ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines fell to the Texas Longhorns 41-27 in the 80th rendition of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl inside Camping World Stadium.
In the game held on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, interim head coach Biff Poggi went out swinging, unleashing true freshman Bryce Underwood in front of 47,316 fans.
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But he let go of the rope as Underwood threw three interceptions in the matchup.
The defense led by defensive coordinator Wink Martindale didn’t fare better as Arch Manning ran all over Michigan, and he was voted MVP of the matchup.
Manning was 21-34 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the game while also rushing nine times for 155 yards and two touchdowns to seal the victory.
Underwood was 23-42 for 191 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
He ran the ball 10 times for 81 yards and one touchdown in the loss.
Sloppy play on both ends of the ball doomed Michigan, which hung in the matchup for a while before eventually falling short.
History
The New Year’s Eve matchup marked the third meeting between Michigan and Texas.
The Longhorns won both previous matchups: 38-37 in the 2005 Rose Bowl and 31-12 at Michigan Stadium in 2024.
The two teams are scheduled to play again at Darryl K. Royal Stadium in Austin on Sept. 11, 2027.
The Wolverines participated in a bowl game for the 54th time in school history.
Michigan has compiled a 25-30 bowl record, ranking 11th in NCAA appearances and tied for 16th in victories.
It was the Wolverines’ seventh appearance in the Citrus Bowl.
Michigan holds a 4-3 record in the Citrus Bowl.
Poggi shared his last message with the team after falling to the Longhorns, with some help from Jimmy Rolder, as the Sherrone Moore era in Michigan ended with a 9-4 record in 2025.
1st quarter
The Wolverines won the toss and deferred till the second half, sending quarterback Arch Manning to the field first, who completed his first two passes for no yards but found Ryan Wingo for a 22-yard catch and run.
On first down, Manning threw an incomplete pass before handing the ball off to Christian Clark for a 22-yard run.
Manning completed a nine-yard pass to Jack Endries before Clark rushed the ball for a three-yard loss.
He threw incomplete on third down, setting up a field goal by Mason Shipley, which was good.
Texas drove the ball in nine plays for 50 yards in 2:52 to take a 3-0 lead.
Bryce Underwood opened the first drive of the game with an eight-yard pass to Andrew Marsh, before finding Donaven McCulley for a 19-yard catch and run.
Underwood threw an incomplete pass on first down before Michigan got called for a false start, losing five yards on the play.
On second and 15, Underwood found runningback Bryson Kuzdzal for a three-yard loss.
Facing a third and 18, Underwood dropped the snap and got sacked by Texas defender Colin Simmons.
Punter Hudson Hollenbeck kicked the ball 52 yards to the 11-yard line of Texas, which was returned by Ryan Niblett for 12 yards to the 23-yard line.
Timeout.
On their second possession of the quarter, Manning eluded pressure and threw an incomplete pass on first down.
Manning found Wingo for a nine-yard catch and run.
On third and one, Nick Townsend got stopped in the backfield for a two-yard loss, blown up by Damon Payne Jr.
Kuzdzal took his first carry up the gut for a gain of eight yards on the Wolverines’ second possession of the quarter.
On second down and two, Kuzdzal moved the chains, gaining 11 yards on the play.
With a new set of downs, Underwood handed the ball off to Kuzdzal on back-to-back plays, gaining a total of three yards.
On third down, Underwood tried to run the ball up the middle but got grabbed in his facemask, gaining an automatic 15 yards and a first down to keep the drive alive.
With a new set of downs, Underwood completed a pass to Semaj Morgan, who threw a pass to tight end Marlin Klein, which fell to the ground.
Underwood took a sack for a loss of eight yards instead of throwing the ball away on second down.
Facing a third and long, Underwood hit Morgan, who nearly broke loose but got shoestring tackled for a gain of nine yards.
Dominic Zvada kicked in a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:01 to play.
The Michigan drive was eight plays for 40 yards, which ate up 3:49 in the quarter.
Michigan recovered a fumbled kick return down to the 23-yard line of Texas as Niblett got hit hard on the play by Cole Sullivan.
Underwood threw incomplete on first down before handing the ball off to Kuzdzal for a gain of four yards.
On third and six, Underwood hit wide receiver Kendrick Bell in the back of the endzone, who made a nice ankle/shin tap inbounds before falling out of bounds.
The play was reviewed and overturned as it was called a touchdown. Zvada drilled the extra point to cap off a three-play 23-yard drive, which ate up 41 seconds.
Zeke Berry made back-to-back tackles as the first one came after wide receiver Nick Townsend leaped over a Michigan defender.
Texas gained a first down after Parker Livingston gained four yards on second down.
Clark gained six yards, and then seven yards before Manning threw incomplete on the next play.
Emmit Mosely V had a catch and run of 20 yards to move the sticks.
Clark gained one yard before Manning scrambled for three yards to end the quarter.
2nd quarter
Manning opened the second quarter facing a third and six but drew Michigan offside, gaining a free five yards.
On third and one from the 22-yard line, running back Michael Terry III carried the ball for no gain
On fourth and one, Manning carried the ball down to the Michigan four-yard line for a gain of 19 yards.
Clark carried the ball for a three-yard touchdown, followed by Shipley’s extra point to tie the game at 10-10.
Texas capped off an 11-play 75-yard drive to tie the game in 4:32.
On their first possession of the second quarter, Under scrambled for 11 yards.
Kuzdzal carried the ball for three yards.
Facing second and seven, Underwood threw in the direction of Klein, but the sun may have gotten in his eyes as he jumped early and lost track of it as the ball hit the turf.
On third and seven, Underwood went back to Klein for a seven-yard gain.
With a fresh set of downs, Underwood scrambled for nine yards, setting up a second and one.
On second down, Underwood carried the ball 33 yards down to the four-yard line of Texas.
Underwood found Marsh on a wide receiver out route who eluded a defender and crossed the goal line for a touchdown.
Zvada capped off the seven-play, 69-yard drive in 3:19 with the use of Underwood’s legs in the process to take a 17-10 lead with 10:17 to play.
Manning opened the second drive of the quarter for the Longhorns with a Mosley V five-yard catch and run.
Clark gained nine yards on the following play, but Texas got called for offensive holding on the play.
Mosely V made a nice snag with a Michigan defender draped all over him to regain the penalty yardage.
Manning threw a near-interception on second down, second-and-up, a third-and-five, where he was called for a delay of the game.
Facing a third and 10 on the 40-yard line, Manning hit Wingo for a catch and run of 26 yards.
With the ball on their 34-yard line, Manning hit his receiver in the hands, but the sun was in his eyes while running down the sideline.
Michigan was called for a facemask, giving Texas a free 15 yards to the Texas 19-yard line.
On first and 10, Manning eluded the pocket and found Endries wide open in the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown.
Shipley kicked in the extra point to tie the game at 17-17, capping off an eight-play, 74-yard drive in 2:31.
The last five drives have resulted in scores for both teams, and Michigan and Texas are tied 17-17 with 7:41 to play.
Michigan took the ball at its own 25-yard line to open its second drive of the quarter.
Underwood hit McCulley on first down, but he dropped the ball. He was wide open on the play.
On second down and 10, Kuzdzal tried to break outside, but was tackled for a loss of 3 yards.
Facing a third-and-13, Underwood threw another incomplete pass, going three-and-out, setting up a punt with 6:53 to play in the half.
Hollenbeck punted the ball 44 yards, but it was returned by Niblett for a good gain. Texas got called for a blindside block, pushing them back to their own 40-yard line.
Manning found Mosley V for a gain of 12 yards.
He nearly threw an interception as the ball went through the hands of Sullivan.
Texas was called for holding, losing 10 yards on the play.
Facing a second and 17, Manning rushed for five yards before throwing incomplete on third and 17, forcing a punt, fair caught by Marsh at the 11-yard line.
The punt went 50 yards.
Kuzdzal carried the ball for four yards on first down.
He got tackled in the backfield for a loss of two on the play.
On third and eight, Underwood found McCulley for a seven-yard gain, setting up a Hollenbeck punt down to the 45-yard line of Texas.
Clark carried the ball for a 10-yard gain before the two-minute timeout.
Clark came out of the two-minute timeout with a 13-yard run by Clark, followed by a one-yard catch by Endries.
Manning carried the ball 10 yards before his receiver dropped a catchable ball on first down.
TJ Metcalf blasted the receiver who dropped the ball in the endzone as he clearly had the touchdown.
Facing a third and 10 with one minute to play, Manning had the ball snapped without his knowledge and lost 22 yards on the play, moving them out of field goal range.
Timeout Michigan, their first of the half with 55 seconds left before the half.
The punt went into the endzone with 48 seconds remaining.
With the ball on their 20, Underwood handed the ball off to Kuzdzal for a 10-yard gain, and he hit Klein down the middle of the field for 20 yards to keep the chains moving.
Underwood found Channing Goodwin for three yards before hitting Zack Marshall for a four-yard catch and run.
On third and three, Underwood hit Klein again to move the sticks before throwing incomplete to Marsh down the sideline to stop the clock with nine seconds left.
Underwood handed the ball off to Kuzdzal for a nine-yard gain before calling their last timeout with four minutes remaining.
Zvada had the chance to take the lead and get the ball back to open the second half, but missed.
The first half was filled with fireworks as Underwood and Manning were making plays for their respective teams.
Manning was 14-23 for 147 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball four times for 37 yards.
Underwood, on the other hand, was 12-18 for 112 yards while throwing two touchdowns.
He also carried the ball five times for 47 yards.
Speaking of carrying the ball, Kuzdzal led the backfield with 11 carries while matching Underwood, as he too had 47 yards rushing.
3rd quarter
Michigan took the kickoff, led by Marsh, who scrambled down the sideline for a 43-yard return.
With the ball spotted at the 46-yard line, Underwood handed the ball off to Kuzdzal for a nine-yard gain.
On second and one, Underwood tried to hit tight end Hogan Hansen, but he didn’t get his head around to find the ball, as it fell incomplete.
Facing a third and one, Kuzdzal got stopped for no gain before bouncing off a defender on fourth down to gain 11 yards.
Morgan carried the ball for three yards.
Michigan was called for holding on second-and-seven, pushing them back 10 yards.
Facing a second and 17, Underwood handed the ball off to Micah Ka’apana for 11 yards before hitting Bell for five yards.
On fourth and one, Kuzdzal gained four yards to keep the chains moving.
With a new set of downs, Underwood threw a dangerous pass in the direction of McCulley, but the pass got batted down near the goal line.
Facing second and 10, Underwood kept the ball for eight yards down to the 18-yard line.
After three of nine on third, Underwood bypassed the first down as he had a man open in front of him; he instead went for the touchdown to Klein, who was double covered in the back of the endzone, which fell incomplete.
Zvada drilled a 31-yard field goal, capping off the 12-play, 41-yard drive, which ate up 5:13 to take a 20-17 lead.
Manning opened the first drive of the second half, finding Wingo for a seven-yard catch and run.
On second and three, Texas got called for holding, pushing them back 10 yards.
Manning completed a pass to Endries for seven yards, setting up a third and six.
On third down, Manning gained a large chunk, but Texas was called for holding again.
Facing a third and four, Manning hit Kaliq Lockett for a five-yard gain.
Lockett was called for holding on the previous play.
Manning threw incomplete in Lockett’s direction before throwing a near interception on the next play.
Michigan got called for roughing the passer.
Pakrer Livingstone gained nine yards before Clark picked up seven yards on the next play.
Michigan was called for pass interference in the end zone.
The ball was moved to the 23-yard line, where Clark carried the ball for no gain before Manning escaped the pocket again for another long run, this time resulting in a touchdown.
The carry was for 23 yards with 5:38 to play in the quarter.
Texas ran nine plays for 80 yards in 3:55 as Shipley kicked in the extra point to take a 24-20 lead.
Texas kicked off to Michigan with the lead, and Marsh returned the ball 51 yards to the Longhorns 38-yard line to put Michigan in excellent field position.
Underwood carried the ball nine yards before Kuzdzal carried the ball for 11 yards.
Klein caught a pass on first down, but bobbled the ball and got popped by the defender after regaining the pass on the Texas sideline.
The crowd went crazy with “Let’s go blue” chants as Klein got attended to.
Klein gained three yards on the play. He walked off the field.
On second and seven, Texas got called for being offside on the play.
After a free five yards, Underwood took the ball and ran to the outside, but two flags came in as McCulley got called for an illegal blindside block, pushing them back 15 yards.
Facing second and 17, Underwood threw another dangerous pass in the direction of McCulley, which fell incomplete.
On third and long, Michigan took its first timeout of the half with 2:59 to play in the quarter.
Both teams had combined for 569 yards at that point in the game.
With the ball on the 25-yard line, Underwood threw an interception but got hit late, drawing a penalty for a blindside hit, taking points off the board.
The penalty moved the ball to the four-yard line of Texas.
Manning threw an incomplete pass.
Lining up under center, Manning handed the ball off to Clark for a gain of nine yards.
Facing a pivotal third down and 1, Michigan’s defense got into the backfield to force a loss of one yard on the play.
Jaden Mangham was like a heat-seeking missile on that play.
Marsh returned the punt for a good gain.
On first and 10, Underwood handed the ball off to Kuzdzal for two yards.
On second and eight, Underwood threw an incomplete pass to Hansen, setting up a third down and eight.
Needing the first down, Underwood got called for a delay of game, moving Michigan back five yards.
Now facing a third and 13 and out of field goal range, Underwood found Deakon Tonielli for a gain of 11 yards to end the quarter.
4th quarter
Michigan, down 24-20 with two yards to go, went for it as Underwood hit Ka’apana for an eight-yard gain.
Michigan got called for holding on first down, moving them back 10 yards.
On first and 20, Underwood handed the ball to Ka’apana for a five-yard gain.
Underwood found Marsh for a loss of two yards.
On second and 17, Underwood found McCulley for 16 yards.
Facing a fourth and one, Kuzdzal gained two yards on the play.
Underwood found McCulley again, moving the ball into the goal line of Texas.
Kuzdzal carried the ball for no gain on first down.
On second and five from the five-yard line, Underwood, with some great effort, stretched outside and stretched the ball over the goal line, hitting the pylon with the ball before the ball fell out of his hands.
The ruling was being reviewed after it appeared he fumbled in the end zone, but it was upheld as Michigan took a 26-16 lead before Zvada capped off an 11-play, 45-yard touchdown drive with an extra point to take a three-point lead.
Trailing 27-24, Manning took the first snap of the drive and handed the ball off to Clark for a one-yard gain.
Troy Bowles made the stop on the play.
Manning hit Livingstone for 12 yards before throwing incomplete.
On second and 10, Manning threw the ball to Daylan McCutcheon, but he got blasted and dropped the pass.
Manning scrambled for eight yards and then 15 yards on fourth and two to keep the drive alive.
On first down, Clark rushed for two yards, setting up a second and eight.
Texas got called for a false start, moving the ball back five yards, but Manning hit Lockett down the field for a 30-yard touchdown as cornerback Jyaire Hill lost track of the ball.
Shipley capped off the nine-play, 75-yard drive to take a 31-27 lead in 4:02.
Manning was dealing as he was beating Michigan with his legs and his arm all day.
At this point in the game, he went 20-33 for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 8 times for 93 yards.
Marsh returned the ball to the 36-yard line for 31 yards.
Underwood rushed the ball for six yards on first down before Kuzdzal got tackled in the backfield for a loss of four yards.
Facing third and eight, with the clock under six yards, Underwood tried to scramble but got tackled for two yards.
Both teams got called for facemasks, so the down was replayed.
Looking to get their first third down of the half, Underwood threw another interception in the direction of Tonielli.
Texas got called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, moving the ball back 15 yards.
Michigan trails 31-27 with 5:15 to play.
Manning housed another big run, going one play for 60 yards to take a commanding 11-point lead with 5:05 to play.