Monthly Archives:
Dec 31, 2019
By Joseph Salvador, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — Only one of the most iconic and respected coaches in college football history could say “no disrespect” after chiding a reporter and have the rest of the media in attendance chuckle in response. In a setting that mixed one part comedy with one part drama, with a sprinkling of history, Tuesday’s Vrbo Citrus Bowl head coach press conference with Alabama’s Nick Saban and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh was everything you’d expect. It […]
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Dec 31, 2019
By Ainslie Lee, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — The City of Orlando as we know it today is much different than what it was in 1972. Back then, Disney World had been open just shy of four months and a ticket to “The Happiest Place on Earth” would set you back a pocketful of quarters at $3.75. During the early ‘70s the population of Orlando hovered around 500,000 people – today, 2.13 million people call the Greater Orlando area […]
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Dec 30, 2019
By Joseph Salvador, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — Joe Milton stood in the warmth of a December morning in Florida and spoke of the reason he chose to attend Michigan over one of the offers he received from schools closer to home. “The snow,” said the Orlando-grown quarterback. “I’m used to it now instead of having to wait for the NFL and adjust to it. I’d rather get used to it now than later.” Milton has big dreams, and […]
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Dec 30, 2019
By Ainslie Lee, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — After a week of preparation for battle in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines focused on something much greater than football at Monday morning’s Day for Kids. A longstanding tradition before each of Florida Citrus Sports’ bowl games — the organization also operates the Camping World Bowl in December — Day for Kids partners local children with players from both schools for a few hours […]
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Dec 29, 2019
By Joseph Salvador, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — Back on Aug. 31, the Michigan Wolverines played their first night opener in school history. The weather was ideal, the expectations were high. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson was poised to start the season off strong in front of 110,811 fans in Ann Arbor, against Middle Tennessee State. On the first play of the season, Patterson took the snap from the shotgun; he was flushed out of the pocket and ran it […]
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Dec 29, 2019
By Ainslie Lee, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” At most universities, you’d be more apt to hear Aristotle’s quote in philosophy class, but at the University of Alabama, the sentiment applies on the football field, too. When Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III all arrived in Tuscaloosa in the summer of 2017, the trio of now-junior wide receivers instantly took to each other like magnets. “When we […]
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Dec 28, 2019
By Joseph Salvador, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — The last time we saw Michigan, the Maize and Blue had just dropped a tough game against arch rival Ohio State. Such a defeat doesn’t typically leave much room for excitement in Ann Arbor. And yet… The Wolverines scored more points against the Buckeyes — 27 — than any other team in the regular season. It was a continuation of a steady offensive growth pattern as winter drew near. After a […]
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Dec 28, 2019
By Ainslie Lee, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — Alabama starting quarterback Mac Jones is no stranger to Orlando. The Florida native spent his high school career at The Bolles School – a prep powerhouse just a couple hours up Interstate 95 in Jacksonville – and as a senior in 2016, he played a memorable state title game at Camping World Stadium. He also returned here with the Crimson Tide last year, throwing his very first college pass against Louisville […]
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Dec 27, 2019
By Jordan Perez, Florida Citrus Sports ORLANDO, Fla. — Bowl season in Orlando comes with plenty of noise at places like Disney World and Universal Studios. But Michigan defensive back Ambry Thomas is certain of where the real din will be: the Vrbo Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. “It’s gonna be a great game — bring the popcorn, all of that,” Thomas said Friday. Thomas and fellow defensive back Lavert Hill may have their last collegiate football dance against […]
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