Michigan will play in one week from today when the Wolverines travel down to Florida to take on Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The maize and blue will take on Bama for the second time in this calendar year and Michigan got the best of the Crimson Tide the first time the two teams played. The Wolverines got past Nick Sabana and Co. to win the Rose Bowl and move to the national title.

But both teams will look extremely different when the two square off in Tampa. Between bowl opt-outs, transfers, and losing so many seniors from the first time the two played — it’s hardly a glimpse of what we saw in January.

But before the game, here are some game notes thanks to M Go Blue.

• This will be the seventh meeting between Michigan and Alabama; series is tied at three wins apiece.

• U-M won the last matchup, a 27-20 victory in overtime in the 2024 CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl.

• Michigan is making its seventh appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

• Kalel Mullings is 52 yards shy of 1,000 this season: rushed 185 times for 948 yards and scored 12 TDs. 

• Ernest Hausmann leads U-M with a career-best 82 tackles and 7 TFLs.

• Josaiah Stewart is pacing the defense in TFLs (13) and sacks (8.5).

• Dominic Zvada is the Big Ten’s most accurate kicker with a 94.4 percent conversion rate (17-18 on FGs).

• U-M has compiled a 23-29 record in bowl games, listing 11th in the NCAA in appear­ances and 17th in victories. 

• This will be the 19th time that Michigan faces a Southeastern Conference school in a bowl game.

• The Wolverines have a 9-9 mark against the SEC in bowl games.

• The most recent bowl match-up with the SEC came in the 2023 CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl, a 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama on New Year’s Day.

• Michigan is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference and will face an SEC school for the 41st time in school history.

• The Wolverines have a 26-13-1 all-time record against schools from the SEC.

– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –

Michigan Football lands former top-100 recruit out of the transfer portal

Davis Warren’s first impression of Bryce Underwood: ‘You’re not the No. 1 recruit in the country for no reason’

TJ Guy on Jaishawn Barham moving to Edge: ‘It’s gonna be problems for offensive lines’

Sherrone Moore’s message to Davis Warren after signing Bryce Underwood, looking for portal QB

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) – A two-vehicle crash on Alabama 59 near Baldwin County 34 has closed down the road, according to law enforcement.

Authorities said the crash occurred at 8:23 pm.

Law enforcement is on scene investigating and there is no timetable on when it will be reopened.

Copyright 2024 WALA. All rights reserved.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Nate Oats started his postgame press conference explaining why Alabama would have a much better winter break after its 81-54 win over Kent State. According to Oats, a happy holiday hinged on the Tide’s defensive performance against the Golden Flashes.

“Much better defensive effort so it’ll be a lot better Christmas break for us,” Oats said with a smile at the podium. “We did make a big point of emphasis on defense, especially after that debacle up in North Dakota with [Fighting Hawks guard Treysen Eaglestaff].”

It was far from a perfect offensive display for the Tide against Kent State. Alabama’s lingering turnover issues reared its ugly head for a second straight and the Tide continued shooting poorly from 3-point range.

However, after defensive letdowns nearly sprang an upset in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Alabama got back to the basics over the next few days at practice. The team worked on defensive fundamentals rather than solely focusing on film study.

That extra emphasis paid off as Alabama equaled its lowest points allowed in a game this season with 54. Tide forward Grant Nelson swatted a shot attempt by Kent State’s leading scorer VonCameron Davis in the opening few minutes, which helped set the tone the rest of the way.

“I think that [block] and just really everyone loading in the gaps, helping each other out,” Nelson said of Alabama’s defensive performance. “I thought that was huge. I think we kept them to six points in the first three media timeouts, that was huge for us. We emphasized that like I said and just a lot of credit to our guys for carrying it over on the court.”

While Alabama didn’t shoot the ball well, it made sure Kent State’s shooting was even more ineffective. Alabama communicated well on switches and contested shots from beyond the arc. It honed in on Davis, who averages 14.9 points per game but was limited to under 10 points for just the second time this season. Davis scored nine on an inefficient 4 of 15 from the field and had a minus-31 box plus-minus rating.

Coming into the game, Oats also felt like Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger (9.7 points per game) could be a dangerous weapon against Alabama’s defense with the potential to do the same thing Eaglestaff did for North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks guard scored a career-high 40 points, single-handedly pulling them back into the game late.

After missing the mark severely on guarding Eaglestaff, the Tide understood the assignment when it came to Sullinger and locked down the Kent State senior.

“He ended up shooting 1 of 14 and didn’t score in the second half,” Oats said. “So I think we did a little bit of a better job being locked in to a perimeter guy. We held them to a pretty good field goal percentage, they only shot 28%. Traditionally, this has been one of the hardest playing teams — I was in the MAC for six years and they get all of the O Boards. We gave up too many second-chance points but I thought for the most part our first-shot defense was good.”

Alabama continued to play effective post-defense in spite of the offensive rebounds. The Tide finished with six blocks as a team. Center Clifford Omoruyi won the Hard Hat Award for the most blue collar points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Nelson had 14. Off the bench, Derrion Reid had a pair of steals while Mouhamed Dioubate chipped in with two blocks.

Following the win, Alabama jumped from No. 57 to No. 42 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. As the Tide looks to build on its defensive momentum, better play on offense will have to follow. Alabama’s defense is much improved from last season when it was at its best, but it won’t be able to win games on defense alone when league play tips off on Jan. 4.

“We struggled a little offensively, and we’re gonna have to figure some stuff out here before SEC play,” Oats said. “The turnovers have been really just way too many — 13 in the first half. We did the same thing two games in a row. We only had one the second half against North Dakota. We ended up with six in the second half here. So we’ve got to do a better job at turnovers. I don’t have an answer for the free throw problems, but the only way to fix that is get in the gym and work. The good thing for us is we don’t have any school for a few weeks here, so after they get back from Christmas break, we’ll be in the gym and putting some time in.”

Alabama will conclude non-conference play against Summit League side South Dakota State. The Tide and Jackrabbits will tip off at 2 p.m. CT Dec. 29 inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.