1996 Florida Citrus Bowl

1996 CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl
1234 Total
Ohio State 7007 14
Tennessee 0776 20
DateJanuary 1, 1996
Season1995
StadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
LocationOrlando, Florida
RefereeSteve Usechek (Big Eight)
Attendance70,797
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersBrent Musburger and Dick Vermeil
Florida Citrus Bowl
 < 1995  1997

The 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game featuring the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten, against the Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC. The Buckeyes were sparked by their senior Heisman Trophy winner running back Eddie George. The Vols were led by sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning. Both teams entered the game with losses to rival teams.

The Buckeyes started off the season with a surprising win over Notre Dame. However, the media buzz around the Big Ten surrounded the Northwestern Wildcats who earned their way to an unbeaten conference run. Because the Buckeyes held the tiebreaker over the Wildcats, the only thing between the Buckeyes invitation into the Rose Bowl and a possible National Championship was their rival the Michigan Wolverines. However, running back Tim Biakabutuka led the Wolverines to a 31-23 upset, sending the 'Cats to the Rose Bowl.

Tennessee started off the season with victories over East Carolina and Georgia, before heading off to Gainesville to play the rival Gators.[1] The Vols held a 30–21 halftime lead only to be outscored 41–7 in the second half, suffering a 62–37 defeat.[2] However, the team won their remaining 8 regular season games, including a 41–14 win over Alabama.[3][4] The Vols ended the season ranked third.[5]

  1. ^ "Down Goes Frazier, But Huskers Still Roll". The New York Times. September 10, 1995. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  2. ^ Nobles, Charlie (September 17, 1995). "For Gators, It's the Last 30 Minutes That Count". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  3. ^ "Manning, Vols Bury Bama, 41–14". Miami, Florida: The Miami Herald. October 15, 1995. p. 3D.
  4. ^ MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1516. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.
  5. ^ MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football asklasjdkljalskjLJSLkaEncyclopedia. ESPN Books. pp. 1393–1394. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.