Head coach Jim Harbaugh's first season in Ann Arbor ended on a high note as the 14th-ranked Michigan Wolverines notched a 41-7 victory over the 19th-ranked Florida Gators in the 2016 Citrus Bowl on Friday.
Quarterback Jake Rudock put together another solid performance as he threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns. The ground game took care of the rest as the De'Veon Smith-led effort tallied 225 yards on 46 carries.
Meanwhile, Treon Harris struggled to find any type of rhythm against the Michigan defense. The dual-threat quarterback finished with just 203 total yards. His lone highlight was a touchdown reception on a trick play in the first quarter—Florida's only score of the day.
Here's a look at the quarter-by-quarter scoring:
| 2016 Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 19 Florida | |||||
| Wolverines | 7 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
| Gators | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| NCAA.com | |||||
Harbaugh could have considered his first year in Ann Arbor successful regardless of the bowl result. Yet he didn't downplay the importance of the high-profile meeting with Florida leading up to the game, as Angelique S. Chengelis of the Detroit News noted.
"It has been a heck of a good year," Harbaugh said. "It has potentially the chance to be...personally, I would look at this as the best year I've had in football if we win this game. If we win the game."
As a coach who's enjoyed success at both the collegiate and pro levels, including an appearance in the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, that's quite a statement.
On Friday, the Wolverines (10-3) struck first.
After Channing Stribling intercepted a fake field-goal attempt by Florida (10-4), the Michigan offense marched 73 yards in nine plays. Drake Johnson finished the job by finding his way through a maze of defenders for a four-yard score.
The rushing attack carried the load on the drive, which John Rawlings of WLIO spotlighted:
John Rawlings @JohnRawlingsTVI know it's Michigan's first drive and early in the game, but running the ball that well against a stout run defense shows promise
Florida responded with a touchdown drive and proved it wasn't afraid to utilize trick plays even though its first one had failed.
The Gators used a good mix of plays to march down the field. Then, on third down from the Michigan 2-yard line, they ran a direct-snap reverse with Harris leaking into the flat, where receiver Antonio Callaway found him wide open for an easy touchdown.
After Florida made a mess of the fake field goal, the scoring play was a thing of beauty, as the SEC Network highlighted:
SEC Network @SECNetworkTRICK PLAY ALERT! #CitrusBowl Kelvin Taylor --> Antonio Callaway --> Treon Harris. #Gators TD:
Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus commented on the play's design:
Steve Palazzolo @PFF_SteveFlorida combined three trick plays into one. And all three worked
Michigan started to pick up some steam in the second quarter. An eight-play drive—five passes and three runs—ended with Rudock finding an open Jehu Chesson to regain the lead.
The Citrus Bowl provided the crowd reaction:
Citrus Bowl @CitrusBowlListen to that @umichfootball crowd as Jehu Chesson hauls in the touchdown.
Michigan fans had plenty to cheer about from that point forward as the Wolverines rattled off 24 straight points across the second and third quarters to take control.
By the time Sione Houma powered into the end zone from two yards out late in the third, it didn't appear as though Florida had any fight left. Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com came to the same conclusion:
Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardnerFlorida looks lifeless. And I think I've gotten to know Jim Harbaugh well enough to know that he'll ease up when he boards the plane.
Michigan continued the onslaught in the fourth quarter. Making the blowout even more impressive was the fact that Jabrill Peppers sat out after suffering a hand injury. The talented safety, who has also made an impact on offense and special teams, still found a way to get involved, according to Sam Webb of WTKA:
Sam Webb @SamWebb77Jabrill Peppers just concluded talking a boatload of trash to the Gator secondary (primarily Jalen Tabor) with a Gator chomp. Lol
The Wolverines had scored 34 consecutive points after the early 7-7 tie, and the game was as lopsided as the score suggested.
Drew Hallett of MaizeNBrew.com highlighted a Michigan milestone:
Drew Hallett @DrewCHallettWith that pass, Jake Rudock becomes the second Michigan QB ever to pass for 3,000+ yards in a season. First was Navarre (2003).
And the Wolverines celebrated the triumph:
Michigan Athletics @UMichAthleticsWho’s got it better than us!? #GoBlue
SportsCenter passed along a note about the victory:
SportsCenter @SportsCenterMichigan wins Citrus Bowl, 41-7, making this their largest margin of victory over an SEC school since 2004.
Michigan did a better job of executing throughout the game, and Florida is not built to overcome sizable deficits. Getting that hallmark 10th victory gives Harbaugh and the Wolverines some momentum as they head into the offseason looking to further bolster the roster.
The Gators will probably want to erase this game from their memory as soon as possible. They enjoyed a strong regular season and reached the SEC Championship Game, but they just couldn't match Michigan's intensity in the middle quarters, and the game got away.
Head coach Jim McElwain, like Harbaugh at Michigan, put a solid foundation for success in place during his first year in charge of the Florida program. Now, the task for both coaches is to make the necessary adjustments to push toward the College Football Playoff next season.
Postgame Reaction
ESPN provided remarks from Rudock about his performance and the victory:
Harbaugh felt his team brought everything together at the perfect time to wrap up the season, as relayed by Zach Shaw of Michigan Daily:
Zach Shaw @_ZachShawHarbaugh says that this was his team's best performance all season.
On the flip side, McElwain didn't think his group showcased the same drive over the final couple games of the campaign, per Graham Hack of Alligator Sports:
Graham Hack @graham_hack24McElwain: "I think we had some guys satisfied when we first won the (SEC) East)." #Gators
The Florida head coach is still optimistic about what 2016 will bring, including some fresh faces, according to Zach Abolverdi of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Zach Abolverdi @ZachAbolverdiMcElwain says he expects to sign 28-30 recruits in the 2016 class. #Gators
If you would have told the Michigan fanbase it would get 10 victories and a bowl win on New Year's Day this season, most likely would have taken it in a heartbeat, especially after a season-opening loss to Utah. So Harbaugh is off to an ideal start.
There's still plenty of work to do to get the program back on top of the college football world, though.
