2021 Citrus Bowl
| 2021 Vrbo Citrus Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 75th Citrus Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Camping World Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Orlando, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Peyton Ramsey (QB, Northwestern)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Northwestern by 3.5[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jerry Magallanes (ACC)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Flemming (play-by-play) Rod Gilmore (analyst) Paul Carcaterra (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2021 Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2021, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC.[4] It was the 75th edition of the Citrus Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by Vrbo, a vacation rental marketplace owned by the HomeAway division of Expedia, the game was officially known as the Vrbo Citrus Bowl.
Teams
The game featured the Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. This was the second meeting between the two programs, and first since the 2010 Outback Bowl, won by Auburn, 38–35.[5]
Auburn Tigers
Auburn entered the game with a 6–4 record, unranked in the AP Poll. They finished in third place in the SEC's West Division. The Tigers faced four ranked teams during the season, losing to Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M while defeating Kentucky. Their only other loss was to South Carolina. Prior to the Citrus Bowl, Auburn fired head coach Gus Malzahn, who had led the program for eight seasons.[6] Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele served as interim head coach for the Tigers.[7]
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern entered the game with a 6–2 record, ranked 15th in the AP Poll. The Wildcats won the Big Ten's West Division, but fell to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, 22–10. Their only other loss was to Michigan State. Northwestern faced two ranked opponents, losing to Ohio State and defeating Wisconsin. The Wildcats were led by head coach Pat Fitzgerald, in his 15th season with the program.[8]
Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
| No. 14 Northwestern | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Florida
- Date: Friday, January 1, 2021
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Partly sunny • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: S 15 mph
- Referee: Jerry Magallanes (ACC)
- TV announcers (ABC): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
- ESPN game summary
| Game information |
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Statistics
| Statistics | AUB | NU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 69–361 | 86–457 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–61 | 51–166 |
| Passing yards | 300 | 291 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 26–43–0 | 24–35–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:18 | 33:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | Passing | Bo Nix | 25/42, 292 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Bo Nix | 10 carries, 32 yards | |
| Receiving | Elijah Canion | 3 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD | |
| Northwestern | Passing | Peyton Ramsey | 24/35, 291 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Cam Porter | 33 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | John Raine | 6 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |
See also
- 2020 Cure Bowl, played at the same venue six days earlier
- 2020 Cheez-It Bowl, played at the same venue three days earlier
References
- ^ @insidenu (January 1, 2021). "Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey is named the 2021 Vrbo Citrus Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved January 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "College football bowl betting lines released". 247Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020-21 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "Auburn Tigers vs. Northwestern Wildcats football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "Auburn announces football coaching change". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ "Auburn to play Northwestern in Vrbo Citrus Bowl". auburntigers.com. CBS Interactive. December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "Vrbo Citrus Bowl Bound - 'Cats Battle Auburn on New Year's Day". nusports.com. CBS Interactive. December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com