Florida football enters the Gasparilla Bowl with a three-game win streak and as the favorite against Tulane.
Florida football arrived in Tampa for the Gasparilla Bowl on Monday a confident bunch.
A three-game win streak catapulted the Florida Gators (7-5) back into the postseason after a one-year absence, and the setup couldn’t have worked out better. Florida enters its matchup with Tulane (9-4) at Raymond James Stadium on Friday (3:30 p.m., ESPN2) as 14-point favorites, per BetMGM,.
A big reason why is due to the quarterback situation at both schools. Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is 5-1 as a starter and poised to close the season out strong after an impressive rookie campaign in which he’s thrown for 1,610 yards with 11 TDs to seven interceptions.
Tulane, meanwhile, is forced to counter with backup quarterback Ty Thompson after starter Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal following Tulane’s 35-14 loss to Army in the American Athletic Conference title game. Thompson himself is somewhat of a lame duck, as he entered the portal as well but has been given permission by Tulane coaches to compete in the game in an attempt to boost his stock. He’s completed just 6 of 11 passes for 74 yards on the season, but presents a threat with his legs with 243 rushing yards and six rushing TDs.
Florida could have possibly faced a harder challenge in a higher-profile bowl against Duke in the Gator Bowl or Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl had Alabama reached the College Football Playoff. Instead, Florida will get to wrap its postseason up before Christmas playing in its home state.
“The way the dominoes fell in the playoff, I think, affected our league in general from a bowl perspective,” Florida football coach Billy Napier said. “But at this point, our crew, we get another opportunity to compete again.”
Florida football more enthused about playing in a bowl than two years ago
Two years ago, when Florida finished its first regular season under Napier at 6-6, the Gators traveled across country to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. It didn’t go well, as the undermanned Gators were hammered 30-3 by No. 14 Oregon State.
Several draft-eligible UF players sat out the game, including starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and linebacker Ventrell Miller. Jack Miller, who never fully recovered from a broken thumb in his throwing hand, started at quarterback. Florida needed an Adam Mihalek 40-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to keep its 34-year streak of failing to be shut out alive.
This season, Florida players are opting in, not out. Wide receiver Elijhah Badger and defensive lineman Cam Jackson are among draft-eligible players competing.
“That’s part of the positive here,” Napier said. “Sometimes you’ll have a guy pack it up and head off and start training, but I think these guys enjoy each other’s company. And I think this team, when we look back at it, I think this ‘24 team, what they were able to accomplish, the way they finished, I think would be significant in the future.”
Will Florida football need to guard against overconfidence facing Tulane?
Florida handled being heavily favored when it closed the regular season, dispatching rival Florida State, 31-11, in Tallahassee. Tulane won’t provide the same type of rivalry motivation, but Florida also hasn’t won a bowl game since 2019, which would present another step forward in Napier’s third season.
“Their quarterback situation is still a little iffy, but they still have a great team, great weapons on the outside,” Florida linebacker Shemar James said. “I think it will be a great game Friday.”
Napier has high respect for Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, who, like himself, has Sun Belt Conference roots. Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons at Troy before taking over for Willie Fritz at Tulane in 2024. Prior to coaching at Troy, Sumrall served as a linebackers coach in the SEC at Ole Miss and Kentucky.
“They’ve got a formula that works for them, you know, from a winning perspective,” Napier said. “I think they play really good defense; they’re committed to the run.
“Sumrall has had a terrific track record as head coach, you know, to compete for the conference championship this year as a first-year coach, I thought was impressive. And then, you know, familiar with him from his background in the SEC and then certainly watched closely what he was able to do at Troy. So, they’ve got a really good football team. I mean, I think in that part of the country, you can put a talented roster together. I’m very familiar with that.”
Leave a Reply