2002 FBL vs. Florida -- Postgame Notes
1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
The 2003 Outback Bowl marks the first football meeting between the Wolverines and Gators. Florida becomes the 133rd different opponent to face the Wolverines in gridiron action.
U-M picked up its 10th win of the season for its fourth 10-win season during head coach Lloyd Carr's tenure. This marks the 23rd season in school history in which the Wolverines have earned double-digit wins.
The two teams set new Outback Bowl records in combined points scored with 68 and combined touchdowns with nine.
Today's game is the 99th in U-M head coach Lloyd Carr's career. He has compiled an impressive 76-23 record in his eight seasons and is 5-3 in postseason bowl games. He is also 4-1 against SEC teams.
Senior/junior quarterback John Navarre had a career day against the Florida defense. He set a personal best and went over 300 yards passing for the first time of his career by throwing for 319 yards while completing 21 of 36 passes. His one touchdown pass ties him for second place all-time with Rick Leach (48) and leaves him 23 behind career record-holder Elvis Grbac (71).
With today's 319-yard performance Navarre moves into second place on the all-time yardage list with 5,923 yards and trails Grbac (6,460) by only 537 yards.
Senior tight end Bennie Joppru set a new U-M single-season record for receptions by a tight end, with his 11-yard reception in the second quarter giving him 51 receptions on the year. He finished the season with 53 catches, which breaks Jim Mandich's previous record of 50 receptions in 1969.
Joppru finished his final game in a Wolverine uniform with six receptions for 80 yards, including a career-long 43-yard reception in the second quarter. His receiving yardage total of 80 yards matched his career best set earlier this season.
Junior tailback Chris Perry had an outstanding game, setting new Outback Bowl and modern era Michigan bowl game records by scoring four touchdowns. Perry first found paydirt by scoring the game's first points on a four-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. Perry then added his second score on a fourth-and-goal situation from the one-yard line in the second quarter and his third score on a seven-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The junior added another third-quarter touchdown on a 12-yard burst to set the records. That marks his third multiple-touchdown performance of the season and first four-touchdown game of his career. The last time a Michigan back scored four touchdowns in a game was on Nov. 28, 1998, when Anthony Thomas found the end zone four times at Hawaii. With his four scores, Perry finished the season with a team-leading 84 points on 14 touchdowns.
Perry's four-touchdown effort is considered the "modern era" Michigan bowl scoring record. Neil Snow scored five TDs in U-M's 49-0 rout of Stanford in the 1902 Rose Bowl (Jan. 1, 1902).
Perry finished the game with 85 yards on the ground, and his 28 carries matched his career best. He 1,110 yards rushing this season pushed him over 2,000 yards for his career (2,022). The junior was very effective through the air as well, catching six passes for 108 yards for his first 100-yard receiving game of his career. The last time a U-M back broke the 100-yard receiving mark was on Jan. 1, 1997, in the Outback Bowl when Clarence Williams gained 114 yards on six catches vs. Alabama.
Perry was awarded the 2003 Outback Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the third Wolverine running back to earn MVP honors in Tampa. Jamie Morris (1988) and Tyrone Wheatley (1994) won the award in Hall of Fame Bowls held in Tampa.
Senior wide receiver Ronald Bellamy was a dual threat against Florida as he had two rushes for 20 yards that both set up a U-M touchdowns, and he caught two passes for 11 yards and one touchdown. He caught his fifth touchdown of the season with under one minute remaining in the second quarter, giving U-M its 21-16 halftime lead.
Sophomore wide receiver Braylon Edwards finished the game with four receptions for 110 yards. His 49-yard catch in the third quarter is the longest catch of his career and the longest passing play for the Wolverines this season. His 110 yards give him four 100-yard receiving games this season, and his 67 receptions are tied for fourth on U-M's single-season list with Tai Streets and David Terrell. With his 110 yards he becomes the eighth player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season and finishes the season tied for sixth with Streets (1,035).
Junior kicker Troy Nienberg recorded his first career kickoff when he booted the opening kick through the end zone for his first career touchback. He went on to total seven kickoffs for the game.
Junior tight end/punter Andy Mignery had his first career punt. His kick helped pin Florida on its own two-yard line, which was the first time the Wolverines downed a punt inside their opponent's five-yard line this season.
Junior/sophomore punter Adam Finley set a new career-long punt after booming a 55-yarder against the Gators. Finley finished the day with seven punts for 282 yards (40.3 average). He kicked one field goal to push the U-M lead to eight points late in the fourth quarter. He finished the year 7-10 on field goal attempts and a perfect 20-20 on PATs for 41 total points.
Junior defensive lineman Alain Kashama made his first career fumble recovery in the first quarter against Florida. That gave the Wolverines optimal field position inside the Florida five-yard line, which led to their opening touchdown. For the game, he matched his career best with four tackles, including two TFLs and one sack. He also forced one fumble against the Gators.
Fifth-year senior Julius Curry notched his first pass breakup of the season in the second quarter against the Gators. He finished the game with eight tackles and one PBU. In addition, Curry returned three punts for 29 yards in the game.
Fifth-year senior Victor Hobson recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Florida, including two TFLs and one sack. He iced the game with his second interception of season and his career. He moved into sole possession of third place on the all-time TFL list with 47 in his career and finished his career with 277 tackles in 49 games.
Fifth-year senior Cato June had a season-best nine tackles, including one sack.
Senior/junior defensive back Jeremy LeSueur returned two kickoffs for 45 yards, in the process tying the school single-season record for returns in a season and raising his current yardage record to 583 yards. His career-best nine tackles included one TFL, and he added one PBU.
Senior safety Charles Drake matched his season high with nine tackles, which he accomplished two previous times this season.
