Alabama Football: 3 takeaways from Citrus Bowl blowout of Michigan

Alabama football pulled away from Michigan in the second half to earn a big win at the Citrus Bowl. Here are three things we learned about the Crimson Tide.

Squaring off the first time since meeting in the 2012 season opener in Arlington, the Wolverines and Crimson Tide played out a tense showdown that went the way of the SEC powerhouse. With their 35-16 win over Michigan in this year’s Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Alabama completed its ninth straight season with at least 11 wins. Nick Saban’s crew stay in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 for the ninth straight year as well.

It is a testament to this team’s consistency that the Crimson Tide went 11-2 and had what for them was a disappointing campaign. Getting that 11th victory, however, looked shaky in the first half before Saban and his staff adjusted at halftime and set up their charges to pull clear after the intermission.

Alabama found themselves in a firefight in the first half against Michigan. The Wolverines took a 16-14 lead into the locker room at halftime after Quinn Nordin’s 57-yard field goal attempt sailed cleanly through the uprights at Camping World Stadium on the final play of the second quarter. The kick continued a trend where teams completed 20 out of their 20 field goal tries against Alabama this year.

Ultimately Alabama proved to be just too good to allow Jim Harbaugh to snag the biggest statement win of his tenure at Michigan. What can we actually learn from this year’s bowl game between two historic powerhouses that had met only four times previously? Here are three things take away from the 2020 Citrus Bowl.