Gasparilla Bowl brings UF and Tulane to Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa’s Gasparilla season began Friday with the Gasparilla Bowl. Longtime SEC rivals Florida and Tulane met on the gridiron of Raymond James Stadium this afternoon for the first time in 40 years.

On paper, the Green Wave (9-4) and Gators (7-5) enter the contest with similar records, but the two took very different paths en route to the Gasparilla Bowl.

The Gators have run the gauntlet with arguably the toughest schedule in college football this year. Eleven of twelve of their games were Power Four opponents, and in the end Florida made it through its tough schedule against five programs that made the College Football Playoff rankings and two more, LSU and Texas A&M, that made it to the College Football Playoff rankings most invested in the top 25 during the season.

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The Gators got off to a shaky start but finished the game strong with three straight wins. Much of Florida’s turnaround was attributed to freshman phenom DJ Lagway, who took over the starting role after senior Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL in October.

Lagway threw for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns and posted a 5-0 record in games he started and finished.

UF will face Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Green Wave’s season was very different. Tulane was in the running to make the College Football Playoff before suffering two disastrous late-season losses to Memphis and Army.

The Green Wave will also be without starting quarterback Darian Mensah, who recently transferred to Duke.

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While the oddsmakers have Florida as the heavy favorite in this game, this game will have a big impact on the Tampa Bay region as the Gasparilla season begins.

“The impact of what it brings,” said Katie Kicklighter of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. “New people are visiting our city, staying, trying our restaurants and just seeing everything Tampa has to offer.”

Tampa Bay area krewes anchored their floats at the “Fan Invasion” tailgate before the game.

“Being from Florida, we have all Florida teams, all from Tampa Bay, and we just love the combination of it all,” said Maggie Williams of the Ye Royal Krewe of Charlotte de Berry. “That means we’re trying to promote Gasparilla and get more people involved to see what it’s all about. And of course, who doesn’t love a football game…especially when the Gators are playing.”

Gator fans came from far and wide Friday and some said they felt like they were on home soil for this game.

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“I was actually a USF fan and I went to my first Florida Gators game with my dad and ever since then I just always wanted to go to UF,” said one Florida fan.

The Green Wave was also well represented, their fans traveled from New Orleans.

“I just get away with it and college football has more elements that the pros don’t have,” said one Tulane fan. “A little more spirit in the game.”

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission said the impact of the Gasparilla Bowl extended beyond the field. The game is a tremendous economic driver throughout the Tampa Bay region, bringing people from across the state and country to Tampa to stay, eat and explore.

“The bowl is really the start of the entire season and I know the community has been hit hard after a series of storms. What this brings is the excitement in the region, the energy, the economic impact, everything. “It’s just going to bring us back,” Kicklighter said.

The Gasparilla Bowl is the first of two bowl games beginning at Raymond James Stadium. The University of Alabama will face the University of Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31st at noon

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