ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A year of ups and downs for Michigan football ended well for the Wolverines as they won the ReliaQuest Bowl over Alabama. The Wolverines started 2024 with a win over the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoffs and ended the year the same way with a bowl victory in Florida, 19-13.

“We’ve got a great culture and great kids. No one person wins a game, no two people. It’s always going to be a team sport,” said Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore.

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Alabama had a chance to win the game in the final two minutes, but Michigan’s defense came through. Alabama drove down to the Wolverines’ 15-yard line but four straight incomplete passes from Jalen Milroe ended the game.

The defense sacked Alabama’s Milroe five times and forced three turnovers.

Moore adds, “I think our defensive line did an outstanding job, Coach Espo, Coach Wilkins, Coach Fee, Coach Lewis, and all those guys that work the d-line. It was unbelievable to watch them. Credit to the players. Our guys take a lot of pride in being physical, and we wanted to do that all this bowl camp and we really did. I thought those guys did a really good job.”

A key to victory came from the kicking game as Dominic Zvada had four field goals. Three of his four field goals came in the first quarter for a 16-0 lead. He had a 45-yard field goal at 8:15 and then a 30-yarder at 5:52, making it 6-0. After Davis Warren hit Fredrick Moore for a 13-yard touchdown, Zvada finished with a 21-yard attempt for the 16-point lead. He capped off his day in the fourth quarter with 7:21 left on a 37-yarder for the 19-10 lead.

Jordan Marshall, a Cincinnati, Ohio native and freshman, stepped up in the backfield to become the ReliaQuest Bowl MVP. He carried the ball 23 times for 100 yards, putting the offense on his shoulders after Davis Warren was injured. Marshall says, “We were 5-5 and then won some games, but it’s not the standard. We’re going to be better than this next year.”

Michigan had just 190 yards of total offense, as 75 was passing. Warren was 9-of-12 for 73 yards and one touchdown, while Alex Orji went 2-of-3 with an interception.

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Moore talks about Marshall saying, “I think he’s got a bright future. He reminds me so much of Blake in the way he approaches his business and what he does off the field to take care of his body. You obviously saw how he runs. He’s a physical runner. He can make people miss. He can run you over.”

The 2024 season started rough for the Wolverines in Moore’s first season but ended with three straight wins over Northwestern, Ohio State, and Alabama.

Moore finishes with, “We talked about not losses, lessons. We had a lot of lessons throughout the year, and just learning from them so we learn the things that we need to learn so ultimately end up on the plus side, and we did that in these last three games.