2018 Peach Bowl (December)

2018 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
CFP New Year's Six
51st Peach Bowl
Florida Gators Michigan Wolverines
(9–3) (10–2)
SEC Big Ten
41 15
Head coach: 
Dan Mullen		 Head coach: 
Jim Harbaugh
APCoachesCFP
101010
APCoachesCFP
887
1234 Total
Florida 3101414 41
Michigan 7305 15
DateDecember 29, 2018
Season2018
StadiumMercedes-Benz Stadium
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
MVPFeleipe Franks (QB, Florida)
C. J. Gardner-Johnson (DB, Florida)[1]
FavoriteMichigan by 7.5[2]
RefereeMike Defee (Big 12)
Attendance74,006[3]
PayoutUS$4 million to each team[4]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN and ESPN Radio
AnnouncersBob Wischusen (play-by-play)
Brock Huard (analyst)
Allison Williams (sideline) (ESPN)
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic (ESPN Radio)
Nielsen ratings5.3[5]
International TV coverage
NetworkESPN Deportes
AnnouncersRoger Valdivieso
Alex Pombo
Peach Bowl
 < 2018 (Jan.) 2019 > 

The 2018 Peach Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 29, 2018. It was the 51st edition of the Peach Bowl, and the second Peach Bowl to be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game was one of the College Football Playoff New Year's Six bowl games, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Chick-fil-A restaurant franchise, the game was officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The game featured the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference and the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. Going in to the bowl, Florida was the highest-ranked team that did not appear in the preseason AP top 25 poll. Michigan's defense had given up an average of 263 yards per game, the best in the nation.[6]

Teams

The game featured the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference in their fifth meeting against each other. Michigan had won each of its prior games against Florida, most recently in the 2017 Advocare Classic by a score of 33–17.[7]

Florida Gators

Main article: 2018 Florida Gators football team

After finishing their regular season with a 9–3 record (5–3 in conference), the Gators were selected to their third Peach Bowl appearance. This was their 44th bowl game appearance.[8]

Michigan Wolverines

Main article: 2018 Michigan Wolverines football team

After finishing their regular season with a 10–2 record (8–1 in conference), the Wolverines were selected to their first Peach Bowl appearance. This was their 47th bowl game appearance, tied for 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.[9] Several Michigan players, including RB Karan Higdon, DL Rashan Gary, and LB Devin Bush Jr., sat out the game in order to focus on the 2019 NFL draft.[10]

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP FLA MICH
1 5:37 10 71 3:52 FLA 21-yard field goal by Evan McPherson 3 0
1 2:03 9 75 3:34 MICH Donovan Peoples-Jones 9-yard touchdown reception from Shea Patterson, Jake Moody kick good 3 7
2 12:22 10 66 4:41 FLA 26-yard field goal by Evan McPherson 6 7
2 5:56 4 0 1:58 MICH 48-yard field goal by Jake Moody 6 10
2 2:41 8 75 3:15 FLA Feleipe Franks 20-yard touchdown run, Evan McPherson kick good 13 10
3 8:06 6 44 2:43 FLA La’Mical Perine 5-yard touchdown reception from Feleipe Franks, Evan McPherson kick good 20 10
3 2:34 8 63 4:07 FLA Jordan Scarlett 1-yard touchdown run, Evan McPherson kick good 27 10
4 12:16 11 67 5:18 MICH 26-yard field goal by Jake Moody 27 13
4 9:21 6 75 2:55 FLA La’Mical Perine 53-yard touchdown run, Evan McPherson kick good 34 13
4 4:58 MICH Punt blocked through the back of the end zone, safety 34 15
4 4:43 FLA Interception returned 30 yards for touchdown by C. J. Gardner-Johnson, Evan McPherson kick good 41 15
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 41 15

Statistics

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 10 Gators 3 10 14 14 41
No. 7 Wolverines 7 3 0 5 15
Statistics FLA MICH
First downs 15 18
Plays–yards 64–427 67–326
Rushes–yards 40–257 30–77
Passing yards 170 249
Passing: comp–att–int 14–24–0 23–37–2
Time of possession 31:19 28:41
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Passing Feleipe Franks 13/23, 173 yds, 1 TD
Rushing La'Mical Perine 6 rec, 76 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Van Jefferson 4 rec, 64 yds
Michigan Passing Shea Patterson 22/36, 236 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Christian Turner 7 car, 32 yds
Receiving Nico Collins 5 rec, 80 yds

Note: 74,006 was the officially announced attendance figure;[3] "turnstile count" subsequently reported as 68,413.[11]

References

  1. ^ Thompson, Edgar (December 29, 2018). "Gators smash Michigan in Peach Bowl, cap Dan Mullen's elite debut season". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  2. ^ Fawkes, Ben (December 3, 2018). "Odds for every 2018-19 CFB bowl game". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b @CourtneyWESH2 (December 29, 2018). "Official Attendance: 74,006" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2018 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Dosh, Kristi (January 1, 2018). "How College Football Playoff's Payouts Compare With BCS's: A Conference-By-Conference Breakdown". Forbes. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  5. ^ Volner, Derek (December 30, 2018). "College Football Playoff Semifinals Continue to Deliver Strong Ratings for ESPN; Rank among Top Cable Presentations of the Year". espnmediazone.com. ESPN MediaZone. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Mather, Victor (December 4, 2018). "From Roses to Cheez-Its, Your Guide to All 40 College Football Bowls". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "2017: Michigan vs. Florida". advocareclassicfootball.com. September 2, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Carter, Scott (December 2, 2018). "Gators Get Peachy Rematch with Michigan". floridagators.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Ablauf, Dave; Shepard, Chad (December 2, 2018). "Michigan Matched Up Against Florida in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 29". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Hayes, David (December 29, 2018). "Michigan Players Skipping Citrus Bowl Game Showing Clear Impact". fanduel.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Tucker, Tim (February 25, 2019). "Falcons, other events at Mercedes-Benz draw smaller crowds than announced". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 25, 2019.