TAMPA, Fla. — No one expected Michigan football to come into Raymond James Stadium and upset the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide. However, the Wolverines took the Jan. 1 game against Alabama and returned the favor again on Dec. 31 to close out the bookended calendar year.

No one, and we mean no one, thought that Michigan football stood much of a chance in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama. The Crimson Tide were hoping for an invitation into the College Football Playoff,

Michigan’s offense didn’t have any drives of more than 50 yards and finished with a ReliaQuest Bowl-low 190 yards. Playing without its top two running backs, the Wolverines received a boost from true freshman Jordan Marshall, who made his first start and rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries.