ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jake Rudock threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns and Michigan’s defense dominated throughout in the No. 17 Wolverines’ 41-7 victory over No. 19 Florida on Friday in the Citrus Bowl.
In a game billed as a battle of two of the top defenses in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, the Wolverines’ offense shined bright in their first bowl victory since 2012.
Michigan (10-3) had three touchdown drives of at least 70 yards and finished with 503 yards of offense against a Florida defense that entered the game ranked sixth nationally.
Leading by 10 at the half, Michigan scored on each of its first two possessions in the third quarter to take a 31-7 lead.
Michigan played without safety Jabrill Peppers, who sat out with an undisclosed injury. But the Wolverines didn’t miss him, holding the Gators (10-4) to 28 total yards in the second half.
Florida quarterback Treon Harris had his moments early. But he also had a costly interception in the end zone late in the first half that stifled the Gators’ attempt to stay in the game.
Michigan took a 17-7 lead into halftime thanks largely to the efficiency of the Wolverines passing attack.
Michigan’s receivers did a great job creating lanes for Rudock to throw to, and ran crisp routes to open up deep-play opportunities.
The best example was on Rudock’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Jehu Chesson early in the second quarter that put Michigan up 14-7. Chesson used a double move, initially faking an inside slant, to strand and separate from cornerback Vernon Hargreaves.
Despite some unsteady outings to end the regular season, Harris managed the Gators’ offense well for most of the first half.
Florida seemed poised to keep pace early on, tying the game at 7 in the first quarter with an efficient eight-play, 75-yard drive. The series was capped with a fake reverse pass from receiver Antonio Callaway to Harris.
But on the series following Chesson’s touchdown, Harris made a poor decision while getting chased toward the sideline, tossing a third-down pass from just outside the red zone into a crowded end zone. The pass was intercepted by Jarrod Wilson.
The Wolverines drove down on the next series and added a field goal to extend their lead to 10.
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AP College Football website: collegefootball.ap.org
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