Michigan 41, Florida 7
[File photo: Patrick Barron/MGoBlog]
Through the first half of the season Jake Rudock looked more like a liability than a solution at quarterback.
That felt like a distant memory as Rudock picked apart the vaunted Florida secondary, becoming the second Michigan quarterback (John Navarre) to surpass 3,000 single-season passing yards in the process. Rudock connected on 20/31 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a completley different player from the one that threw three picks at Utah to open the season.
Even with Jabrill Peppers sidelined due to a hand injury, Michigan looked like a team peaking in bowl season and ready to carry that momentum into 2016. De'Veon Smith, perhaps unencumbered by the turf toe he'd dealt with all season, had some extra pep in his step; more importantly, he knew where to take that step, showing much-improved vision on his way to a 109-yard afternoon.
The O-line stymied a Florida pass rush that ranked among the best in the country. Jehu Chesson repeatedly won one-on-one battles with balleyhooed cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, a projected top-ten NFL draft pick, including a hitch-and-go touchdown that broke the game open. Grant Perry emerged with a couple big grabs and his first career score. If Rudock can be satisfactorily replaced, all the pieces are there for the offense to break out in 2016.
The defense, meanwhile, limited an overmatched Gators offense to 262 yards. Florida couldn't hit a big play—their longest gain went for 27 yards—and didn't have a means to stay ahead of the chains outside of a few scattered scrambles by quarterback Treon Harris, who had to deal with plenty of pressure from Michigan's front four. When Harris lost his composure, the Wolverines took advantage, most notably on a Jarrod Wilson interception in the end zone with the Gators threatening to answer Chesson's long TD.
The special teams battle hardly came into play, but Michigan won that, too. Channing Stribling intercepted the holder's pitch when Florida faked a field goal on their opening drive; long after the game had been decided, a cavalcade stuffed a fake punt in the backfield.
Rudock teared up in the televised interview following his final collegiate game. Jim Harbaugh is done working his magic with Rudock, who guided a limited team to ten wins in their first year in a new system. When this team reconvenes in the spring, most of the talent from today's blowout will be back, and if Harbaugh has coaxed similar improvement from the other quarterbacks on the roster, they'll be poised for a run at the playoff.
January 1st, 2016 at 7:23 PM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 7:22 PM ^
schedule next year is pretty tough. The drop Northwestern and IU and add Wisconsin at home and Iowa on the road (to go with road trips to MSU and OSU).
January 1st, 2016 at 7:27 PM ^
division. Wisconsin and Iowa are not that good. MSU and OSU are both reloading.
Meanwhile UM returns a ton on both sides of the ball.
January 1st, 2016 at 10:43 PM ^
I meant Minnesota.
That being said, Wisconsin and Iowa are better than Minnesota and Northwestern. Michigan generally doesn't play well at Iowa and Wisconsin was pretty decent. They had the top scoring defense in college football.
I agree with you regarding MSU, but since the Ohio State game is the last game of the regular season, I don't think the "reloading" thing is as relevant.
January 2nd, 2016 at 6:51 AM ^
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January 2nd, 2016 at 10:42 AM ^
saw that last night. I agree that their DC moving on potentially changes Wisconsin's outlook a lot.
January 1st, 2016 at 10:45 PM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:45 AM ^
overall schedule might be about the same, but my point is that the conference schedule is considerably tougher. That's a big deal if the goal is to make the playoff.
January 1st, 2016 at 7:29 PM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 7:32 PM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 7:53 PM ^
One thing that jumped out at me the most (other than the team playing FAR better than I anticipated) was the level of intensity.
I have awful memories of Michigan going up a couple scores in a game and then Lloyd taking his foot off the gas, playing extra conservative and letting opponents back in the game. Those games STILL haunt me to this day.
But Harbaugh did NONE of that. When we went up 24-7, I simply could not believe how often we were attempting to throw. As a Michigan fan, this is the point of the game where you expect us to go all Mike DeBord and just do a bunch of handoffs up the middle. Harbaugh made sure we put the nail in the coffin early...assuring Florida did not have a prayer of any sort of a comeback.
It...was...glorious.
January 1st, 2016 at 8:29 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 9:06 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 9:12 PM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 9:51 PM ^
I had the game on the radio as well, Karsch started telling this story from the sideline and I started really listening when he was part way through it.
Essentially, during the 3rd Q, Harbaugh saw something in the demeanor of the Florida defense, called the whole offense over during a timeout and told them that "we are going to break their will."
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:15 AM ^
Definitely one of the more enjoyable aspects of the radio coverage. Dierdorf is great, and Brandstatter has the spirit but still has a way to go with PBP, (FIRST you tell us the ball was caught, or incomplete, THEN you talk about the throw).... he is getting better.
January 1st, 2016 at 11:25 PM ^
Normally, I don't like throwing late to run up the score. However, in modern college football, I don't feel that a lead is really safe until you get to four scores, so I didn't have a problem with the play calling...
And then the Gator DB attempted to decapitate* Darboh, at which point I wanted blood. :-) I think Harbaugh felt the same way, and I think that played into the play calling on the last two drives. I was honestly surprised he had them take a knee on the final play.
* not literally. I think.
January 1st, 2016 at 9:56 PM ^
We've seen too many games where we take the foot off the pedal and we are sweating in the 4th quarter.
The object is to get better as a team. That's every game, every quarter, every series, every down. You should be busting your rear as hard on the first series as you are midway through the 4th Q up 30. That's how you improve.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:12 AM ^
That drive to start the second half for the touchdown in hindsight sealed the ball game. Go Blue!!!
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:31 PM ^
Sorry to jump in late - a lot going on lately.
JH is a really different kinda guy - a little bit Bo, a little bit Vince Lombardi (a really hard working and demanding taskmaster for you youngsters) he also reminds me of Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra.
He was made for this moment in time in U of M history - don't let any of the inevitable NFL rumors distract or demoralize you - he was meant to be here at this time - it's written in the stars.
January 1st, 2016 at 8:02 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 9:02 PM ^
more people aren't talking about the oline's performance. The 3 running backs combined for 40 carries and 199 yds. 5 yds a pop against one of the best defenses in the country. Some of the holes the oline opened up were laaaaarge. This was a damn good front 7 that Florida had and the oline more than held their own.
January 1st, 2016 at 9:12 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 9:42 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 10:34 PM ^
Nice to see DeVeon fully healthy again and plowing over and through defenders all day again. He was back in form, big time.
January 4th, 2016 at 4:17 AM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 9:40 PM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:42 AM ^
January 1st, 2016 at 9:57 PM ^
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January 1st, 2016 at 10:38 PM ^
HAIL!
January 1st, 2016 at 10:42 PM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 1:58 AM ^
Did anyone see that sentence coming after Utah? The amount of work and effort Rudock put in combined with the teaching of Harbaugh turned a second string bench player transfer into an NFL prospect. That's incredible.
I'm not worried about the QB. Harbaugh will teach them all and the best one will be ready. We're going to be a bunch of monsters next season.
January 3rd, 2016 at 7:19 AM ^
I agree with everything you say, except calling him a "second string bench player." He was a two year starter for Iowa. Harbaugh did help develop him into a much more accomplished QB at Michigan than he ever was or would have been at Iowa.
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:02 AM ^
I dont want to bring up the painful past, but the thing I found myself thinking as I watched it today was that the team looked prepared. The reports of the team actually practicing and being tough and ready to compete were true. As others have stated, this week was not a vacation. They got after it and it showed today.
The future is bright my friends. Buckle up.
Go Blue!
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:21 AM ^
Bama players commented after the game how their preparation this year was different... more practice, less distractions. Bama is like OSU in that when the team shows up they are true elite.
MSU on the other hand was exposed, and painfully,
With Harbaugh at the helm, the work ethic that is being instilled, ensures this team will show up - even in games we don't win, we will be in it, all 4 quarters, and for many M fans, very refreshing.
January 2nd, 2016 at 4:46 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:21 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 1:48 PM ^
Great finish to an overachieving team! But just for the sake of stimulating a discussion which first year coach had the better 1st season? Hoke or Harbaugh?
2011 Hoke : 11-2, 2015 : Harbaugh 10-3
Bowl : Hoke : Sugar Bowl 23-21 over Virginia Tech Harbaugh Citrus Bowl 41-7 over Florida
Rivalry games : Hoke : wins over ND and ohio ; Harbaugh : ND n/a loss to ohio
Superficially Hoke had the better 1st year but to me, I think the 2015 team was a better team.
The eyeball test tells me the 2015 team was better because they played more cohesively as a team. The 2011 team had more individual talent. The 2015 team had to rebound from a 5-7 season. The 2011 team inherited a 7-6 season.
The 2015 team did not have a Denard Robinson who could singlehandedly win a game. The 2015 team did not have Junior Hemingway, now in the NFL who could and did bail out Denard when he out jumped the Va Tech defender to make a crucial catch when Denard threw a wounded duck in a drive that scored a TD.
Hoke inherited a singular talent in Denard. Harbaugh had to recruit and mold a decent QB castoff from Iowa into a very very good QB in Rudock.
Harbaugh et al. expanded the offensive repetoire instead of relying on Denard, making it more difficult to defend us.
I think the 2015 team had to do more in order to finish how they did and but for the most flukish play in the history of college football would also have finished 11-2. Just my two cents.
January 2nd, 2016 at 4:29 PM ^
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