# 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl (December)

The 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 39th annual ReliaQuest Bowl (previously played as the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022) featured the Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference; a rematch of the previous season's 2024 Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal). The game began at approximately 12:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 FBS football season. The game's title sponsor was the ReliaQuest cybersecurity company.

## Teams

The game featured the (7–5) Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, versus the (9–3) Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The bowl game was a rematch of the previous season's 2024 Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal), where the Michigan Wolverines won 27–20 in overtime. In the 2024 CFP National Championship Game, Michigan defeated Alabama's head coach Kalen DeBoer at his previous post with the Washington Huskies. Both DeBoer and Michigan's Sherrone Moore were in their first season as head coach with each program. It was the seventh all-time meeting between the Crimson Tide and Wolverines, with the series tied 3–3 entering the game. Michigan made its seventh appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl (previously played as the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl), and Alabama made its third.

### Michigan Wolverines

On December 3, Kirk Campbell was fired by Michigan as offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach Steve Casula replaced him as the interim offensive coordinator for the ReliaQuest Bowl. In the following weeks, All-American juniors Mason Graham, Will Johnson, Kenneth Grant, and Colston Loveland, each declared for the 2025 NFL draft, opting to sit out the bowl game as projected first-round picks. They were joined as opt-outs by Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings, Josaiah Stewart, Makari Paige, Tyler Morris and Myles Hinton. With the opt-outs and the graduating class in 2023, Michigan returned zero starters on offense or defense from the two teams previous meeting in the 2024 Rose Bowl.

### Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide were the first team left out in the inaugural 12 team 2024–25 College Football Playoff (CFP), despite being the No. 11 ranked team in the country. Alabama was not selected into the playoff as both the automatic qualifying Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12 Conference champions were ranked lower, pushing Alabama to No. 13 in the seeding. All-SEC defensive back Malachi Moore did not play in the bowl game with an injury.

## Game summary

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 Alabama | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Michigan | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
* Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
* Game time: 12:05 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: 10 mph (16 km/h) northeast
* Game attendance: 51,439
* Referee: Tuta Salaam
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline)
* Box score
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | ALA | MICH |
| 1 | 8:15 | 7 | 17 | 4:01 | MICH | 45-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 5:52 | 4 | 7 | 2:18 | MICH | 30-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada | 0 | 6 |
| 1 | 4:15 | 3 | 16 | 0:48 | MICH | Fredrick Moore 13-yard touchdown reception from Davis Warren, Dominic Zvada kick good | 0 | 13 |
| 1 | 2:04 | 4 | 3 | 2:04 | MICH | 21-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 4:06 | 4 | 71 | 0:50 | ALA | Robbie Ouzts 25-yard touchdown reception from Jalen Milroe, Graham Nicholson kick good | 7 | 16 |
| 2 | 0:04 | 8 | 90 | 0:54 | ALA | 24-yard field goal by Graham Nicholson | 10 | 16 |
| 4 | 7:21 | 9 | 47 | 5:17 | MICH | 37-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada | 10 | 19 |
| 4 | 4:38 | 8 | 42 | 2:43 | ALA | 51-yard field goal by Graham Nicholson | 13 | 19 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 19 |

### Statistics

| Statistics | ALA | MICH |
| First downs | 15 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 62–260 | 66–190 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–68 | 51–115 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 75 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–33–1 | 11–15–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:48 | 38:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Jalen Milroe | 16/32, 192 yards, TD, INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Rico Scott | 1 carry, 28 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Germie Bernard | 4 receptions, 80 yards |
| Michigan | Passing | Davis Warren | 9/12, 73 yards, TD |
| Michigan | Rushing | Jordan Marshall | 23 carries, 100 yards |
| Michigan | Receiving | Fredrick Moore | 3 receptions, 37 yards, TD |