ORLANDO, Fla. - Jerry Jeudy could have sat out Alabama's bowl game and still almost certainly would have been a first-round pick at April's NFL draft in Las Vegas.
He played instead - and if this was his finale, his stock likely soared.
Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes, Jeudy became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game and the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide topped No. 17 Michigan 35-16 on Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl.
"I've played football all my life," said Jeudy, a junior who was selected MVP of the game. "I couldn't just sit out there and watch my team play. I love playing football, so I just came out here and competed with my brothers."
Jones connected with Jeudy for an 85-yard score on Alabama's first snap, and DeVonta Smith and Miller Forristall added touchdown grabs in the second half for the Tide (11-2), who had trailed 16-14 at halftime.
Najee Harris added 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, and Jeudy finished with six catches for 204 yards. Jeudy's previous collegiate high for yards was 147, set against Missouri during the 2018 season, and the Alabama bowl record had stood for more than a half-century - Ray Perkins had 178 yards against Nebraska in the 1967 Sugar Bowl.
"Certainly he used this opportunity to showcase his ability, so it probably even enhanced his opportunities at the next level," said Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose team outscored Michigan 21-0 after halftime as the Tide won their 27th consecutive game when allowing fewer than 40 points. "Very, very proud of our team."
Jones - who took over as Alabama's starter when Tua Tagovailoa was lost for the season after dislocating his hip in mid-November - completed 16 of 25 passes for 327 yards.
Shea Patterson was 17-of-37 passing for 233 yards and a touchdown for Michigan (9-4), which took its fourth consecutive bowl loss. Quinn Nordin kicked three field goals for the Wolverines, including a 57-yarder to end the first half that tied the program record and give Michigan the lead.
Along with the school-record-tying 57-yarder to end the half - Hayden Epstein also connected from 57 yards out in the first quarter at Michigan State on Nov. 3, 2001 - Nordin finished the day 3-for-3 on field-goal tries. It wrapped up a perfect season for kickers facing the Tide as they went 20-for-20 on field goals.
"It was a hard-fought game," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Congratulations to Alabama. I thought both teams played extremely hard."
The Tide had two touchdown drives that lasted 90 seconds or less - Jeudy's score on Alabama's first play, and a long go-ahead grab by Smith early in the third quarter. They were a quick-strike unit all season long, with 22 touchdown drives taking 1:30 or less and 38 touchdowns coming in 2:00 or less.
The last of those was the one that put this game away for Alabama with 10:01 remaining. Facing 3rd-and-11 from the Tide's 8-yard line, Jones connected with Jeudy for 14 yards. Jones and Jeudy then hooked up for 58 more yards, and the next snap resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Forristall, the redshirt junior tight end who was injured in late October.
Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III - a 2020 draft first-round possibility if he skips his senior season - took a shot to the head with 9:30 left in the third quarter and was placed into the concussion protocol. The Tide had only two players skip the bowl game for draft preparation, cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker Terrell Lewis, with Harris another Alabama standout who might jump to the NFL but elected to play.
It all helped lead to the the 12th bowl or playoff win for Saban, tying him with Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most in program history. Alabama should stay in the top 10 for the 76th consecutive edition of the AP Top 25, moving into a tie for the fifth-longest streak in poll history.
The Wolverines have dropped 16 straight road or neutral-site games against teams ranked No. 15 or higher in the poll, including all 10 under Harbaugh. The most recent time the Wolverines won such a game was Jan. 3, 2012, against No. 11 Virginia Tech.
Alabama opens next season on Sept. 5 against Southern California in Arlington, Texas. It will be the ninth consecutive season in which the Tide open with a neutral-site game; they're 8-0 so far.