Dominic Zvada kicked four goals and Davis Warren threw a touchdown pass before leaving with a knee injury as Michigan notched a 19-13 victory over No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.
The Wolverines (8-5) took advantage of three Crimson Tide first-quarter turnovers to build a 16-point lead en route to winning their third straight contest.
Jalen Milroe completed 16 of 32 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Alabama (9-4). But Milroe had just 7 yards on 16 rushes and he was mistake-prone in the first quarter with an interception and two lost fumbles.
The Crimson Tide rushed for just 68 yards, well below their season average (182.7).
This contest was a rematch of last season’s College Football semifinals when Michigan beat Alabama 27-20 in overtime. The Wolverines went on to beat Washington in the championship game.
Warren completed 9 of 12 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a right knee injury. He was replaced by Alex Orji, who was 2-of-3 passing for 2 yards with one interception.
Warren limped off the field after being sacked early in the third quarter and soon went to the locker room for evaluation. He returned to the sideline early in the fourth quarter on crutches and sporting a bag of ice on his right knee.
Freshman Jordan Marshall rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries for Michigan after its top two backs — Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards — opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Marshall was named the game’s MVP in his first career start.
“It’s a good season, but it’s not Michigan’s standard,” Marshall said. “We gotta get it back to the standard, which is bringing national championships back here.”
Zvada’s fourth field goal, a 37-yarder, gave the Wolverines a 19-10 lead with 7:21 remaining. Alabama trimmed its deficit back to six on Graham Nicholson’s 51-yard field goal with 4:38 left.
The Crimson Tide’s final chance ended with a pressured Milroe throwing a fourth-down incomplete pass from the Wolverines’ 15 with 49 seconds left.
“A lot of those incompletions happened in downs and distances that weren’t favorable. … I thought there was still a lot of good plays that he made, too,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I saw a fighter, the fight in his eyes. As long as I see that, I want to hang in there with the guys that this program means a lot to.”
Michigan cashed in three Alabama first-half turnovers into 13 points and led 16-10 at the break.
Zvada opened the scoring with a 45-yard field goal before the Crimson Tide turnovers began.
Milroe’s first fumble was recovered at the Alabama 19-yard line by Derrick Moore. That set up Zvada’s 30-yard field goal to make it 6-0 with 5:52 left in the quarter.
Two plays later, Milroe was intercepted by Wesley Walker, who returned the ball 3 yards to the Crimson Tide 16. Three plays later, Warren tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Fredrick Moore for a 13-point lead.
On Alabama’s next offensive play, Aamir Hall delivered a strip-sack of Milroe. Cameron Brandt picked up the ball and returned it 5 yards to the Crimson Tide 6, setting up Zvada’s 21-yard field goal to make it 16-0 with 2:04 left in the quarter.
Alabama got on the board when Milroe threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Ouzts with 4:06 left in the half. Nicholson tacked on a 24-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.
–Field Level Media
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