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Michigan cashes in early turnovers to take big lead on Alabama in ReliaQuest Bowl
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Michigan looked just fine in the slop in Tampa on New Year’s Eve, and the Wolverines were happy to take advantage of an Alabama team that looked like it didn’t want to be there.
When the first quarter ended in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Crimson Tide had committed an unfathomable 3 turnovers and Michigan had snatched a 16-0 lead that could’ve been worse had it not had to settle for 3 field goals.
Alabama was stopped on downs on its opening drive, with Jalen Milroe getting sacked for an 11-yard loss at his own 44-yard line. That gave Michigan great field position, which would become a theme in the first quarter. After the Wolverines cashed that in on the first of 3 first-quarter field goals by Dominic Zvada, things got crazy in the wet weather, and only in a good way if you were cheering for Michigan.
On the first play of Alabama’s next drive, Milroe fumbled the snap, Michigan recovered at the Crimson Tide 19, and once again the Wolverines settled for a Zvada field goal and a 6-0 lead.
It only took Alabama 2 plays on its next drive to turn it over, with Milroe throwing an interception to Wesley Walker, who returned the ball to the Alabama 16. With the Wolverines once again set up in Crimson Tide territory, this time they turned it into a touchdown, with Davis Warren finding Fredrick Moore for a 13-yard scoring connection and a 13-0 lead.
Incredibly, Milroe was stripped on a passing attempt on the very first play of the next drive, setting Michigan up at the Alabama 6-yard line. Once again, the Wolverines had to settle for a Zvada field goal and a 16-0 lead.
At that point, there were still 2 minutes left in the opening quarter.
For head coach Kalen DeBoer, it probably felt like an entire game had been played.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
