AM SORRY: Reason why i left Michigan Wolverines

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Early Wednesday afternoon, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and his No. 1 Wolverines made a grand entrance into Southern California. Carted through Disneyland on horse-drawn carriages, flooded with confetti and preceded by two marching bands and a parade, Harbaugh and his players got a taste of the fanfare that accompanies the Rose Bowl.

But just a half hour later in a cramped lobby and thronged by reporters, the pageantry was done away with and it was all business. And as Harbaugh and some of his key defensive players started to describe what they have been readying for in their month of preparation for the Crimson Tide, one name was repeatedly mentioned: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

“(The Crimson Tide’s) offense goes because of what Milroe is able to do by extending plays,” graduate cornerback Mike Sainristil said. “He has a very strong arm, (and a) really talented arm.”

Throughout the season, Milroe’s put the arm talent that Sainristil spoke of on full display. After overcoming early struggles to win a hotly-contested quarterback battle in late September, Milroe got the passing game rolling. With 23 touchdown passes and just six picks, Milroe guided Alabama to a late resurgence to squeak into the College Football Playoff (CFP) and finished sixth in Heisman voting less than a month ago.

However, it wasn’t just arm talent that got Milroe to that point. Rather, a large part of what made him such a threat later on in the season was his ability to make something out of nothing with his legs. In fact, when Harbaugh described Milroe, he put his athleticism in terms familiar to his own team.

“He’s like a real polished Alex Orji,” Harbaugh said, referencing the Wolverines’ sophomore quarterback known for his size and athleticism. “Understanding the athletic skill set, the playmaking ability, just the ability to make plays, you can see the volume of the work and how it has progressed. I was really impressed with (Milroe).”

Like Harbaugh noted, Milroe has routinely made plays happen on the ground. With 12 rushing touchdowns — tied for second most for a quarterback — and 468 rushing yards, Milroe’s ability to scramble is a major part of what makes him effective. And precisely for that reason, a lot of Michigan’s defensive emphasis has been placed on ensuring that he’s not able to do so.

“When you handle a quarterback that scrambles, the biggest thing is trying to contain him,” senior defensive lineman Kris Jenkins said. “If he steps out, you gotta just play off him. Once he gets out, you gotta go get him. But you know the biggest thing is, in order to do that you gotta contain him.”

For Jenkins and the defensive line, containing Milroe first requires weathering Alabama’s hefty offensive line, populated with three 350+ pounders. However, doing so requires more than just brawn. It requires coordination.

“Really the biggest thing is pass rushing as one, pass rushing as a unit,” Jenkins said. “… Really as long as we function as a unit, which we’ve really been training to do all season, we feel there will be opportunities.”

However, part of the Wolverines’ approach to Milroe has been understanding that, no matter how hard they try to contain him, he will still get the best of them at points. Sainristil, while describing the defense’s overall goal of containing Milroe on the ground, acknowledged as much.

“He’s gonna, at some point in the game, be able to (create extra plays with his feet),” Sainristil said. “Over the course of the game you can’t stop somebody completely … but contain him, keep him in the pocket, make him make accurate throws down the field, and play tight, sticky coverage on their receivers.”

While the Crimson Tide’s offense “runs” through Milroe, it doesn’t do so in a uniform manner. Milroe has an accurate, strong arm, and combines it with being one of the fastest quarterbacks the Wolverines have faced this season. Having struggled against dual threat quarterbacks like Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa earlier in the year, Harbaugh and Michigan’s defense know that their success will come down to whether they can take away one of the major facets of Milroe’s game.