ARLINGTON, Texas — Our hats are off to our 11th-ranked Michigan Wolverines with their 33-17 Labor Day weekend victory against the 17th-ranked Florida Gators.
The first quarter came with Florida taking the lead with a 46-yard field goal, yet Michigan tied it with a six-minute drive that included a 36-yard run from Ty Issac. The Wolverines would have had a 7-3 lead, but there was a flag on the touchdown play, and the referees declared it ‘ineligible’, which concluded with a 25-yard FG. Still, Michigan hailed through the rest of the quarter thanks to a 20-yard run from Chris Evans (no, not that Chris Evans who hails to the victor on the big screen as Marvel’s true red-white-blue Captain America), followed by a 46-yard TD catch to Taric Black.
Sadly, Michigan got swamped in the second quarter with back-to-back interceptions from Florida, but the Wolverines ended the first half by cutting the Gators’ lead by four with a 55-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin.
Highlights of the second half includes Michigan getting back in the groove with a three-yard TD run from Karan Higdon, followed by back-to-back field goals from Nordin, who made a school history with two 50-plus field goals in a single game – including a 50-yard FG in the third. Despite Nordin’s last two failed FG attempts, Michigan’s defense helped the Wolverines score in the final minutes of the game with a three-man fumble rush on the red zone against Florida’s quarterback.
Next up: Michigan will face the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Big House on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Noon. That game will air on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.