Michigan gets dominant bowl win vs. Florida to end Harbaugh’s debut season

I wrote that a year ago, when Tennessee was last ripping to shreds an overmatched Big Ten team in a bowl game. The Vols had wrapped up a weird season with a cathartic win, one that solidified a spot in the S&P+ top 25 despite a 7-6 record.

It became obvious by the second quarter of Tennessee’s TaxSlayer Bowl romp last year that the Vols were going to end up on the “too much, too soon” hype train. They were going to begin in the top 15 and lose to some excellent opponents, and a top 25 finish was going to feel like a disappointment because the bar was set in the wrong place.

It’s time for a New Year’s Day game. This one is pretty difficult. So get out that magnifying glass, gather your family and friends and play along at home. How many ads can you find in this photo? Scroll down for the answer!

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Jim Harbaugh’s transformative first season as Michigan’s head football coach ended with a 41-7 pounding of Florida at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year’s Day.

Playing in his last college game, Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, including a bullet to receiver Grant Perry that helped put the game out of the Gators’ reach.

Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock is playing his last college football game on Friday, leading the Wolverines against Florida in the Citrus Bowl.

Rudock’s been having a nice afternoon, and no moment has been prettier than this total dime of a touchdown pass he threw to freshman receiver Grant Perry in the third quarter:

Florida executed a trick play to perfection for its first touchdown in the Citrus Bowl:

Treon Harris had been under center, but walked over to the right of the formation, acting as if he was communicating with the sideline. The ball was snapped directly to Kelvin Taylor, who ran to the left and handed the ball to wide receiver Antonio Callaway on a reverse. Harris was completely unguarded, and Callaway calmly flipped the ball underhand to him. Easiest passing TD ever.

The Florida Gators have fallen on hard times at the kicker position. The team’s top two options, Austin Hardin and Jorge Powell, are injured and not playing in Friday’s Citrus Bowl against Michigan.

Instead, the Gators have pre-dental student Neil MacInnes, a senior who got the job via an open tryout in the middle of the season, doing their kicking. Or, at least, pretending to do their kicking:

No. 19 Florida reigned over a weak SEC East in 2015. No. 14 Michigan proved that a new head coach was the key to rejuvenation at one of the nation’s most storied programs. Both teams are in need of a quality win to cap off their seasons, and they’ll get that chance when they meet in the 2016 Citrus Bowl.

The 10-3 Gators went 6-0 against their divisional foes this fall but were just 1-3 against other Power 5 opponents. On New Year’s Day, they’ll face Michigan -- a team that squarely fits in the latter category. The Wolverines were 9-3 this fall and, like Florida, only lost to quality opponents. The similarities don’t stop there. Each team is breaking in a first-year head coach who can wash the bad taste of a regular season-ending loss with a key bowl win. Both teams will rely on hard-hitting defenses to carry them to victory.

It wasn’t just the shutout streak. Michigan went almost 200 minutes without allowing a point, shutting out BYU, Maryland and Northwestern and nearly doing the same to UNLV.

Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines also held Utah, Oregon State and Michigan State well under season averages. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s defense was easily the best in the country through mid-October.

At the beginning of the season, if you would have told Michigan and Florida that they would be in the Citrus Bowl with first-year head coaches, they probably would have taken it. Now that’s the reality for these two overachievers, who can build some strong momentum for next year. Here’s how to watch online:

Time: 1 p.m. ET Jan. 1

Stream: WatchESPN

Jim Harbaugh yells at refs. Like, a lot. It’s in his nature. He’s like this even off the field, as exemplified at a Citrus Bowl promo event, wherein Michigan and Florida players competed against each other in physical challenges, like in game shows such as Minute to Win It.

It was during the final event, where players wore belted boxes around their butts and had to shake out balls in said boxes. Harbaugh went full Harbaugh and yelled at the game show host for awarding Florida instead of Michigan, and then demanded a redo. Shaking balls out of a box with your butt is serious business:

Pete Volk explained his Michigan pick.

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One of only two bowl games played on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day that isn’t one of the New Year’s Six decided by the College Football Playoff committee, the Citrus Bowl will continue its lengthy history with another matchup between the Big Ten and SEC.

The SEC has a five-game winning streak in the game as the SEC offenses have managed to hang at least 30 points on the Big Ten defenses in each of the last five games.

Maryland has hired Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to replace former head coach Randy Edsall, the school announced Wednesday. The Terps were one of the first teams with an opening, firing Edsall after the team’s Oct. 10 loss to Ohio State.

Other big-name coaches with extensive offensive backgrounds were linked to the vacancy. Texans HC Bill O’Brien was reported to be interested, which he later denied. Mississippi State HC Dan Mullen’s name was repeatedly connected to the job, and Maryland planned to meet with former Georgia HC Mark Richt. Chargers OC Frank Reich, a former Maryland QB, reportedly interviewed for the job, as did Toronto Argonauts HC Scott Milanovich (another former Maryland QB).