TAMPA, Fla. >> Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale basked in the moment on the field after the Wolverines stunned Alabama to win the ReliaQuest Bowl, relying on tough, aggressive defense that rattled quarterback Jalen Milroe and created turnovers.

As a reporter approached Martindale on the Raymond James Stadium field after Michigan’s 19-13 win on Tuesday to finish the season 8-5, he initiated the conversation with a joke.

“I know I blitz too much, right?” Martindale said, laughing.

There’s always a kernel of truth in every joke, and Martindale was bringing up a theme that has come up since he was hired by first-year head coach Sherrone Moore in early 2024. The skinny on Martindale, who came to Michigan after 20 seasons in the NFL, is that he does, indeed, subscribe to heavy blitzing. He even said he would be more aggressive than the Wolverines’ two previous defensive coordinators, who happened to learn from him while he was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. But throughout the season, he pushed back on those who suggested he blitzed too much or haphazardly.

Martindale said a few days before the bowl game that he noticed a change in the defense in the final month of the regular season, starting with top-ranked Oregon. Meanwhile, the Michigan players said they noticed a change in Martindale and how he approached them, more mindful of them being college players and not pros. They also said he allowed them to play more loose.

In the following game, at then-No. 8 Indiana, the Wolverines held the Hoosiers to 18 second-half yards. In a must-win game to reach bowl eligibility, Michigan walloped Northwestern, 50-6, giving up 127 yards and grabbing two interceptions.

At No. 2 Ohio State the next week, in the regular-season finale, Michigan, a three-touchdown underdog, won, 13-10, and had two interceptions while holding the Buckeyes to 252 yards. Alabama had three turnovers, including two fumbles, and was held to 13 points and 260 yards by a Michigan defense that was without NFL-bound defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, edge Josaiah Stewart, safety Makari Paige and cornerback Will Johnson.

What does this mean for next season’s defense?

“It’s going to give us great momentum going into it and great confidence,” Martindale said. “It’s going to make everybody work harder in the offseason. Any time you can end with holding Ohio State to 10 points and Alabama to 13 points — and I’m gonna say that to anybody who asks me that question because I just like how that sounds.”

He didn’t finish the thought because he started to laugh. But his point was pretty clear. Even with those losses on defense to the NFL Draft, Martindale still expects a powerful defense, and Exhibit A was on display against Alabama.

“It was fun to prepare for, and really, do you expect to hold a team like that to 13 points?” Martindale said. “I knew it was going to be a battle, but our kids played their ass off and it’s really about them, because they were unbelievable all through prep. It was a great way to end the season.”A few days before the game, Martindale spoke of edge rusher Derrick Moore and described him as playing “banged up” during the season and having a lot of “almost sacks” this season. Moore, he said, played selfless all season and predicted he will be fun to watch in 2025.

Against Alabama, Moore got those sacks and had two of Michigan’s five. He also has a fumble recovery. He called it his best game at Michigan.

“When you’re out there with three first-rounders, they take all the damn sacks,” Moore said after the win. “They make it difficult for you to get to the quarterback. I felt like it was my time to shine. I just felt like I’ve been patient pretty much my whole career, and I just went out and showed the world what Derrick Moore can do.”

He said Michigan’s defensive performance was a sign of things to come. Wesley Walker had an interception and six tackles. Aamir Hall had a sack, as did Brandyn Hillman and Cameron Brandt.

“I feel like we really showed the world who we got going into next year,” Moore said. “We just showing everybody who we have, and we also got guys coming in, and next year we’re just ready to strap it up and reload and dominate whoever comes in front of us.”