‘Iconic’: What Jim Harbaugh Said About Alabama ahead of the Citrus Bowl

The Michigan head coach did not mince words when speaking on the Crimson Tide

ORLANDO, Fla. — There are few programs that have earned more respect over the 150-year history of college football than Alabama and Michigan.

Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh did not attempt to tiptoe around that fact in his and Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban’s joint press conference Wednesday ahead of the Citrus Bowl.

“When this game was arranged there was just a lot of excitement to play an iconic program like Alabama,” Harbaugh said. “Coach Saban [and] his staff have just really set the bar. THE program. Great football team, and it’s a big challenge for us but a great opportunity for our season.”

Michigan is coming off of a 9-3 season and is ranked No. 14 in the CFP rankings. During his tenure with the Wolverines, Harbaugh has amassed a 47-17 record and has taken the program to a bowl in all five of his seasons in Ann Arbor. 

However, Michigan has only one bowl win since Harbaugh arrived—a 41-7 victory over the Florida Gators in the 2016 Citrus Bowl.

All of that aside, the Jan. 1 matchup between the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide (noon CT, ABC) is a competition between two juggernaut programs in the college football world, which is something that Harbaugh is very aware of.

“I think it'll be a well-watched game,” Harbaugh said. “I would predict that. And so I think it's really good. To us, the way we look at it, this is a first-class bowl game against a great opponent and that's pretty darn good. So we're going to go out and play our best.”

Michigan has been hard at work to prepare for the game, as is expected. All this week, the Wolverines have been practicing West Orange High School in Orlando.

When approaching the game, Harbaugh was quick to note that there are a lot of things that Alabama does right, making it a tricky team to prepare for.

“[Alabama has] a lot of really good things,” Harbaugh said. “An offense built for speed and attacks every part of the field in the passing game and the running game. Physical football team and defensively really the same thing. It’s a very attacking. Multiple coverages. And the special teams is really dangerous especially in the return game. The punt return, the kickoff return—in all facets everything’s tight, everything is battened down. There are no weaknesses.”

Not all of Harbaugh’s press conference was spent praising the Crimson Tide, though. The head coach spoke at-length about his senior quarterback Shea Patterson, as well as how his offensive line has been getting ready for its game on New Year’s Day.

Patterson, who transferred from Ole Miss back in 2018, has had a solid season for the Wolverines. On the season, Patterson has amassed 2,828 passing yards and 22 touchdowns with six interceptions. The quarterback has thrown 197-for-344, a completion percentage of only 57.3 percent, but is averaging 8.2 yards per completion.

“Shea has been tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “He's a great player, a great competitor. And he's been a tremendous teammate. He has just gotten better and better and better. And he came in really good. But I think once he got comfortable with his teammates, with the new system, I think he just you always saw the growth. You can always see the growth. He's better today than he was yesterday, better tomorrow than he was today. He's always had that mindset.

“The competitive edge, you know, that just keeps coming back to me when I talk about Shea or think about Shea.”

One key matchup in the Citrus Bowl will be the battle in the trenches. Michigan’s offensive line has been a strong point of the team this season, led by a trio of seniors in left guard Ben Bredeson, left tackle Jon Runyan, Jr., and right guard Michael Owenu. Redshirt-freshman tackle Jalen Mayfield was the only non-returning starter to emerge on the offensive line and had an incredible season of his own.

The Alabama defensive line is weaker than it has been in years past, but it is still a tough SEC defensive line led by senior defensive tackle Raekwon Davis. If the Crimson Tide can get pressure on Patterson, the the battle in the trenches could be the main factor in who wins the ball game come Wednesday.

“Protection's been good and it's going to really need to be this week,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, a defensive line that stunts, moves physically, can set the edge and physical linebacker play. And our guys are excited about that. It’s a challenge to them. It's an opportunity to show that they're good at football too. But that's two opposing wills colliding. And, you know, I've told our guys, have at it. This is a big challenge, big staff. We definitely have tremendous respect for our opponent in this game, but take your best shot.”

It will be interesting to see how Alabama’s defense handles Patterson and the Michigan offense. With these two historic programs competing on the gridiron, the Citrus Bowl should be one of the best games of the holiday.

“It’s been a fabulous experience to be here and now we’re ready to play the game,” Harbaugh said. “We’re fired up to play, we’re ready to go and kickoff approaches. Tremendous opportunity for our team.”