Wolverines defense using Alabama game as proof it can dominate in 2025

Even after beating Ohio State, 13-10, in the 2024 regular season finale, no one game Michigan football much of a chance in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide were expecting to be in the College Football Playoff, but were passed over. As a result, the Wolverines ended up facing an Alabama team that didn’t miss many starters, and that was looking to prove that the playoff committee made some kind of mistake. And that veteran group was even facing a depleted Michigan team that didn’t have five players on defense — no Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, Makari Paige, or Will Johnson.

But, the maize and blue shocked the world, emerging from Tampa with a 19-13 win.

Senior defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny was among those who played, alongside some younger talent, and he says that that win helped the inexperienced tackles understand that, yes, they can play at a high level.

“It gave us a lot of hope,” Benny told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast. “It was a lot of young guys. A lot of people didn’t have quite the opportunity I had to play as much last season. So I think it was real good for them to have that experience and get that confidence boost going against a good offensive line and the team Alabama itself. And they had their whole starting offensive line. 

“So I think it was real good for everybody to get that confidence boost going into next season with everybody being so young.”

Now the Wolverines are hoping that that game will help propel the defense forward in 2025, given that they’ve seen what they can do. With two new transfers in Tré Williams and Damon Payne, along with the returning talent, Benny feels like looking back on the ReliaQuest Bowl, this unit now knows what it’s capable of.

“The fact that like we seen a lot of us play together versus Alabama. So that was a real…

Source link : https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/wolverines/football/2025/05/07/wolverines-defense-using-alabama-game-as-proof-it-can-dominate-in-2025/83494117007/

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Publish date : 2025-05-07 15:45:00

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