2016 Michigan Football Highlights at MSU
Free Press sports writers Mark Snyder and Jeff Seidel recap U-M"s 33-32 loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl Friday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Video by Mark Snyder/DFP
Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis gives up the game-winning touchdown against Florida State receiver Nyqwan Murray during the second half of U-M"s 33-32 loss in Orange Bowl to Florida State Friday in Miami Gardens, Fla.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier DFP)Buy Photo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. You had to figure this gamewas going to be strange when Renegade, Florida State"s mascot horse, took a tumble during the pregame festivities.
After that?
It got even crazier.
There were injuries and collapses and comebacks and then some more collapses and comebacks sometimes, it seemed to happen in the same breath -- and then came the blocked extra point and the kickoff and the final collapse. All in all, it was enough to make your head spin, as the Orange Bowl turned into a wild crazy drama on fast forward that Florida State pulled out with a 33-32 victory over Michigan.
The way I feel about it is it was a heck of a game, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said.
And now that the season over, what are we to make of this Michigan team? This team that had so much potential but ended the season by losing three of its last four games?
To be fair, it should be pointed out that this team lost those three games by a total of five points. Change a few plays here and there and everything would have been far different. In this game. In this season.
Related:
But ultimately, that didnt happen. This team fell short of its potential. It failed to get to the College Football Playoff. It failed to win the Big Ten championship. It failed to win the Orange Bowl.
It was a season of unfulfilled potential. Close but five points short.
I love them, love these guys, Harbaugh said. Great group of competitors, great group of workers, and a great group of guys that find a way. They"ve got a will to win. Not just they want to win; I mean, they must win. I love them for it.
For most of this game, Michigan was stuck between a Hard Rock and a hard place.
All-AmericalinebackerJabrill Peppers sat out of the Orange Bowl with a leg injury. Tight end Jake b**t was lost to a knee injury. Quarterback Wilton Speight was getting beat up. He was sacked and whacked and looked genuinely frustrated, while missing wide-open receivers in the end zone. The Wolverines couldnt run the ball and michigans stifling defense looked out of whack.
Related:
Thats a pretty hard place, as Florida State built a 20-6 halftime lead at the Orange Bowl in Hard Rock Stadium.
But Michigan punter Kenny Allen kept pinning FSU deep. Where would this team have been without his punting?
And then Michigan linebacker Mike McCray picked off a pass and plunged into the end zone for a touchdown hey, if the offense cant score a touchdown, the defense has to pick up the slack.
I"ve got to give credit to Ben Gedeon, McCray said. He called it out and I was going on the blitz and he asked me to help him out, and I did. I guess I just caught the ball and scored.
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext SlideSuddenly, Michigan had life.
Suddenly, Michigan had a chance.
The Wolverines defense was pushing FSU backward.
Then, Dalvin Cook took over. The Wolverines were doing a good job of containing Cook until whoops there he goes. He broke two tackles, outran everybody else and ripped off a 71-yarder. Four plays later, FSU quarterback Deondre Francois strolled into the end zone, giving FSU a 27-15 lead.
I think he"s a great player, Harbaugh said. It was a heck of an effort on his part and our part, I thought, from where I was standing.
Just like that, the Wolverines were back in a familiar place.
Stuck between that Hard Rock and a Hard Place.
Related:
But Michigan wouldnt fold.
There was Speight, hitting Khalid Hill on a touchdown, as FSU held a 27-22 lead.
Basically I had an under route, and I saw that it was zone, and I saw Wilton escaping to the right, and I just stopped, and he saw me and he hit me, Hill said.
Again, Michigan had life, in this wild, crazy, Orange Bowl.
Then, it looked like Michigan was going to win after Chris Evans dived into the end zone.
You keep pounding away at it, Harbaugh said, and keep chipping away at it and then you start making the four-yard gains and then the six-yard gains and then the 10-yard gains, and then finally we popped one there with Chris Evans.
Then, the unthinkable. Keith Gavin returned the kickoff 66 yards. Four playslater, Francois hit Nyqwan Murray on a 12-yard touchdown that gave FSU the win.
What a crazy night.
It all started with Peppers.
Before the game, the hot scuttlebutt was that Peppers was hurt and wasnt going to play. But Peppers came out during warmups, catching punts. He moved gingerly and appeared to have trouble with his left leg.
Jabrill had his hamstring grab on him yesterday, and he was jumping for a ball, it was very unfortunate, Harbaugh said. He wasn"t able to run, could see it on the film yesterday, and couldn"t get to where he could run and be effective out there, so we didn"t play him.
It sucked, Peppers said, adding that he hasnt decided if he will turn pro.
At halftime, Florida State had a 20-6 lead and the Wolverines were all out of whack.
The Wolverines had no answer for DeMarcus Walker, a 6-foot-3 and 280-pound defensive lineman who dominated. This came as no surprise to Harbaugh. Before the game, the U-M coach called Walker FSUs best player.
And still, Michigan couldnt block him.
FSU came into this game with the most sacks in the country and it only continued in this game, whacking Speight. He was sacked three times in the first three quarters.
Speight was not sharp early, completing just three of his first nine passes. He missed Jehu Chesson in the right corner of the end zone and later he missed Amara Darboh in the end zone.
He bent over, clearly frustrated.
But the Wolverines came back.
Give Michigan credit for how it fought back.
There was no quit in this team.
But in the end, it was five points from being truly special.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go tofreep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.
Source: http://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/jeff-seidel/2016/12/31/michigan-wolverines-football-orange-bowl-florida-state-seminoles/96019762/
