An efficient passing offense and a relentless ground attack led Michigan to a 31-28 victory over Auburn in the
2001 Florida Citrus Bowl. Drew Henson completed 15-of-20 passes for 294 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while tailback Anthony Thomas rushed 32 times for 182
yards and two touchdowns.
On its second possession, Michigan brought a trick out of the bag, using a flea-flicker to fool the Tigers’ defense and score a 31-yard touchdown pass from Henson to David Terrell. This 76-yard drive in70 seconds set Michigan’s efficient tempo for the game.
Auburn struck back early in the second quarter when senior quarterback Ben Leard hooked up with wideout Ronney Daniels on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Leard hit
Clifton Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown on the Tigers’ next drive. Leard threw for 394 yards on the day, mostly in an effort to keep up with the Wolverine offense.
Michigan scored the next three touchdowns of the game due in large part to Thomas’ brutish running. He racked up two touchdowns and became U-M’s all-time leading rusher and scorer.
In the midst of the Wolverines’ offensive explosion, sophomore safety Julius Curry and senior safety DeWayne Patmon each made key interceptions to halt Auburn drive into Michigan territory. Other defensive
stars for the Wolverines included junior linebackers Eric Brackins and Larry Foote with 13 and eight tackles, respectively, and senior lineman Eric Wilson with six tackles and a sack.
Though Leard and junior running back Rudi Johnson tried to bring Auburn back, junior kicker Hayden Epstein connected on a 41-yard field goal towards the end of the thirdquarter, giving U-M a 31-21 lead. Auburn added another late touchdown, but Michigan recovered an
onside kick with 2:22 remaining and held on for the victory.
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SCORING
M Terrell 31-yard pass from Henson (Epstein kick)
AU Daniels 19-yard pass from Leard (Duval kick)
AU Robinson 20-yard pass from Leard (Duval kick)
M Askew 4-yard pass from Henson (Epstein kick)
M Thomas 11-yard run (Epstein kick)
M Thomas 25-yard run (Epstein kick)
AU Johnson 12-yard run (Duval kick)
M Epstein 41-yard field goal
AU Green 21-yard pass Leard (Duval kick)
Team Stats AU UM
First Downs 23 21
Rushed-Yards 35-92 42-159
Passing Yards 394 294
Passes 28-37-2 15-20-0
Total Offense 72-486 63-453
Sacked-Yards Lost 2-15 5-45
Punts 3-42.7 4-43.5
Return Yards 91 78
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 7-60 2-20
Third Down Conv. 8-14 5-12
Time of Possession 30:03 29:57
Rushing — (M): Thomas 32-182; Bellamy 3-16; Cross 1-0;
Henson 6-(-36)
(AU): Johnson 25-85; Evans 3-16; Robinson 1-4; Carter 2-(-2);
Leard 4-(-11).
Passing — (M): Henson 15-20-0-294; Thomas 0-1-0-0
(AU): Leard 28-37-2-394.
Receiving — (M):Terrell 4-136; Walker 4-100; Thomas 4-32;
Askew 3-26
(AU) Daniels 7-98; Willis 5-69; Evans 4-51; Green 4-49;
Robinson 3-70; Carter 3-42; Johnson 2-15.
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