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
1234 Total
Michigan 10600 16
Alabama 77714 35
DateJanuary 1, 2020
Season2019
StadiumCamping World Stadium
LocationOrlando, Florida
MVPJerry Jeudy (WR, Alabama)[1]
FavoriteAlabama by 7.5[2]
RefereeMichael Mothershed (Pac-12)[3]
Attendance59,746
PayoutUS$8,224,578[4]
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC and ESPN Radio
AnnouncersABC: Dave Pasch (play-by-play)
Greg McElroy (analyst)
Tom Luginbill (sideline)
ESPN Radio: Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Molly McGrath
Nielsen ratings8.0 (14 million viewers)
Citrus Bowl
 < 2019  2021

Teams

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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

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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

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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

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2020 Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 14 Michigan 10 6 0016
No. 13 Alabama 7 7 71435

at Camping World StadiumOrlando, 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
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)

Statistics

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Statistics MICH BAMA
First downs 23 20
Plays–yards 80–395 55–480
Rushes–yards 43–162 30–153
Passing yards 233 327
Passing: compattint 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

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  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.
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