Nick Saban shares his thoughts on the challenges of facing this Michigan team led by Jim Harbaugh
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Both Alabama and Michigan began the season with aspirations of playing in the College Football Playoff but after each failed to win their conference titles this season, they will have to settle for a showdown in the 2020 Citrus Bowl.
Outside of the College Football Playoff, this bowl matchup is arguably the most intriguing of all the postseason games as each team is annually in the running for their respective conference title and are led by two of the more iconic coaches the sports has to offer.
During their Tuesday morning joint press conference, Saban was asked to share his thoughts on Michigan after studying the tape of the Wolverines. As you would expect, Saban had nothing but positives to say about Harbaugh’s team and coaching style.
“I think the first thing that comes off the screen to me is they are a very well-coached team in every phase of the game,” Saban offered up. “Their players play really, really hard. They play with tremendous toughness, they have great intangibles – in terms of their discipline, their accountability to do their job, how they play together as a group.
“On defense, they do a lot of movement. They have quickness, they are very aggressive, a lot of multiples in terms of what you see and how it challenges your offensive line and the coverage aspects of what the quarterback has to read and the receivers have to adjust to.
“On offense, they have a lot of the multiples that a lot of college teams have now in terms of how they attack the entire length of the field. They can run the ball effectively, the offensive line is really, really good. Quarterback plays well, can make all the throws and they have good skill guys that can make explosive plays. They have great balance on offense and they are very physical on special teams and do a really, really good job in that area of the game, as well. I see a team that is very strong in every area but I think the No. 1 thing is they play with great intangibles and they are really well-coached.”
So there you have it, Saban — at least pubicly — has a ton of respect for this Michigan team and the challenge they present his Alabama football team. We’ll find out how much of a threat the Wolverines actually poise to the Tide come New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
