Upon Further Review: Citrus Bowl, Michigan vs. Alabama

The final word on the Crimson Tide's 35-16 victory to wrap up the 2019 season
Upon Further Review: Citrus Bowl, Michigan vs. Alabama
Upon Further Review: Citrus Bowl, Michigan vs. Alabama /

A telling point during the University of Alabama's victory in the Citrus Bowl occurred during the final possession, when the offense and Najee Harris were shoving the ball down Michigan's throat. 

On the 19-yard carry across midfield junior right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. got rolled from behind, meaning a player landed on the back of his leg. It's a scary thing for an offensive lineman because it can often result in a knee injury or at least a sprained ankle. 

Wills got up hobbling. He didn't call for trainers or head to the sideline. 

Even though he's expected to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft and give up his final year of eligibility, Wills limped back to the huddle and got ready for the next play. 

It ended up bring a run behind him and with the junior running back grinding away and Wills charging into defenders the result was a 16-yard gain. 

Wills was clearly hurting but kept playing until Harris finally reached the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run, with both offensive linemen/tight ends Chris Owens and Kendall Randolph in the backfield as fullbacks. The 12-play, 75-yard drive featured one pass (tight end Miller Forristall had the final reception of the season for a 5-yard gain), and 11 carries by Harris.

Now that's making a statement. 

Player of the game: Jerry Jeudy notched his first 200-plus yard receiving performance of the season with 204 on six catches. The junior wide receiver recorded his second 1,000-plus yard season and became the second Alabama receiver with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and first since DJ Hall in 2006-07. 

Play of the game: Jeudy's 85-yard touchdown on Alabama's first offensive snap was the longest pass completion in Crimson Tide bowl history, topping the 68-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to O.J. Howard against Clemson in the 2017 National Championship Game. However, the most important play of the game was Jeudy's 14-yard reception for UA's first third-down conversion early in the fourth quarter. It came on third-and-11 at the Alabama 8, and on the next play he had a 58-yard reception to set up Forristall's touchdown. If Jeudy heads to the NFL it was the final catch of his Crimson Tide career.  

Statistic of the game: Michigan managed only 20 total yards of offense after Nick Saban threw his headset at the end of the third quarter, 

Here are 10 other things you may not have noticed from Alabama's 35-16 victory at Camping World Stadium in Orlando:

1] Who played: Alabama went bare bones when it came to who played. Granted, part of that was being so shorthanded, but it also demonstrated how serious the Crimson Tide was about finishing with the victory. In addition to the 11 starters on offense and defense, the official statisticians credited Alabama with using just 15 other players (special teams included). That figure is incorrect, as more than 39 players got into the game, but in comparison Alabama used 60 players during the season opener against Duke. Although he took the place of Terrell Lewis at strongside linebacker, Chris Allen didn't start as the Crimson Tide came out in a 3-3-5 defensive alignment. 

2] Explosive plays: Even though Michigan moved the ball pretty well during the first half, it finished with just six explosive plays, all in the passing game. Saban defines an explosive play as a pass 17 yards or more, or a run 13-plus yards. Jeudy nearly had that many himself with four, and finished just one behind DeVonta Smith for the team lead among receivers (28). However, Harris topped the team for the season with 35.   

3] Michigan rushing: The Wolverines rushing yards per quarter, in order: 12-85, 15-50, 10-27, 6-0. The longest gain by a Michigan running back in the second half was just six yards.

4] Yards after the catch: Alabama unofficially finished with 166, of which 106 were by Jeudy. It averaged 10.3 extra yards after making a reception, making it the third time the Crimson Tide essentially added a first down with each catch. By our count it averaged 13.1 yards against Western Carolina and 12.9 at South Carolina (the Texas A&M game just missed at 9.95).  

5] Mike Bernier: With freshman Ty Perine dealing with hamstring issue as our Cary L. Clark reported, the senior walk-on was pressed into service and may have had the Crimson Tide's best punting performance of the 2019 campaign. His 52-yard punt was the team's longest of the season and he had four land inside the 20 (plus one touchback), giving Michigan the ball at the 15, 1, 20, 18 and 4. Alabama had a lot of speed on the coverage unit, including Henry Ruggs III, Smith and Terrell Shavers. Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones got drilled by Smith on his first, and only, punt return for a 2-yard loss. 

6] The freshmen: Alabama started four true freshmen with interior linebackers Christian Harris and Shane Lee, offensive lineman Evan Neal and defensive end Byron Young. So half of the starting defensive front seven, which was actually six due to the formation, were true freshmen. There were 10 players from the signing Class of 2019 who played in four game or fewer and are eligible to redshirt: Tanner Bowles, Scooby Carter, Kevin Harris, Braylen Ingraham, Amari Kight, Pierce Quick, Trey Sanders (knee), Ishmael Sopsher, Brandon Turnage and Paul Tyson.

7] Penalties: Alabama only had five penalties and none were for more than five yards, which was a huge improvement after averaging eight flags the rest of the season. The infractions were three false starts, delay of game on the first punt attempt and an offsides. Two of the false starts helped kill a second-half possession.

8] Who was thrown at: With sophomore Josh Jobe replacing Trevon Diggs, Michigan went at him often and early, but without success. It ended up throwing in the cornerback's direction nine times with two completions for 25 yards, an interception and a drop. It had more success putting some big bodies on sophomore Patrick Surtain II, with five short completions and nothing longer than 12 yards. Four passes were thrown at senior Shyheim Carter, with no completions and his first career interception. Three of Michigan's explosive plays were with a freshman interior linebacker in coverage, although a 19-yard gain off a screen Christian Harris had to go all the way from lining up on the left to the other side of the field. 

9] Third down: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Mac Jones didn't have a completion on his first five third-down opportunities, although one was dropped and twice he tried to go deep while facing a blitz. However, he connected on four of his last five attempts with the only incompletion a ball thrown away. Overall, Jones finished 16-for-25 for 327 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers (213.5 passer-efficiency rating). A major difference between Jones and Tua Tagovailoa this season was on third downs as Jones spread the ball around more. Tagovailoa threw passes to just six different players (he was 15-for-19 to Jeudy, 10-for-11 to Smith and 5-for-5 to Ruggs), while Jones attempted passes to 15 different players. Part of that, though, was playing with both starters and reserves. 

10] Red zone: Jones attempted just one pass in the red zone, the 20-yard touchdown by Forristall. Alabama scored a touchdown all three times it got inside the Michigan 20. The Wolverines had one touchdown on two trips, and that drive was keyed by a flea-flicker pass and a scoring play with safety Xavier McKinney on the sideline for a snap after his helmet came off.  


Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.