Michigan showed me something, they are a special team! - Stephen A. on CFP win | First Take

the championship game is set between Michigan and Washington Shannon sa and I will be there Monday broadcasting First Take live from Houston we can't wait for that I'm sure Paul fine bomb will be in the arena as well good morning gentlemen happy New Year good morning Happy New Year happy New Year all right let's Dive Right In because we had some serious football this weekend uh we'll flash back to the Rose Bowl yesterday where Michigan's Blake Corum scored on a 17 yd TD run in overtime before the Wolverine stopped Alabama and quarterback Jaylen milro fourth and go whole attempt to end the game it was quite the coaching match up yesterday let's hear from them both Harbaugh you're up first you know it's almost been an unfair Advantage I mean all the things that that uh you know the the team has gone through I mean we don't care anymore we don't care what people say we don't care about the um anything that comes up we just know we're going to overcome it I told him before the game it's going to be about what we do and when you look back at it it's it's kind of about what we did and what we didn't do um not taking anything away from Michigan they played a great game they got a good team they were well coached but you know we could have done things a little better as well and that's on Me on the coaches it's not anybody else all right sa tell me this do you feel like Michigan won it or Obama lost it well you know what I'm going to say listen I don't want to take any credit away from Michigan because to Michigan to me show they the best team in the nation give them props but that doesn't doesn't mean that Alabama didn't blow this you did have the lead with about three minutes left in the game okay you had the lead all right you were up 20 to 13 your defense holds there is no overtime and as a result you don't end up losing this game but that's not what transpired just there's a couple of things that we can look at we can look at the fact that Milroy Ste dropped back to pass his first six drops drop backs guys he was sacked four times they were all over him now I'm looking at this Center uh you know what what was it Seth mclin I mean did the dude was was had been having problems all season long snapping the football and my god did it show up yesterday I mean you could have scored on a scoring drive but he dropped them back 14 yards with backto back bad snaps and that had the audacity to unmitigated goal to be arguing with the quarterback about it when clearly it was you okay and that very last play of the game obviously was an RPO but nevertheless the bottom line is it was a low snap yet again to Milroy which obviously cost and we could sit up there and Lament The play itself the play call itself we could look at saving or whatever but but but but in the the the bottom line is it was a really bad snap yet again there's a plethora of things we can point to neither team was strong offensively on third down conversions we get all of that but I'm just looking at it from this perspective I'm listening to Dan Dan olowski I'm listening to Paul Fine bom G get up earlyer Shannon and they're talking about how Nick Sabin was out coach fair enough fine because obviously Harbaugh showed up but in the end I'm looking at it saying the man had a lead he had to lead I mean it wasn't like they were losing he had the lead with three with three minutes left and and somehow some way they blew this game so I'm going to look at it from that perspective not taking anything away from Michigan Michigan showed me something they are a special team no doubt about it but it was Alabama's game to lose to to win rather and they lost it well they were very they were very much out coach yesterday I don't know why you keep playing all this man coverage and you look at Michigan all they're doing is running crossing routes and guys are wide open Stephen A you mentioned it Alabama had them fourth and two you stop him here you win the you you on to the national championship game and you leave the flat rout uncovered corm catches the ball he runs down the field picks up Big yardage and now they go down the field and score and you made it so easy for him two plays and then into the end zone in overtime this was Alabama I I would have to say and I think coach s's like he's very proud of this team this is a young football team but they were out coach yesterday I didn't see the adjustments schematically what you need to what you need to make adjustments in doing because you see Michigan is running the exact same routes but give those guys credit they stepped up on that last drive those uh the the the the catch that he made it looked Malachi looked like he was getting an interception the guy jumps up he catches it and then they run the they run the flat route they bring him from the backside he's wide open again how many times did we see that Stephen and and Paul that Alabama failed to make adjustments when they needed to and that's what coach Sabin is coach Sabin is a very tactical guy second half he normally make the adjustments they didn't make the adjustments necessary in order for them to win the game yeah that they're very young yeah M Ro is his first year starting and Ste you mentioned it he had 53 yards passing uh 53 yards in the first half sa got sacked five times that's the most sacks in the half by any Alabama quarterback and we know how long coach Alabama uh coach uh s has been in Alabama but I want to give Michigan credit because they did a great job early on in this ball game confusing Alabama and getting pers on the quarterback I don't want to take anything away from Michigan Michigan did do what they needed to do to win coach Sab needed to do a better job schematically and he didn't make any adjustments or at least not soon enough you're both right to a point uh Stephen A Alabama was lucky to be in the game at Halftime I mean Michigan was making mistakes from the opening Series when when they threw an interception and they got it back and then they threw it away again on a muff punt they had a couple of those but but and you're and you're also right about the Alabama Center I mean that inexcusable but but ultimately Jim Harbaugh made the fourth quarter adjustments they won the fourth quarter in the overtime and I I I agree with Shannon I I think Nick Sabin was out coached now that's hard to say when we're talking about somebody as great as Nick Sabin because you can pick and choose anywhere you want but ultimately this was a defining moment for Jim Harbor as many flaws as they had I I thought up front they were dominating uh Milroy was just all over the place this was not the same guy we saw uh lead Alabama to a stunning win Over Georgia four weeks ago but this is the Alabama team Stephen A that we talked about after the Texas game I'll never forget you said I don't like this team and you were right there was a lot not to like they got better because the offensive line got better Tommy Reese the coordinator who came over from Notre Dame who really wanted to jettison Milroy after milro excuse me after the uh the second week of the Season finally started dialing up some winning winning shots but but they were up against a better team yesterday and I think we when we when we talk about Alabama we always think they're the best team they weren't the best team uh they're a good team they're but they were an overachieving team and I think it finally caught up to them when they ran into the bully yesterday yeah I'm like they had to lead they had to lead in the first half they had the lead with three minutes left in the game despite all the things that we're talking about think about this if you tell me going into the game your offensive line is going to get pumped straight up because they're just more physical they're going to bum rush you there's little to nothing that you're going to do about it we're going to sack your quarterback four times in his first six drop backs for crying out loud I couldn't even recall reception by a receiv in the first half and I didn't blame B Milroy at all because my attitude was he had no protection you wasn't protecting him whatsoever so if you're not protecting him he can't get the he can't he doesn't even have enough time to look for a receiver you couple that with the fact that your sensor can't snap the damn ball to save his life and oh by the way we're able to look at that from the second game of the season Shannon second game of the season remember Tomy e did your offensive coordinator he elects that we got to go in a different direction after the Texas game because moroy was so awful well guess what you never really fixed your offensive line so if we want to point to Nick Sabin and what have you let's think about it this way we I never thought the day would come because when I think about Alabama I think about meat and potatoes I mean you can appreciate that Shan as big as you are I I'm talking about meat potato Brothers right there you put the HS in front of you I I could not believe that a defensive line was so dominant against Alabama's offensive line but when you're able to go back to the second game of the season and you're able to look at the amount of sacks they give him 35 sacks this year it's the most it I I don't know how many decades decades that Alabama has given up so many sacks all of these things you're pointing to they still had to leave with three minutes left right this is the first I mean this it doesn't happen very often but normally when Alabama loses they get dominated on both sides of the ball offensive line and defensive line and you look at Michigan Michigan really really whipped them when they needed to see I I think the mark of a great offense or a great defense can you get done what you need to get done when you have to have it you look at Michigan when they needed it they were down you mentioned Stephen they were down with seven with 3 minutes to go in the ball game they dialed at hey them offensive lineman came out there said let's go you watching they said let's go they run the ball that's they run the ball they protect JJ McCarthy and when they had to have it Jim Harbaugh says I need a stop we get a stop we're going to Houston and they shut it down that was a terrible I I don't know look come on now of all the plays you call a timeout and that's the play you dial up yeah they hit it you look first of all with a a mobile quarterback I'm not going to let you have time to make a decision like he had time against Al and he made that throw I'm going put pressure on you right now I'm hitting it you know they're going to bring pressure and they brought the pressure they push the offensive line back and mil and milro really never had a chance to get it going but there there are some things that milro needs to work on you need to know when they come with that slot blit they bringing they bringing the safety the corner is oneone you got to abort the fade with you fake it the corner is going to come because he sees the wide receiver pull up outside that's certain certain things you're just going to have to know from trialing it I get it this is his first year starting uh uh Paul but there those are some of the things that he's just going it's going to have to be second nature the coach can't tell you everything that you need to do it's just qu this quarterbacking and you just play the game give Michigan Credit Michigan was really good when they had to be great and that's what they were Paul I want to get in here quick oh go ahead well and by the way and even then Michigan tried to blow it at the end with that muff punt I mean that would have one of the more shocking endings of all time that's right yeah Paul outside of last night from a macro perspective considering this team though some have said this was sabin's best coaching job even getting the team here where are you on that well it was it was his best coaching job but you can't make that declaration until the final game and I think last night really takes away from that because that was not vintage Nick Sabin so it was certainly inspirational to watch uh because we all Alabama fans were were grabbing me out in California saying you you gave up on this team you you said it was over everybody said it was over come on I mean we all declared it dead because that we had justification we we watched Alabama get bullied at home by Texas and then nearly blow a game against South Florida they didn't know what they were doing uh and then they they made this great comeback but it it was always this feeling Stephen A and Shannon that something wasn't right and and because they had so I mean when their when their best player at times was Caleb DS a freshman I mean you started to go wow I mean the talent is all over the place but they they they were able I mean the Georgia game is an enigma I mean that's on Kirby Smart because we we know Georgia is one of the two or three best teams in the country and they may be the best but they're never going to be able to prove it it doesn't matter uh but but Alabama was was fortunate to get in there and they were able to to Nuance their way to to to The Showdown against Kirby and that was Nick versus Kirby and Nick won again like he does just about every time with that one time uh so so I think that's really the defining moment and and I I don't think the Alabama players respected the Big 10 and by the way with justification we watched Penn stay get rolled over by Old Miss we watched Missouri beat Ohio State I mean it was embarrassing to watch so there in the mindset and that's what happens in the South with the SEC that players just tend to they quit listening to the coach they go we're better than those guys and and and the interesting thing being out there all week guys the Michigan players didn't care uh I don't think they I mean they they said all the right things about Alabama but there was a confidence about them Shannon that you you've you've seen and you've you've displayed before well well I'm I'm gonna give this to you real quick Shannon but I'm gonna say this okay I I'm not gonna you know you know better to me Paul whether or not this was Nick sabin's best job considering the lack of expectations because you know you you had question marks at the quarterback spot Mar I give him a lot of credit because remember the second game of the season like I I was lost I'm like I'm not feeling this team at all and then to see him develop and come out listen and the brother can run with the football and I'm wondering if Shannon you can explain this to me whether or not you just you just throw a bunch of just so you know they can't go zero Blitz on you you know what just put some folks out wide and threat make make them honor the p ing game so you can run as opposed to stacking the deck knowing they stack the line of scrip I don't understand that at all I don't get it but in the end I'm going to say this you beat Georgia for the SEC Championship it was an undefeated Georgia team who was the reigning defending two-time national champions and their coach is somebody who coached for you and oh by the way beat you a couple of years ago for the national championship so I look at it from that perspective and I'm not going to sit up here and say well we knew that you know Alabama just over wait a minute they did but in the same breath once you knocked off Georgia I certainly expected them to put forth a better showing in terms of their offensive line they're not loaded like Alabama is normally loaded especially at the skill position especially the offense and the defensive line this is one of the this is not what uh uh it might be one of his best coaching jobs given what he has how many first rounders do you think they have on that team this year Paul not like they normally have and so when you look at Blake when they lost go ahead of them yeah but when I they got two or three but but not like last year and when I look and when I look at milroe and he he got another year to get better and improve and improve improve but I just thought there were a ceiling that they have with him given the talent that they got around him and his ability his he's young he can only he's only going to take you so far and with a talent deor of the talent that Alabama normally has this was as far as they were supposed to go here's the thing that I will say to both y'all because I don't know college football the way Paul does and I don't know football the way that you do but I know this much I've been on this show for 12 years yeah I've been a journalist for 30 I ain't never had to talk about no damn Center ever ever I mean we we're sitting here on national television and the fact that Seth mclin that we even know your name right is a problem because I have never had to look at it I I I I've never seen a game where there was a multitude of bad snaps from the first quarter to the four Paul am I liing I have never seen it where from the first quarter to the fourth quarter we're talking about a center Stephen hey Jeff Saturday might have something to say about that he'll be here I'm sure he would but if you look at Alabama the meat and potatoes are all those first round and high draft picks on the offensive line all those high draft picks on the defensive line they don't have that right now Steen and they don't have a quarterback that can play above that like we've seen in the we saw Bryce young we seen the guy new forget off the top my head we seen T come on St I I will you're right about that I will say this though I mean again looking at it they got to get the meat potatoes Brothers right there I mean you got you but give I will give Michigan credit for this he wasn't just snapping the ball badly and that was it right he looked nervous because Michigan was coming yeah for sure that pressure affected him that that was obvious [Music] he

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Keywords: first take michigan, first take, espn, stephen a. smith, college football, espn college football, espn first take, stephen a smith, michigan wolverines, michigan football, first take espn, michigan wolverines football, stephen a first take, college football espn, jim harbaugh, shannon sharpe, college football on espn, michigan, michigan vs alabama, cfp semifinals, college football highlights, college football playoff, cfp, cfb, alabama vs michigan, alabama crimson tide

Id: pYUDMb82_OA

Length: 16min 8sec (968 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 02 2024