Written by InhaleSports Contributor Chateau Mangaroo
After bowl losses the previous two years, Jimbo Fisher and his Seminoles won the 2016 Orange Bowl in dramatic fashion. Florida State had many shining stars on its team Thursday night but junior running back Dalvin Cook’s impressive performance boosted the Seminoles to its fifth Orange Bowl win.
With 20 rushes for 145 total yards and a touchdown, Cook was the Orange Bowl MVP. His talent was so apparent even Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverine’s head coach, made note of it at the event’s kickoff press conference.
Aside from Orange Bowl MVP, Cook made a few more notable accomplishments during the game. By the fourth quarter, his 4,463 total rush yards not only made him Florida State’s all-time leading rusher but second all-time leading rusher in the ACC. Since the game, he has declared for the NFL draft, and therefore will not surpass North Carolina State’s Ted Brown and his 4,602 rushing yards. Had Cook stayed for his senior season, he would’ve most likely become the ACC’s lead rusher.
Though Cook’s performance was definitely the highlight of the game, Deondre Francois, the Seminoles’ redshirt freshman quarterback and ACC Rookie of the Year along with Nyqwan Murray, a sophomore wide receiver for the Noles, made some magic of their own. In the first quarter, Francois threw a 92-yard pass to Murray for a touchdown. It was the longest touchdown pass in the Orange Bowl’s 80-plus year storied history.
Florida State controlled the first two quarters of the game leading the Wolverines 20-6 at the half. Michigan missed several opportunities to score with its offense only extending their drives two out of nine times on third down. Additionally, the absence of Jabrill Peppers, Michigan linebacker and defensive back, running back and all around best player, did not help matters.
But after the half, the game shifted; Michigan scored late in the third and cut the Noles lead to five before the start of the fourth quarter. The game went from a Florida State dominated first half to a tit for tat nail biter that included a blocked extra point for Michigan after touchdown from Florida State, which was run back for a defensive two-point conversion, an ejection for Florida State due to targeting and a too close to call potential defensive offside against Florida State.
When asked about that last quarter, Cook said, “…Whatever we face, we battle back and that’s what Coach Fisher instilled in us.”
