By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
On December 30, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST
On Friday night, #6 Michigan Wolverines faces #11 Florida State Seminoles in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The game will be on ESPN at 8 pm EST.
The Wolverines are 10-2, while the Seminoles are 9-3. Michigan was 2-2 on the road, while Florida State was 4-1.
This is likely the final college football game for Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook and Michigan safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers. Both players are expected to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.
“You never really know where he’s (Cook) going to take the ball,” Michigan senior defensive tackle Matthew Godin said. “He likes to bounce it outside a lot. A lot of backs don’t have the speed to bounce it outside and take off. That’s where I think he’s a little different.”
Michigan is looking to become the 10th team in school history to win 11 or more games.
“That’s big,” Wolverines head coach Wilton Speight said. “Obviously, every team wants to win every game, and the next benchmark is a 10-win season. That’s solid. It’s cool we got to 10, but 11 would be special and put us in the history books here.”
This is the third meeting all-time between these two teams. They haven’t faced each other since Sept. 28, 1991 when Florida State won 51-31.
Michigan won the initial meeting on Sept. 27, 1986 when they won 20-18.
Michigan is 21-23 in their previous 45 bowl games. They won their last bowl game over the Florida Gators in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2016.
They have not lost a bowl game since Dec. 28, 2013 when they lost 31-14 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl to the Kansas State Wildcats.
Michigan is 3-1 in their previous Orange Bowls. They lost 14-6 to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1976.
Florida State is 27-16-2 in their previous 46 bowl games. They lost their previous two bowl games, which were a part of the New Year’s Six.
They have not won a bowl game since the final BCS National Championship game when they won 34-31 over the Auburn Tigers on Jan. 6, 2014.
Florida State is 4-5 in the Orange Bowl all-time. They last won in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013 when they defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 31-10.
Michigan lost its previous game to the Ohio State Buckeyes in double overtime. They last won a game on Nov. 19 when they defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 20-10.
Florida State has won their previous four games. They haven’t lost a game since Oct. 29 when they lost 37-34 to the Clemson Tigers.
Wilton Speight leads the Wolverines attack with 2,375 passing yards. He has 17 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Deveon Smith has 810 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Amara Darboh has 826 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Deondre Francois leads the Seminoles attack with has 3,128 passing yards. He has 18 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Dalvin Cook has 1,620 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Travis Rudolph has 807 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
“I think it’s a blessing that his family (Cook’s) can be in his hometown to watch him play in a major bowl game and possibly his last game at Florida State,” Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You don’t know, he hasn’t made a decision, and when we get the information back, he’ll make that. But you’re talking about one of the all-time greats in Florida State history — I think in college football history. He’s a dynamic player.”
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