Michigan Defense Swamps Florida in Season-Opening Victory

Saturday, September 2

Arlington, Texas

2:30 PM CT

Michigan

1-0

Florida

0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Michigan

Michigan Defense Swamps Florida in Season-Opening Victory

9/2/2017 7:54:00 PM | Football

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By: Dave Ablauf, Chad Shepard

» The Michigan defense held Florida to 192 total yards and nine first downs while accumulating six sacks and forcing three turnovers. Outside of a field goal on the opening drive, the Florida offense only crossed midfield twice the rest of the game.
» The Wolverines piled up 433 total yards, nearly half of those on the ground (215). Ty Isaac led the way with 114 yards on 11 carries (10.4 yards per carry).
» Wilton Speight earned the start at quarterback and played most of the game, going 11-of-25 passing for 181 yards and a touchdown. John O'Korn also saw action in the second quarter.
» Quinn Nordin made four field goals in his Michigan debut and became the first kicker in program history to hit two field goals from 50-plus yards in the same game.

Site: Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium)
Event: 2017 AdvoCare Classic
Score: #11 Michigan 33, #17 Florida 17
Records: U-M (1-0), UF (0-1)
Attendance: 75,802
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 9 -- vs. Cincinnati (Michigan Stadium), Noon

• Kornacki Feature: Youth is Served in Wolverines' Opening Win over Gators
• Watch: Postgame Report

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Behind a smothering defensive effort, the No. 11-ranked University of Michigan football team opened its 2017 season with a commanding 33-17 victory over No. 17-ranked Florida on Saturday (Sept. 2) at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.

The Michigan defense was the story of the game, limiting Florida to 192 yards of total offense and only three points (the Florida defense accounted for its two touchdowns). The Wolverines swarmed the Gators all afternoon, compiling 11 tackles for loss (including six sacks) and forcing three turnovers. Outside of a field goal on the opening drive of the game, the Florida offense only crossed midfield twice thereafter, the last of which came in the final stages of the fourth quarter when the outcome was already decided.

Senior quarterback Wilton Speight started the game and got the majority of the snaps under center, overcoming a couple first-half turnovers to finish 11-of-25 passing for 181 yards and a 46-yard touchdown pass to freshman Tarik Black. The offense found success running the football, as fifth-year senior Ty Isaac (11 rushes, 114 yards), sophomore Chris Evans (22 rushes, 78 yards) and junior Karan Higdon (seven rushes, 28 yards, one touchdown) combined for 220 yards.

Freshman kicker Quinn Nordin booted four field goals in his Michigan debut and became the first kicker in program history to have two field goals from 50-plus yards in the same game.

After Florida opened the scoring with a field goal, Speight quarterbacked a 14-play, 68-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard field goal from Nordin to tie the game at 3-3. A key play on the drive was a 36-yard gain on a third-and-13 from Isaac, taking the offense from a probable punting situation and moving them into the red zone. The Wolverines actually appeared to score a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal pass from Speight to sophomore Kekoa Crawford, but it was negated due to a penalty.

The Wolverines defense held Florida to a three-and-out on the next possession, and Speight and the offense wasted little time getting going, covering 75 yards in just three plays to take a 10-3 lead. Black made the most of his first career catch, streaking behind the Florida secondary to haul in a 46-yard touchdown pass.

Florida made a charge in the second quarter, taking a 17-10 lead on back-to-back interception returns for touchdowns and then blocking a punt. The Michigan defense halted the Gators' momentum with a stop, leading to a missed 47-yard field goal attempt.

The Wolverines got back on the board with fifth-year senior John O'Korn under center. He hit Black along the sideline for 37 yards to open his second drive, but the Florida defense yielded nothing more, forcing Michigan into a long field goal attempt. With a favorable indoors environment, Nordin successfully hit from 55 yards, the ball barely clearing the crossbar. The Gators led 17-13 at halftime.

Michigan came out of the locker room swinging with Speight leading the charge, crisply engineering a 75-yard scoring drive. Facing a fourth-and-one from its 44-yard line, the offense went up-tempo and caught the Gators off guard, as Isaac ripped off an 18-yard gain for a first down. Four plays later, Higdon found the end zone from three yards out, putting the Wolverines back in front at 20-17.

On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Ambry Thomas forced and recovered a fumble, giving the offense great field position at the Florida 16-yard line. That turnover led to a 30-yard field goal from Nordin, extending the lead to 23-17.

Florida's next offensive possession was a short one, too, as the defense forced a turnover of its own when sophomore Josh Metellus stripped Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks and the fumble was recovered by senior Lawrence Marshall at the Florida 37-yard line. After a three-and-out from the offense, Nordin hit another field goal -- his fourth of the game -- this time from 50 yards out, making it a two-score game at 26-17.

The Wolverines had a few chances to put the game away and finally did late in the fourth quarter. With Florida backed up against its own goal line, senior Chase Winovich burst through the Florida offensive line and laid a massive hit on quarterback Malik Zaire that jarred the ball loose in the end zone, where it was recovered by senior Noah Furbush for the decisive touchdown to cap the scoring at 33-17.

Michigan will open the 2017 home schedule next Saturday (Sept. 9) with the Cincinnati Bearcats visiting Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, and the game will be televised on ABC.