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Monday’s national championship game had to sicken the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Take it from Terrion Arnold.
“Watching this game hurt man,” the Alabama defensive back wrote on social media after Michigan dominated Washington, 34-13.
Alabama was a fourth-down, fourth-quarter stop away from winning the Rose Bowl. Michigan converted fourth-and-2, scored the game-tying touchdown and beat the Tide in overtime. Too bad for Alabama. The Tide would have beaten the Huskies, if Washington didn’t play any better than it did against Michigan.
Here’s what should eat at Alabama and coach Nick Saban even more: Michigan won the national championship playing vintage Bama Ball.
All season, the Wolverines won the line of scrimmage. They blocked. They tackled. They established the run. They avoided penalties. They were ball hawks on defense and valued possession on offense, leading the nation in turnover margin.
That’s Saban’s (old) theme music! The Wolverines stole it, like Georgia before them.
In the 2020 COVID season, when teams quarantined their defenses and Alabama armed itself with an unprecedented wealth of skill-position riches, the Tide won the national championship amid a scoring blitz. Before that, though, Alabama’s dynasty resembled what we saw from Michigan this season.
Saban planned to recommit Alabama to bully ball in 2023. Didn’t happen. Alabama’s defense often wasn’t bad, but rarely was it menacing. The Tide ranked outside the top 15 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and yards per play allowed.
This stat sums up Alabama’s season falling short of the national championship: Texas and Michigan combined for 19 tackles for loss during victories against Alabama. The Tide amassed just three TFLs in those losses.
At the height of Saban’s dynasty, Alabama’s defensive fronts caused havoc. Now, opponents…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-michigans-national-title-haunt-101454087.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-01-10 10:14:54
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