LOS ANGELES — With each passing day, we are getting closer to one of the most anticipated College Football Playoff games in the history of the sport, as the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide are slated to face off in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day . On Thursday, Michigan football standout defensive tackle Mason Graham and others spoke with the media, comparing Bama to a fellow Big Ten school: the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Michigan football standout compares Alabama Crimson Tide to Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State vs. Michigan football (2023) | Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Yet again, James Franklin and his Penn State Nittany Lions finished the year with a 10-2 record, earning a New Year’s Six Bowl bid, though dropping games against Ohio State and Michigan football. Still, the Lions’ large offensive line and similar play style had Mason Graham and others comparing the Tide to Penn State ahead of the Rose Bowl.
“I would probably say (Alabama is) more like Penn State maybe,” Mason Graham said. “They had a pretty big offensive line, as well, and they really wanted to run the ball. I think it’ll be a similar challenge.
“… I just see that (Alabama wants) to run the ball downhill, and I feel like they’re going to try and test us there early on in the game maybe, so it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Graham noted the definite differences in quarterback play, though.
“(Jalen Milroe is) an explosive athlete that can make plays extend plays, so we’ve just been practicing our rush lanes, containing quarterbacks, just stuff like that,” he said.
More on the comparisons from Michigan DC Jesse Minter
Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter talks with reporters about the Fiesta Bowl against TCU on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
Michigan football defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was on the fence about what Mason Graham said, though seemed to agree with some aspects of the Alabama-Penn State comparison.
“I think what Mason said is probably true,” he said. “I think there are elements of different teams for each position. You obviously look at a receiving corps with speed, you think about Ohio State and their talent level back there, you look at a quarterback – we haven’t played a quarterback like Jalen Milroe.
“We haven’t played an offensive line this big and physical. Penn State had a good O-line; Ohio State played well at times on the O-line. But we haven’t played an O-line like this. … I think you trust that the long course of preparation that began last January has you prepared to play a team like this, and the most comparable team is probably our own team and a team that we get to practice against all the time.”
Michael Barrett chimes in
Michigan football linebacker Michael Barrett | Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Graham was not the only one to hint at some similarities between Nick Saban’s squad and Penn State football — Michael Barrett, a sixth-year team captain for the Wolverines, said much of the same.
“I see their offense kind of as a mix of Ohio State and Penn State,” Barrett explained Thursday. “That’s kind of how I viewed it there. But like I said, they’re their own team…”
Penn State may have helped Michigan football prep for grass field in Rose Bowl
Oct 22, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of playing Penn State, the Nittany Lions are one of two teams that the Wolverines faced this fall on a grass playing field. Seeing as the Rose Bowl has a grass field, and that is where Michigan football will be playing on Monday, Mason Graham had a chance to talk about adjustments that the Wolverines took away from a grass-field game in State College earlier this year.
“We’re kind of not used to (grass fields),” he said. “We have a grass field at our facility, but we’ve been using it a little bit more preparing just knowing we might get to this moment, so just been preparing for it.”
Wolverines could punch national title game ticket against the Tide on Monday
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh waves at fans to celebrate U-M’s 26-0 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Obviously, as noted by coaches, players, and fans alike, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Penn State Nittany Lions are not the same caliber of football team — Bama is a certified CFP team, while PSU is perhaps of top-10 caliber, yet is still behind top-ranked programs like Michigan football and Ohio State.
Still, despite the differences between Alabama and Penn State, Michigan football standout Mason Graham and others pointed out some notable similarities between the two that should help the Wolverines prep for the Rose Bowl.
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