No. 17 Michigan routs No. 19 Florida 41-7 in Citrus Bowl

“As I’ve said from the start – and any coach will tell you and it’s not cliché – it starts up front”.

There was nothing else he could say.

That space evaporated with the shortened field, however, as bending but not breaking is one of the strengths of Michigan’s defense. Sure, many of FSU’s points came late in an otherwise close game, but being held to just two points one week before the SEC Championship Game was a cause of concern.

Miami native Treon Harris has regressed in his sophomore season, but if No. 19 Florida is going to upset No. 14 MI in the Citrus Bowl (1 p.m., ABC), McElwain needs his quarterback to “cut the ball loose”.

So, forget about the offense finding a way to win this game. But, really, their options are likely limited due to the struggling, inexperienced offensive line and the limited skill set of Harris in a pro-style offense.

Taylor needs just 15 yards to become only the fourth 1,000-yard rusher at UF since his father did it in 1997 and the first since Mike Gillislee in 2012.

“It was pretty much just the best fit for me and for my career going in the future”, Taylor said. “Very good to get it out of the way”.

Harbaugh will inject what is shaping up like a top-three recruiting class into his program, and he’s already made a slam-dunk defensive coordinator hire to replace his old coordinator, who did such a good job a divisional opponent stole him away to be its head coach.

The announced attendance at the Citrus Bowl was 63,113, the most at the stadium since its renovation.

MI wide receiver Jehu Chesson (86) celebrates his 31-yard reception for a touchdown as Florida defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III (1) and defensive back Marcus Maye (20) walk off the field during the first half of the Cit… Rudock had 440 yards and six touchdown passes in a come-from-behind victory for MI. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen our offense play better”.

Who’s got it better than us? They play with guys in high school.

When asked if he was surprised to “land on his feet” in the SEC after calling plays for a 5-7 MI team that finished ranked 112th nationally in total offense last season, Nussmeier was quick to defend himself.

Like the Gators, the Wolverines (9-3) weren’t supposed to be here, but fifth-year senior Jake Rudock emerged as a reliable leader, completing more than 66 percent of his passes during the final eight weeks of the season. The Gators’ offense had sputtered for most of the season, and on Friday, it was facing one of the nation’s elite defenses.

Even with how the season ended, McElwain said he would rate the season a success.

Once the shock wore off, UF still couldn’t find an answer to Michigan’s dominance on the line of scrimmage. Third overall in total defense (281.3 ypg), and suffocating sixth in scoring defense (17.2), and not to mention being second in 3rd down conversions as teams have been able to convert only 25% of the time throughout the season. (The other two – Hoke and Fielding Yost – don’t have a lot in common.) And Michigan needs no reminders it lost to its chief rivals again this season, dropping a heartbreaker on the final play to eventual Big Ten champ Michigan State and then getting drop-kicked again at home by Ohio State. Nine plays later, MI opened the scoring when Johnson punched it in from four yards out.