The 2003 Outback Bowl was a

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

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held on January 1, 2003, at

Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football ...

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. The

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, third-place finishers in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, defeated the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

, who finished second the Eastern Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC), 38–30. Michigan

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Chris Perry was named the game's MVP.

Game summary

Michigan got on the board first after a 4-yard touchdown run by Chris Perry to open up a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Florida running back

Earnest Graham Earnest Graham Jr. (born January 15, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was signed by ...

scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7. Later in the second quarter, Graham scored again on a 1-yard run, but a two-point conversion attempt by Ran Carthon failed. Florida led 13–7. Chris Perry scored again on a 1-yard run to give Michigan a 14–13 lead. Florida kicker Matt Leach connected on a 29-yard field goal to retake the lead for the Gators, 16–14.

John Navarre John Robert Navarre (born September 9, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Michigan, and was selected in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals ...

threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Ronald Bellamy Ronald Bellamy (born December 28, 1981) is an American college football coach and former wide receiver. He is the wide receivers coach for the University of Michigan, first joining the staff in 2021. Bellamy played college football for the Michig ...

to give Michigan a 21-16 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Florida

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Rex Grossman Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for ...

threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Keiwan Ratliff Keiwan Jevar Ratliff (born April 19, 1981) is an American former professional football cornerback who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2000s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and was ...

to put Florida up 23–21. Michigan answered with two more touchdown runs by Chris Perry, from 7 and 12 yards out, to lead 35–23. In the fourth quarter, Grossman found wide receiver Aaron Walker for a 3-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 35–30. Adam Finley connected on a 33-yard field goal to increase Michigan's lead to 38–30, which held up as the final score.

Scoring summary

First quarter

*Michigan - Chris Perry, 4-yard run (Adam Finley kick)

Second quarter

*Florida -

, 2-yard run (Matt Leach kick) *Florida - Earnest Graham, 1-yard run ( Ran Carthon run failed) *Michigan - Chris Perry, 1-yard run (Adam Finley kick) *Florida - Matt Leach, 29-yard field goal *Michigan -

, 8-yard pass from

(John Hines kick)

Third quarter

*Florida -

, 33-yard pass from

(Matt Leach kick) *Michigan - Chris Perry, 7-yard run (Adam Finley kick) *Michigan - Chris Perry, 12-yard run (Adam Finley kick)

Fourth quarter

*Florida - Aaron Walker, 3-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Matt Leach kick) *Michigan - Adam Finley, 33-yard field goal

References

External links

ESPN game summary

{{Michigan Wolverines bowl game navbox ReliaQuest Bowl

Outback Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...

21st century in Tampa, Florida Florida Gators football bowl games Michigan Wolverines football bowl games January 2003 sports events in the United States