2021 Citrus Bowl
Postseason college football bowl game
College football game
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
Game information
First quarter
(11:32) NU – Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 35 yard pass from Peyton Ramsey , Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:28; Northwestern 7–0 )
(3:14) NU – John Raine 6 yard pass from Peyton Ramsey, Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:21; Northwestern 14–0 )
Second quarter
(6:03) AUB – Anders Carlson 50 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 20 yards, 2:36; Northwestern 14–3 )
(0:17) AUB – Anders Carlson 27 yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 3:45; Northwestern 14–6 )
Third quarter
(8:32) AUB – Elijah Canion 57 yard pass from Bo Nix , Anders Carlson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:10; Northwestern 14–13 )
(1:34) NU – Peyton Ramsey 30 yard rush, Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 2:10; Northwestern 21–13 )
Fourth quarter
(12:13) NU – Cam Porter 1 yard rush, Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:16; Northwestern 28–13 )
(7:49) NU – Riley Lees 8 yard pass from Peyton Ramsey, Charlie Kuhbander kick (Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 3:35; Northwestern 35–13 )
(4:41) AUB – D.J. Williams 2 yard rush, 2-point pass failed (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:08; Northwestern 35–19 )
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
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 December 13, 2020 .
^ "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
History & conference tie-ins Tangerine Bowl Florida Citrus Bowl Capital One Bowl Citrus Bowl
There were games in January and December of 1958, 1960, and 2016. As a result, there were no games in 1959, 1986 or 2017.
Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.