Capital One Citrus Bowl musings: 1st quarter Wolverines-Gators

As I'm just hanging out around the house on New Years Day, I thought I'd track the Wolverines game. This live blog won't be as detailed as my Lions diatribes, but we'll see how it goes...

After watching Michigan march 93 yards down the field for a game opening TD against Florida, I said to myself, "Self, where in the HELL has that offense been all season?" Then I remembered that Chad Henne and Mike Hart are fully healthy for the first time in months.

It makes you wonder how the Wolverines season would have turned out if Henne and Hart had been healthy this season. Hart ran hadn't run that aggressively since early October, and Henne's TD pass to Manningham was a pinpoint laser thrown between 2 Gators.

7-0 Wolverines!

Michigan's offense looks to have returned from the dead, but will the defense even slightly contain the Tim Tebow run spread? I seriously doubt it...

From all indications, as Florida is moving the ball well on their first drive, this might be the game of the day... a shootout, last team to score wins, and all that...

But the Florida drive stalls, and the badly miss a long field goal! Todd Blacklege sounded somewhat surprised... "Michigan's in this one!" God, I hope so...

The Wolverines start their drive with a Manningham end around that gets 10 yards, but it's called back on a hold. Still, I love the Michigan playcalling so far.

But the drive that started with potential peters out, and the Wolverines will punt. Let's go ZOLTAN! This is ZOLTAN'S world, we're just living in it! I can't go without mentioning MGoblog's "ZOLTAN for space emperor!" campaign...

Tebow takes a direct snap from the shotgun, and just looks for a hole. He scampers for a 1st down. It's like watching sandlot ball. "Just block someone, I'll find a hole!"

Now we are seeing the Gators I expected. Tebow's running and passing has the Gators 1st and goal. It was too good to last...

Tebow throws a TD pass, but it's called back on a illegal man downfield. A BIG break for Michigan, can they capitalize? Again, I doubt it...

Nice Wolverines D on 2nd down, as Michigan brought the safety blitz, drilled Tebow, and forced an incompletion. I love the aggressiveness! They just can't sit back and let Tebow do his thing.

UGH! A Florida receiver was WIDE OPEN in the middle of the Wolverines defense, easy TD pass for Tebow. Much too easy. God damn Wolverines. I guess they are still allergic to defensing the spread...

Lloyd is caught on camera giving Ron English the business.

Lloyd: What the fuck, Ron?
English: It's the spread, Tebow is too good...I'm..I'm...I just don't know, Lloyd. Your guess is as good as mine.
Lloyd: This is why I fucking retired...

7-7,. it's a ballgame!

Henne and the Michigan offense started out firing on all cylinders, but they are suddenly sputtering badly. Henne hasn't completed a pass since rthe opening drive.

Shit. Henne drops back on 3rd and long, and has the ball stripped. He was damn lucky to recover. The Wolverines must have came out on an emotional high. That high is obviously long gone...

ZOLTAN is on to punt! Damn it, a nice return for the Gators have them in Wolverines territory. To make matters worse, a personal foul is called on Michigan. If there was such a thing as momentum, the Gators have it. In spades.

The 1st quarter ends with the Gators in the red zone. I no longer have a good feeling about this game, as fleeting as it was. The Wolverines may have shot their proverbial wad on the opening drive.

7-7 after 1 quarter. At least it's not a blowout, right?