards and Milton to 3.2 yards by Alabama.
Blake Corum is not a reliable option for Michigan until J.J. McCarthy plays well. McCarthy can have spectacular games. His passing accuracy for the season is 74.2%. Unfortunately, Michigan’s pass defense has let in too many passes in the final three months of the season. Just over half of McCarthy’s passes were completed against a lackluster Maryland defense.
McCarthy is able to compete with Alabama because of his two reliable tight ends. Otherwise, his passing opportunities will be severely limited by the excellent Alabama secondary. The Wolverines might not be able to rely on McCarthy’s magic to keep them in the game if they are constantly pressured by pass rushers.
