Michigan defense eager to show coverage skills
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
You’ve got to beat the best to be considered among the best.
That’s the mindset this week for Michigan, which held its first bowl practice in Florida on Friday at West Orange High School.
No. 14 Michigan (9-3) plays No. 13 Alabama (10-2) in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday at Camping World Stadium. Kickoff on New Year’s Day is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
“The fact that we’re playing one of the greatest programs, it’s such a good opportunity for us to make plays [to put on film] and get the win,” Michigan sophomore defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson said.
Both teams are reeling from rivalry losses in the final week of the regular season. Alabama, which leads the nation in total wins (149) since 2008, lost 48-45 at Auburn. The Wolverines stumbled 56-27 at home against Ohio State.
“This is a great challenge and I’m ready to accept it,” Michigan junior cornerback Ambry Thomas said emphatically.
Thomas knows well what he and his teammates are up against, specifically when it comes to matching up against Alabama’s explosive receiving corps featuring Fred Biletnikoff Award semifinalists DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy.
Thomas competed against both at The Opening prep combine event in 2016.
“It’s a challenge, but I bet on myself every time and I’m betting on my guys,” he said. “We’ve just got to come ready to play. It’s a great team and a great opportunity, and we’ve just got to seize the moment.”
Alabama has had two receivers surpass 100 yards in the same game nine times this season.
Smith leads the Crimson Tide with 65 receptions for 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019.
Jeudy, a Deerfield Beach native who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s most outstanding wide receiver in 2018, has 71 catches for 959 yards and nine scores.
Jeudy enters the Citrus
Bowl ranked second alltime on Alabama’s career list for touchdown receptions (25) and is currently fifth all-time in career receiving yards (2,538). Junior wideout Henry Ruggs III has 24 career receiving TDs to his credit, including seven this season.
“They’ve got a great group of receivers and it’s going to be a good challenge for us, but I feel like we’ve got a great group as well,” said senior cornerback Lavert Hill.
Michigan will likely need to be great on defense — as the Wolverines have shown at times this season while going 10 quarters in a row without allowing a touchdown — in order to secure its 10th and most notable win of the year.
“At the end of the day, it’s you versus you, and that’s the message that we we’ve got to get [to the rest of the team],” Thomas said. “It’s a mindset thing. If you win in your head, you won the first part of the battle. That’s the message we’ve got to spread in the locker room.”