Alabama Football: Michigan’s offense by the numbers
Heading into the Rose Bowl matchup between Alabama Football and Michigan most of the conversation around the game will be centered around quarterback play and each team’s offense. The Wolverines boast a lethal rushing attack led by running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. Their passing attack however is less impressive as JJ McCarthy did not eclipse 150 passing yards over Michigan’s final four games of the season.
The passing attack has fallen off drastically since the Connor Stallions and Jim Harbaugh cheating scandal as JJ McCarthy passed for 2,134 yards before for an average of 238 yards per game as opposed to 496 yards in the final for games for an average of 124 yards per game. Before Stallion’s suspension, McCarthy recorded 17 touchdowns in 7 games as opposed to only five touchdowns in the final six games of the season.
Michigan suffered a massive loss for both their rushing and passing attack as guard Zak Zinter suffered a season-ending leg injury against Ohio State. Zinter a captain for the Wolverines was a consensus first-team All-American.
Alabama Football: Stopping the run is key.
As it was heading into the SEC Championship Game stopping the run will be key for the Alabama Football team. The Wolverines are averaging a staggering 4.3 yards per carry with featured back Blake Corum averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Alabama Football team faced a similar rushing attack in the Georgia Bulldogs as backs Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton averaged 5.2 and 6.1 yards per carry. The Alabama defense shut down the Georgia rushing attack holding Milton and Edwards to 80 yards on 23 carries for 3.47 yards per carry.
Forcing the Wolverines to pass will be the key to victory for the Alabama Football team. Michigan used its rushing attack to drown teams out this season rushing for 161.8 yards per game. The passing attack was far less impressive as the Wolverines averaged 218.8 yards per game.