Livescore
Michigan earned a huge 19-13 win against No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday. The shorthanded Wolverines, who were down several key players due to both opt outs and the transfer portal, led wire-to-wire after taking advantage of numerous Alabama mistakes in the first quarter.
The Crimson Tide turned the ball over three times — and had their first offensive drive end with a failed fourth-down conversion — in the first 15 minutes. That means for its first four possessions Michigan’s average starting position was Alabama’s 21-yard line. The Wolverines took advantage, even if they left some points on the board.
Three of Michigan’s first four drives ended in a field goal from kicker Dominic Zvada, two of which came from 30 yards or less. Quarterback Davis Warren, who later exited the game with an apparent leg injury, did hit wide receiver Fredrick Moore for a 13-yard touchdown and Michigan left the first quarter with a 16-0 lead it never surrendered.
Alabama had 2 total yards of offense until late in the second quarter when it went on two drives that covered a combined 161 yards and resulted in 10 points. It wasn’t enough to spark a full comeback, however.
The Crimson Tide actually had a chance to win it late in the fourth quarter. One possession after kicker Graham Nicholson hit a season-long 51-yard field goal which cut Michigan’s lead to one possession, Alabama got the ball all the way to Michigan’s 15-yard line. But on fourth-and-10, Milroe came under immediate pressure and threw an incomplete pass, which allowed Michigan to take possession and kneel the clock out on a momentum-building bowl victory.
- Tuesday’s result snaps a streak of 16 consecutive 10-plus win seasons for Alabama, which was the most in the FBS since 1936.
- Michigan’s 16 points in the first quarter are the most that Alabama allowed since 2022 against Tennessee.
- Michigan had four drives start in Alabama territory in the first quarter. It crossed the 50-yard line just twice in the ensuing three quarters.
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