ESPN: JJ McCarthy leads the offense at quarterback.
LOS ANGELES The goal of Alabama football is to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl in order to get to the College Football Playoff championship game.
In the “granddaddy of them all” bowl, two collegiate football bluebloods square off against one another.
While Michigan will try to prevent Alabama from having a chance to break Nick Saban’s record of never having the Crimson Tide go more than three seasons without winning a national championship, the Crimson Tide will try to hand the Wolverines their first loss of the year.
The College Football Playoff semifinals will take place in the Rose Bowl on Monday at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN, with No. 1 Michigan (13-0) taking on No. 4 Alabama (12-1). Here is our scouting report on the Wolverines, along with an analysis of how they compare to the Crimson Tide and our projected game score.
Blake Corum, a running back, is the player to know. This season, he has scambled for 1,028 yards and 24 scores on the ground. Although he lacks an elite burst, his output is undeniable.
JJ McCarthy leads the offense at quarterback, and this season, he has completed 213 of 287 passes (74.2%) for 2,630 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has only thrown one touchdown since the start of November, though.
Roman Wilson is the top receiver for McCarthy. Wilson has caught 41 passes for 662 yards and 11 touchdowns, all team highs.
On defense, linebacker Junior Colson leads all defenders with 79 tackles. He also has two pass breakups.
Edge Jaylen Harrell is the top Wolverine in sacks with 6.5. He has also forced two fumbles.
The secondary for Michigan has been an opportunistic one. Mike Sainristill has grabbed five interceptions this season. Meanwhile, Will Johnson has three to his name.
This is the sixth meeting between the two programs in their history. When Alabama won the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on January 1, 2020, the two teams last faced off. In the series as a whole, the Crimson Tide leads 3-2. Having lost the Citrus Bowl, Jim Harbaugh is winless against Alabama and Nick Saban is 4-3 all-time against the Crimson Tide.
