2020 Citrus Bowl

The 2020 Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC.^[5] It was the 74th edition of the Citrus Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by Vrbo, a vacation rental marketplace owned by the HomeAway division of Expedia, the game was officially known as the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.

2020 Vrbo Citrus Bowl
74th Citrus Bowl
Michigan Wolverines Alabama Crimson Tide (9–3) (10–2) Big Ten SEC 16 35 Head coach:  Jim Harbaugh Head coach:  Nick Saban AP Coaches CFP 17 17 14 AP Coaches CFP 9 9 13
1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 10 6 0 0 16 Alabama 7 7 7 14 35
Date	January 1, 2020
Season	2019
Stadium	Camping World Stadium
Location	Orlando, Florida
MVP	Jerry Jeudy (WR, Alabama)[1]
Favorite	Alabama by 7.5[2]
Referee	Michael Mothershed (Pac-12)[3]
Attendance	59,746
Payout	US$8,224,578[4]
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC and ESPN Radio
Announcers	ABC: Dave Pasch (play-by-play) Greg McElroy (analyst) Tom Luginbill (sideline) ESPN Radio: Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Molly McGrath
Nielsen ratings	8.0 (14 million viewers)
Citrus Bowl  < 2019  2021 >

Teams

The game featured the Michigan Wolverines from the Big Ten Conference and the Alabama Crimson Tide from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the fifth meeting between the two programs; entering the game, the series was tied, 2–2. Most recently they met in the 2012 Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas, won by Alabama, 41–14.^[6]

Michigan Wolverines

Main article: 2019 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan entered the game with a 9–3 record (6–3 in conference), ranked 17th in the AP Poll. They finished in third place in the Big Ten's East Division. The Wolverines were 2–3 against ranked opponents, defeating Iowa and Notre Dame while losing to Wisconsin, Penn State, and Ohio State. This was Michigan's sixth Citrus Bowl appearance; they were 4–1 in prior appearances. This was Michigan's 48th bowl game appearance, the 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.^[7]

Alabama Crimson Tide

Main article: 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Alabama entered the game with a 10–2 record (6–2 in conference), tied for ninth in the AP Poll. They finished in second place in the SEC's West Division. The Crimson Tide were 1–2 against ranked opponents, defeating Texas A&M while losing to LSU and Auburn. This was Alabama's third Citrus Bowl appearance; they were 2–0 in prior appearances.^[8]

Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Michigan	10	6	0	0	16
No. 13 Alabama	7	7	7	14	35

Game information

First Quarter (13:47) BAMA – Mac Jones 85 yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, Joseph Bulovas kick (Drive: 1 play, 85 yards, 0:11; Alabama 7–0) (7:06) MICH – Shea Patterson 7 yard pass to Nick Eubanks, Christian Turner kick (Drive: 7 plays, 85 yards, 2:56; Tied 7–7) (0:09) MICH – Quinn Nordin 36 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:28; Michigan 10–7) Second Quarter (7:16) MICH – Quinn Nordin 42 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 5:43; Michigan 13–7) (3:32) BAMA – Najee Harris 9 yard rush, Joseph Bulovas kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:44; Alabama 14–13) (0:00) MICH – Quinn Nordin 57 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 3:32; Michigan 16–14) Third Quarter (13:30) BAMA – Mac Jones 42 yard pass to DeVonta Smith, Joseph Bulovas kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:30; Alabama 21–16) Fourth Quarter (10:01) BAMA – Mac Jones 20 yard pass to Miller Forristall, Joseph Bulovas kick (Drive: 5 plays, 91 yards, 4:44; Alabama 28–16) (0:26) BAMA – Najee Harris 2 yard rush, Joseph Bulovas kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:49; Alabama 35–16)

2020 Vrbo Citrus Bowl

at Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Florida

• Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2020
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Mostly sunny • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NNW 5 mph
• Game attendance: 59,746
• Referee: Michael Mothershed
• TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Tom Luginbill (sideline)
• ESPN game summary

Statistics

Statistics	MICH	BAMA
First downs	23	20
Plays–yards	80–395	55–480
Rushes–yards	43–162	30–153
Passing yards	233	327
Passing: comp–att–int	17–37–2	16–25–0
Time of possession	34:47	25:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	Shea Patterson	17/37, 233 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Zach Charbonnet	13 carries, 84 yards
	Receiving	Giles Jackson	4 receptions, 57 yards
Alabama	Passing	Mac Jones	16/25, 327 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Najee Harris	24 carries, 136 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jerry Jeudy	6 receptions, 204 yards, 1 TD

References

1. @CitrusBowl (January 1, 2020). "... and our 2020 #VrboCitrus Bowl MVP is #4 Jerry Jeudy!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
2. "Michigan vs. Alabama - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
3. "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
4. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
5. "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, times, TV channels". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
6. "Michigan Wolverines vs. Alabama Crimson Tide football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
7. "Michigan to Face Alabama in 2020 Vrbo Citrus Bowl in Orlando". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
8. "Alabama Football to Play Michigan at the Citrus Bowl". rolltide.com. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.

External links

• Game statistics at statbroadcast.com