ORLANDO, Fla. -- Two resurgent football teams met at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on Friday, but only one showed up.

No. 14 Michigan completed its one-season turnaround under new coach Jim Harbaugh, routing the No. 19 Florida Gators 41-7 behind 278 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Jake Rudock.

Michigan finished the season 10-3, easing the stinging memory of the 42-13 loss to Ohio State in the 2015 regular-season finale. More important, the program distanced itself from the previous three seasons (2012-2014) when former coach Brady Hoke went 20-18.

Running back De'Veon Smith rushed for 111 yards on 25 carries for a Michigan offense that ran up and down the field at will against Florida's No. 6-ranked defense. The Wolverines had 503 yards of total offense and a 17-minute advantage in time of possession.

"I'm not going to say this is the greatest season in the history of Michigan football, but I'm sure all the people that like Michigan are proud of our fellas," Harbaugh said. "I don't think I've ever seen our offense play better, the defense was magnificent, the special teams executed in every phase ... this team just acquitted itself very well."

The Florida program, meanwhile, goes back into the repair shop to fix some problems that many of its followers thought were solved in coach Jim McElwain's first season. The Gators, who were 10-1 six weeks ago, were routed for the third straight game and finished the season 10-4.

Florida's offense picked up 245 yards in the first half but just 28 in the second. Gators quarterback Treon Harris was 1 of 6 in the second half for 7 yards.

The Florida defense repeatedly was blown off the line of scrimmage and Ruddock constantly exploited the secondary. Michigan was 9 of 13 on third-down conversions and punted only once in the game.

"This was a case of getting your rump kicked," McElwain said. "I hate to state the obvious, but they did a great job at the pad level. They outphysicaled us. No doubt about it. Sometimes a guy just gets the best of you and they did that today."

The Wolverines defense, absent for much of the first half, totally dominated the Gators in the final two quarters. Michigan limited Florida to one first down and 28 yards total offense in the second half.

The third quarter might go down as epic in Michigan history as the Wolverines gave up just 2 yards and allowed Florida only six plays.

"The way we played today, especially the defense and the field position they were giving us, was just tremendous," Rudock said. "I had an easy job today. Our offensive line did a great job and I just had to get the ball out."

Michigan did it without All-American safety/return man Jabrill Peppers, who missed the game with a hand injury. But the notion that this would be a defensive battle was dispelled immediately.

Michigan scored on its first possession and Florida could have. The Wolverines rolled up 233 yards of total offense in the first half and the Gators totaled 245 yards against the No. 4-rated defense in the country.

Michigan scored on a 4-yard run by Drake Johnson and 31-yard pass from Rudock to Jehu Chesson. The Wolverines were equally effective at running (117 yards) and passing (116).

Florida botched a fake field attempt on its first possession but eventually scored on a trick play. Wide receiver Antonio Calloway lateraled a 2-yard scoring pass to Harris to complete a 75-yard drive that tied the score at 7. That was as close as the Gators came.

Michigan scored 31 straight points before taking their foot off the gas in the middle of the fourth quarter. Rudock started the third quarter with a 3-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Grant Perry and backup running back Sione Houma ended it by slamming in from 2 yards.

Rudock wasn't finished. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, playing in his home state for the first time, hit running back Drake Johnson with an 8-yard scoring pass to make it 38-7 early in the fourth quarter. Kenny Allen got the final points with a 25-yard field goal.

"I'd say this is the best game we played all year," Harbaugh said. "Jake was just fabulous, down near flawless and De'Veon was possessed running the ball. Combine that with the way the offensive line was coming off the ball, the way the defense played, the three-and-outs, the third-down stops ... this was just really good."

NOTES: Florida RB Kelvin Taylor will finish his career in the same place his father, former Gators RB Fred Taylor did. Fred Taylor rushed for a Citrus Bowl-record 234 on 48 carries in the 1998 Citrus Bowl. ... Michigan QB Jake Rudock threw for more than 250 yards in the last four games of the season. He did that once in the first eight games. ... Florida PK Austin Hardin sprained an ankle during Thursday's walk-through and missed the game. Neil MacInnes, the student who won a campus-wide midseason competition for a kicker, lined up for a field goal attempt on Florida's first drive, but the Gators ran a fake that failed. ... Michigan and Florida will kick off the 2017 football season Sept. 2 at the traditional start-of-the-season game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. ... Florida OC Doug Nussmeier was Michigan's offensive coordinator last season. ... Michigan has 10 players on its roster from Florida. The Gators have two players from Michigan.