No. 10 Florida Gators Beat No. 7 Michigan 41-15 In Peach Bowl, Former Cocoa Tiger Named MVP

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson: 5 TKLS, 2 INT, 1 TD

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA (Florida Gators) – No. 10 Florida Gators beat No. 7 Michigan 41-15 in the Peach Bowl on Saturday.

Former Cocoa Tiger Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was named MVP after recording five tackles, two interceptions and one touchdown.

Third-year sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks cranked out 247 yards of total offense and accounted for two touchdowns, junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson intercepted a pair of passes, returning one for a score, and the 10th-ranked Gators overwhelmed seventh-ranked Michigan on both sides of the ball in putting up a shiny maize-and-blue exclamation point on Coach Dan Mullen’s debut season with a blowout victory in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Four Florida players rushed for at least 36 yards against a UM defense that came in ranked 17th against the run and allowing just 116.6 grounds yards per game, having not surrendered 200 yards in game all season, yet was gouged for 257 on 40 carries.

Franks completed 13 of 23 passes for 173 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, while keeping it another 14 times for 74 yards. Junior tailback Lamical Perine carried six times for 76 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown on what was a third-and-20 give-up play with just under 10 minutes left in the game and Florida leading 27-13, blowing things open.

The Gators used a run of 21 straight points that bridged the second and third quarters to seize command, with Franks’ 20-yard up-the-middle dash on a quarterback draw putting UF in front 13-10 with 2:34 to go in the first half. UF would not trail again.

An interception and 53-yard return by Gardner-Johnson led to a scoring pass of 6 yards from Franks to Perine. A UF defensive stop on the next UM possession was answered by an eight-play, 63-yard march that was finished with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jordan Scarlett (9 carries, 59 yards).

The scored was 34-15 late in the fourth quarter when Gardner-Johnson snared a tipped ball and raced 30 yards to the house to further ice an outcome that was over well beforehand.

Worth noting: UF was beaten 33-17 by UM to open the 2017 season. Much has changed since.

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