The Wolverines just ran out of steam.
It was a back-and-forth contest between No. 18 Michigan and No. 13 Texas for much of the game, but the Longhorns scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the Citrus Bowl, 41-27.
And to make the dark cloud over the year that much darker, interim coach Biff Poggi announced after the game that he would no longer be a part of the program or new head coach Kyle Whittingham’s staff.
“I think Coach Whittingham is going to do a fantastic job here,” Poggi said. “He is going to have a lot of really good players back. He is obviously going to bring players in.”
Quarterback Bryce Underwood finished the game 23-of-42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions in the game. He found Kendrick Bell in the first quarter to put Michigan up, 10-7, and Andrew Marsh in the second to go up 17-10.
Underwood scored a third touchdown on a 5-yard run at the top of the fourth, giving Michigan a 27-24 edge.
The game was tied, 17-17, at the half.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning connected with Kaliq Lockett on a 30-yard pass with just under seven minutes left for the go-ahead score, 31-27. Manning followed that with a 60-yard scoring run of his own before a 51-yard field goal put the game away for the Longhorns.
Dominic Zvada notched a pair of field goals in the loss — a 53-yard attempt in the first quarter and a 31-yarder in the third. He missed a third attempt.
Michigan’s loss to Texas ends a sour season on a sour note, but according to Poggi, the future looks bright.
“I think coach Whittingham is going to do a fantastic job here,” he said. “He is going to have a lot of really good players back. He is obviously going to bring players in.
“People talk about Michigan and what it means to be a Michigan Man. I have a son that is a Michigan Man. I am not a Michigan Man. I didn’t go there, but these kids here are the definition of that, and I think he is going to love that.”
