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Game balls from Michigan football's 19-13 ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•12/31/24•

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NCAA Football: ReliaQuest Bowl-Alabama at Michigan
Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive coaches Wink Martindale and Lou Esposito celebrate after a defensive stop against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. – The Michigan Wolverines finished the 2024 season with an 8-5 record after a 19-13 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl, closing out the year on the highest note possible.

There were no shortage of standout performances in the Michigan win. TheWolverine.com’s panel of Clayton Sayfie, Chris Balas and Anthony Broome award their game balls.

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Clayton Sayfie: Freshman RB Jordan Marshall

Absence created an opportunity for several young players on the Michigan roster, and perhaps the biggest beneficiary of that was freshman back Jordan Marshall, who won the game’s MVP trophy after totaling 23 rushes for 100 yards. The former top-100 recruit was the team’s highest-ranked signee in the 2024 class and he took advantage of Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings opting out of the game. He has a chance to be special and flashed that against an Alabama team that geared up to stop the run with U-M’s passing limitations. The backfield duo he could form with former Alabama rusher Justice Haynes could once again give Michigan one of the best 1-2 punches in the country at the position in 2025.

Chris Balas: Junior EDGE Derrick Moore

Derrick Moore was the only starter on the defensive line that suited up today and the result was arguably the best game of his Michigan career, finishing with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, several pressures and a fumble recovery. He wreaked havoc all day against the Alabama offensive line, and hammered home the idea that his return might make him the best player on the defense, and one of the best pass rushers in college football, next season. It was only a matter of time before he had a breakout game that resulted in bigger sack numbers. Hopefully, it is a sign of things to come.

Anthony Broome: Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale

Let me be the next in line to eat a nice, tasty plate of crow when it comes to the job Wink Martindale did this year. He kept all the receipts, so hopefully some share the praise, too.

For most of the season, it felt like the sum of the parts on the defense did not equal the quality of the parts it had, especially with four potential first-rounders on the unit. The group played its best ball down the stretch with a bit of a ragtag group of guys out there, especially on the back end. The comparisons to Don Brown were always a bit of a stretch and low-hanging fruit, but Martindale made the big adjustment and the group hit its stride despite being leaned on heavily. Michigan’s offensive failures put a lot on the defense’s plate this year, and there were some cracks early on. The fear was that they would get carved up with several high-profile opt-outs in the game. Instead, the group racked up 3 turnovers, and for the second postseason in a row got a stop on fourth down to seal a win over the Crimson Tide.

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