The 2012 Alabama football team spent its offseason battling the complacency that took over in 2010 and suppressing the joy the team felt after winning it all in 2011. The Crimson Tide’s season opening 41-14 romping of no. 8 Michigan was a microcosm of the praise and criticism the team faced all offseason. “The whole summer and camp we talked about setting an identity for this defense,” said linebacker C.J. Mosley, who lead the team with six tackles and an interception return for a touchdown. “Everybody was talking about 2010 and 2011. Today we came out with great intensity and great tenacity. We showed the world what the 2012 defense is going to do.” Coming into the game, the biggest story was whether Alabama’s reloaded defense – which lost nine starters, including three first round draft picks – could slow down or stop Michigan dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson. Robinson was known for terrorizing opposing defenses with his big play ability, leaving defenders who tried tackling him in the dust. But from the start, it was apparent Robinson was in over his head against the defending national champions. Alabama game planned to make Robinson one dimensional, forcing him to be a pocket passer and not allowing him to get into the open field. Robinson carried the ball a total of 10 times for a mere 27 yards, with his longest run going for nine yards. “It’s an Alabama standard to play great defense…” said safety Vinnie Sunseri, who finished with three and half tackles and one tackle for loss. “Our pass rush was phenomenal and we were expecting him to run more, but we did a good job of containing him…” Alabama set the tone early, jumping out to a 31-0 lead in the first half, and never looked backed. The Tide punished Michigan with its stable of running backs, combining for 232 yards on 42 carries. True freshman T.J. Yeldon anchored the backfield, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. Yeldon became the first true freshman in Alabama history to rush for over 100 yards, taking advantage of added playing time due to the nagging injuries of regular starter Eddie Lacy. “We’re used to freshman running backs around here having an impact,” center Barrett Jones said. “That’s exactly what I expected from him. Certainly I think he may be the next great one in a long line of running backs.” The strong running game helped set up Alabama’s passing game, which looked explosive at times. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw two touchdowns early, including a 51 yard bomb to wide receiver DeAndrew White who beat his defender with a double move. But like any team vying for a championship, there is always room for improvement. Robinson connected with his receivers on two long passes, one that set up a rushing touchdown and 44-yarder that went for a touchdown. Like any Nick Saban coached team, Alabama is taking the win with a grain of salt, already thinking about preparation for the next opponent. “It builds a lot of confidence anytime you come out and play a top-10 team and win like we did,” corner back Dee Milliner said. “It felt like we did great, but there are a lot of things that we can work on and get better at.” That improvement begins next week when Alabama returns home to face Western Kentucky. Kickoff is set for 2:39 p.m. CT.