When Alabama coaches and players look back at the game film of their 27-20 loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl, they’ll kick themselves, Roman Harper believes.

All the mistakes made by the Crimson Tide, and a victory was still attainable. There just isn’t any excuse the SEC Network analyst contends.

“I thought they were caught off guard in that 1st half,” Harper told “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on WJOX in Birmingham. “I think like you said, they were prepared to stop runs up the middle and then Michigan did a really good job of hitting them with some new design stuff and trying to get to the edge. A lot of pulling guys getting to the edges.

“I didn’t think Alabama anticipated that. Then in the 2nd half, they changed some things up and started some plays, being better, getting in gaps, attacking guys more downhill. But at the end of the day, you give Michigan credit for that.”

Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington on Jan. 8 — but only after a fourth-quarter comeback and an overtime finish.

“For Alabama, I wanna say they got out-schemed, but there’s no real excuse,” he said. “You didn’t play good in the biggest game and the big situations. Nobody wins those games. This is not basketball. This is football. It’s one day. The team that plays the best that day for 60 minutes is the one that’s gonna win the game. That’s what happened.

“Alabama played well in the second half, except for the last four minutes of the game and that cost you.”

Roman Wilson made a 4-yard TD catch with 1:34 left in regulation for the Wolverines, who hadn’t scored in the second half until a 75-yard drive led by J.J. McCarthy.

Blake Corum, who caught an early TD pass and rushed for 83 yards, needed only two snaps to score in the first overtime period to score.

The Michigan defense then stopped Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe 2 yards short of the end zone on the final snap.

“All of the little mistakes compounding over and over and over allowed Michigan to stay in the lead, get back in the game,” Harper said.

“It allowed Alabama not to pick that fourth and 3 on the last play of the game as well. …

“I mean this, these Alabama players, whether they stay or go, they are going to look up and they are going to up and look at the film, they going to be kicking themselves because they had an opportunity to have a B- performance and you still took the No. 1 team in the country to overtime.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.