Michigan Wolverines vs Florida Gators Football Game 2016

MI running back De’Veon Smith rushed for 109 yards on 25 carries, while quarterback Jake Rudock completed 20 of 31 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

Before a 337-yard passing output in a 49-16 win over Rutgers on November 7, Rudock averaged only 180.4 yards a game, and was viewed by many as a stopgap in Harbaugh’s first season. Chesson’s highlight grab set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Sione Houma, which made it 31-7 and put the game out of reach.

Against Florida’s defense, one of the best in college football, to boot.

For now, that will have to do: MI drubbed Florida, 41-7, on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl with a suffocating defense and the sort of balance on offense that Harbaugh’s best teams at Stanford were known for.

MI head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, holding his son Jack, celebrates after their 41-7 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. “If you won out completely, I think the best record you could have is 15-0. And our defense was magnificent”. But only one team left the Citrus Bowl with the look and feel of a conference contender, and that team doesn’t play in the SEC. They’re really good players. The Wolverines had a big turnaround season of their own under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, but ended the regular season with a disappointing 42-13 home loss to arch-rival Ohio State.

The story of the game though was the dominance of the MI offense, who put up a season high in yards (503) against a Florida defense that was amongst the best in the nation.

Rudock credited the coaching staff’s game plan and scouting efforts with putting him and his teammates in optimum situations. “So, I’m really happy they got that opportunity”, said McElwain. They took it to us, beat us up front, did a great job in the red area, kept us off balance. What gives that statement life is that they have been accomplishing that mission in just about every game this season. As we transition into the year 2016, the bowl slate is still filled with intrigue.

Offensively, Michigan scored on all but two of the nine possessions they had the ball – and one of those was the final drive of the game where U-M would charge down the field and take a knee. And that MI defense was weakened without Jabrill Peppers, who didn’t play because of an injured hand.

“I went ahead and pulled out some old wishbone film”, McElwain said with a serious face.

Harris will continue to have the same problems he’s had – failing to find open receivers, taking too long in the pocket, getting sacked and throwing errant passes.

It was a decent showing by the Gators in the first half.

MI took a 17-7 lead into halftime thanks largely to the efficiency of the Wolverines passing attack. The six-foot-six, 248 pound matchup nightmare has caught 48 passes for 620 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Chesson used a double move, initially faking an inside slant, to strand and separate from star cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. And in the game when the Gators needed them most, they did not deliver.

So when Florida drove to the 1-yard line in the first quarter, but two goal-line plays resulted in the loss of a yard, the Gators chose to try something tricky. In order for Florida to win, the inefficiency by Harris is going to have to be masked a little with Taylor and talented but young receivers Antonio Callaway and Brandon Powell.

Callaway then found Harris all alone in the end zone for a score.