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PASADENA, California − Sitting hunched over in the chair next to his locker, Alabama football safety Caleb Downs kept giving the same answer to each question.
What changed the last drive and in overtime? “We didn’t finish as a team.”
Was there anything Michigan did differently? “We didn’t finish as a team,” Downs said again. “Alabama didn’t finish as a team.”
Asked about what was going through his head postgame, his answer didn’t change.
“We didn’t finish as a team,” Downs said, getting choked up as he finished the sentence.
Michigan, having not scored all of the second half, managed to drive 75 yards on eight plays to tie the score with 1:34 left. That forced overtime, and the Wolverines drove 25 yards in two plays and scored again.
That proved to be enough as the Alabama offense failed to score when it got its turn in overtime. So, the No. 4 Crimson Tide lost the Rose Bowl 27-20 to No. 1 Michigan. The Wolverines (14-0) advance to the national championship game while the season comes to an end for Alabama (12-2) in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“I can’t even think right now,” defensive back Malachi Moore said postgame. “I’m not going to lie. It just feels all surreal man. It’s tough. It’s tough. It’s tough.”
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It’s a bit baffling, considering the defense had done so well with second-half adjustments. Alabama had given up only 44 yards over the first four drives after halftime. And two of those resulted in three-and-outs. The only second-half drive that wasn’t a punt was a missed field goal after the Wolverines had a short field following quarterback Jalen Milroe’s fumble.
Then Michigan took the ball off a kickoff with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/happened-alabama-football-defense-vs-040337995.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-01-02 04:03:37
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