News Update:Michigan Rose Bowl Hostile See With Al Borges find methods to stop some of Bama’s pass rush

Every week TMI’s Sam Webb and former Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges come together for the Michigan offensive breakdown, a review of the prior week’s……

Every week TMI’s Sam Webb and former Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges come together for the Michigan offensive breakdown, a review of the prior week’s contest with a deep dive into game strategy and analysis. Borges uses his decades of coordinating experience to explain key takeaways for the Wolverines moving forward. To view the most recent installment in its entirety, press play on the video embedded below.

Let’s stick with the broad brush. When you look at the Bama defense, what would you say is the strength of the Tide and what they bring to the table?

Yeah, back end is the strength. The back end is the strength, but right behind it is their pass rush with Dallas Turner… and company. It isn’t just him but he’s a pain in the butt. Now, they’re gonna have to figure out a way to kind of neutralize him, so it’s not an improv play every time you drop back. Not that you’re gonna have to do some of that too, because you’re gonna. You’re gonna have to do some of that because the teams are moving the ball on them, the quarterback’s making some plays in some situations. So that’s part of it, but that can’t be… if that’s your plan, you’ve got no plan. Because they’ve got to figure out a way to neutralize that. I think he’s good.

But the back end – the two corners – Arnold and Kool-Aid are very good players, And I think Kool-Aid’s probably a little better than Arnold, but Arnold’s not bad. He’s gonna go high in the draft. But they do tend to throw the ball – Georgia did anyway – more at Arnold than they did Kool Aid. So that’s a strength. Downs is a young player, not experienced, but talented, and like I say became, as the season evolved, more of a box player coming down to roll up. Because I don’t see him as one of their better cover guys. Malachi Moore, number 13, has always been a solid player but I would not put in the upper rung of the secondary players, but good, but a good player… good, solid player. [He] can play nickel, can do those kinds of things. Key, the other safety, good safety. Good solid player, not easy to deal with, but solid. There are no weaknesses, Sam, really in their secondary. And they are especially strong on the corners, which Alabama seems like they always are.

In the front, the better linebacker is Lawson, 32. He usually plays to the strong side, the Mike linebacker. They play a couple of different guys at will, that kind of play evenly – play about the same. But Lawson’s in there pretty much all the time. And he’s getting guys lined up, he’s doing all the stuff that that guy does. And then inside there, again, their front is salty, but they’ve been better at that position. I’ll say that. They’re not bad. Now, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. But they’ve been better at that position. So that gives you some opportunities to run the football. There ends are good, their defensive tackles are solid, their linebackers are solid, the back end is good. So, from a perspective, from an overall assessment, if I went over every single player. I’ve looked at all of them. First thing I did is looked at personnel; how good were they? And then I went back and looked at scheme.