Game Day: Florida vs. Tulane (Gasparilla Bowl/3:30 p.m., ESPN2) — Chance for Gators to finish strong

On By Littum

TAMPA, Fla. — A bowl game seemed like a far-fetched possibility for much of Florida’s season.

The Gators had a pair of black eyes three games into the season after getting spanked at home by Miami and Texas A&M. And that was when they had their starting quarterback.

Florida even won with a road win at Mississippi State in Week 4, and then during the ensuing bye week, the Gators restarted during a stretch of physical and competitive practices. In the aftermath, more young players began taking snaps on Saturdays and the defense began to show some resistance. Florida responded with a home win over UCF, but lost a quarterback Graham Mertz to a season-ending knee injury the following week at Tennessee. To make matters worse, the Gators lost in overtime to the Vols in a game they had multiple chances to put away in regulation.

The season began to turn around when true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway took over and led the Gators to a 48-20 home victory over Kentucky. Another bye week followed the win as the Gators prepared to face No. 2-ranked Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida led the Bulldogs in the second quarter and was in control of the tempo when Lagway went down with a strained hamstring. He did not return, replaced by walk-on and Yale transfer Aiden Warner. Georgia came back to win and the Gators were back at .500 with a 4-4 record and a trip to face No. 5 in Texas.

The season low came when the Gators trailed the Longhorns 42-0 early in the third quarter. They lost 49-17, and with LSU and Ole Miss heading to The Swamp in back-to-back weeks, the Gators’ bowl hopes seemed buried at the bottom of Tampa Bay.

 

But with Lagway back on the field, Florida upset both the Tigers and Rebels to become bowl eligible and renew hope. The Gators finished the regular season with a 20-point win at Florida State and were told a few days later that they would face Tulane on Friday in the Gasparilla Bowl.

“Our guys were excited when we found out we were going to be in Tampa,” UF head coach Billy Napier said this week. “It was a big deal and playing on the 20th, I mean, we’d be lying if we weren’t happy with that. I think these guys have an opportunity to finish the right way in our state and then be home for Christmas and have a few weeks off before we go out again in January.

“Gator Nation will be on full display. It will be a great opportunity for our fans to come out.”

Florida (7-4) faces the Green Wave (9-4) for the first time since 1984 and with an opportunity to win four straight games for the first time under Napier, who watched from the sidelines days after being hired at Florida when The Gators last played in the Gasparilla Bowl (a 29-17 loss to UCF in 2021).

With Lagway as the face of the future and the momentum of several critical wins on the recruiting trail, the Gators have finally created the kind of momentum Napier envisioned when he took over. With a win on Friday, Florida has a chance to finish the season ranked in the AP Top 25.

“It’s a good opportunity,” the senior receiver said Chimera Dikea transfer from Wisconsin and key offseason addition. “I want to finish the right way. I think it’s always important to finish the year the right way.”

The Gators are favored to part ways with the Green Wave, who are without their starting quarterback Darian Mensah. He entered the transfer portal after the regular season and is headed to Duke. Tulane starts Ty Thompsona dual-threat option who transferred from Oregon.

The Green Wave has a balanced attack. They rank ninth nationally in scoring (37.2 points per game) and 17th in scoring defense (19.7). Running back Mahki Hughes (1,372 yards, 15 TDs) is the centerpiece of the offense in Mensah’s absence.

The Gators are seeking their first bowl win since defeating Virginia in the Orange Bowl to end the 2019 season. In the four seasons since, they lost the Cotton Bowl to Oklahoma, the Gasparilla Bowl to UCF and the Las Vegas Bowl to Oregon State. Florida missed out on a bowl game in 2023, adding extra incentive for the players to finish this season with a win.

Meanwhile, always a steady presence in his three seasons in charge of the Gators, Napier (18-19) can climb back to .500 with a win. That would be another solid restart into 2025.

Coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2, with the crew on Anish Shroff on play-by-play, Andre Ware provide analysis and Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines. The Gators Sports Network broadcast from Learfield will air with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 and finally gives way to Sean Kelley and Shane Matthews in the booth, with Tate Casey reporting from the field.

For GSN stations, click here. The game will be rebroadcast on Sunday at 19.30, Wednesday at 01.00 and Friday at 2 a.m. on the SEC Network.

Finally follow along FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will have complete post-game coverage from the game late Saturday night and follow-up content Sunday, too.