Florida defeats Tulane in Gasparilla Bowl: Highlights, recap

The Florida Gators made the Tulane Green Wave walk the plank on Friday. 

Florida defeated Tulane 33-8 on Friday at the Raymond James in Tampa Bay in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, named after the legend of mythical pirate José Gaspar. Although the broadcasters wore ruffled pirate shirts and the end zones were painted with treasure maps, both teams struggled early on to find any treasure (touchdowns). 

Florida QB DJ Lagway threw two interceptions in the first half as the Gators were held to six points, but the team rattled off 27 straight points in the second half en route to an easy victory. Lagway finished the contest completing 22 of 35 passes for 305 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back KD Daniels had five carries for 82 yards and one touchdown, while receiver Chimere Dike had six receptions for 96 yards. 

Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson made his first start for Tulane after starting quarterback Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal earlier this month before signing with Duke. Thompson struggled to get anything going before finally connecting with wide receiver Mario Williams for a 16-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining and adding the two-point conversion.

Thompson completed 11 of 29 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also had nine carries for 17 yards. Tulane was held to 194 total yards of offense, compared to Florida’s 529.

Check out USA TODAY Sports’ highlights and recap of the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl:

Ty Thompson throws touchdown pass for Tulane

Thompson connected with receiver Mario Williams for a 16-yard touchdown with 29 seconds remaining in the game to give the Green Wave their first points of the night. Tulane converted a two-point conversion to bring the final score to 33-8. It marked Thompson’s first career touchdown, along with his first start for Tulane.

Mario Williams had six receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards this season during the contest.

“I’m so grateful for this team, the coaching staff, for putting their trust in me, and also in this team. We weren’t able to come out with a victory, but this Tulane team is going to be serious next year. I really appreciate Coach Sumrall for being a great leader,’ Williams said after the loss.

Anthony Rubio, Senator Marc Rubio’s son, scores

After Florida opened the floodgates on Tulane with a 26-0 lead, the Gators took their starters off the field and allowed some other players to get some playing time, including walk-on running back Anthony Rubio. The son of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ran for a nine-yard touchdown to extend Florida’s lead to 33-0 with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. All of Rubio’s teammates ran to the end zone to celebrate with him, eliciting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but it didn’t appear to dampen the Gators’ mood.

Rubio finished the night with six carries for 32 yards and one touchdown.

Florida extends lead to 16-0 over Tulane

On Florida’s ninth possession of the game, quarterback DJ Lagway connected with TE Tony Livingston for a seven-yard touchdown to extend the Gators’ lead over Tulane to 16-0 with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown, the first of the game by either team, capped Florida’s 60-yard drive. Lagway has completed 20 of 30 passes for 275 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Halftime: Florida 6, Tulane 0

The end zones at Raymond James Stadium are painted like treasure maps in honor of the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, but neither team has struck gold so far. Both Florida and Tulane have failed to reach the end zone through two quarters of play, but two fields goals gave the Gators a 6-0 edge over the Green Wave at halftime.

Florida came close to scoring with 3:25 remaining in the second quarter. With the Gators facing third-and-goal at Tulane’s 4-yard-line, Florida QB DJ Lagway threw an end zone interception to Tulane linebacker Dickson Agu, his second interception of the day. Lagway completed 14 of 22 passes for 190 yards and two interceptions through two quarters.

Offense has been hard to come by for Tulane, who only has 62 total yards of offense through the first half, compared to Florida’s 269. Tulane backup quarterback Ty Thompson, who is making his first start of the season for the Green Wave, completed three of 12 passes for 28 yards and one interception.

Tulane misses field goal, trails Florida 3-0

Tulane is scoreless after one quarter. The Green Wave had an opportunity to get on the board to start the second quarter, but kicker Patrick Durkin missed a 35-yard field goal that would’ve tied the game. It marks Durkin’s second miss in as many games. He missed a 38-yard field goal in Tulane’s 35-14 loss to the Army Black Knights in the American Athletic Championship on Dec. 6.

Florida on the board first, leads Tulane 3-0

The Gators were the first team to strike, turning defense into offense for the first points of the game. Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson threw an interception to Florida’s Trikweze Bridges at Gators’ 24-yard line in the Green Wave’s opening possession. Florida QB DJ Lagway drove his team all the way to Tulane’s 16-yard-line, but a key sack from Tulane DL Adin Huntington held Florida to a field goal.

When is the Gasparilla Bowl between Tulane and Florida? 

The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl game between the Tulane Green Wave and the Florida Gators kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

How to watch Tulane and Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl 

The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl game between the Tulane Green Wave and the Florida Gators will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.

Watch Tulane take on Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Fubo

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Tulane and Florida odds, line 

The Florida Gators are the favorites to defeat the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl, according to the BetMGM college football odds on Thursday.

• Spread: Florida (-10.5) 
• Moneyline: Florida (-400); Tulane (+310) 
• Over/under: 49.5

2024 Gasparilla Bowl, Florida vs. Tulane predictions

USA TODAY Sports: Florida is unanimous pick

• Scooby Axson: Florida
• Jordan Mendoza: Florida
• Paul Myerberg: Florida
• Erick Smith: Florida
• Eddie Timanus: Florida
• Dan Wolken: Florida

ESPN: Florida 31, Tulane 17

‘Florida players and fans normally wouldn’t be excited about a non-CFP bowl in mid-December, but the program’s heartening finish under coach Billy Napier, coupled with a good recruiting push, has improved the vibes significantly. A really exciting quarterback matchup between Florida’s DJ Lagway and Tulane’s Darian Mensah took a hit as Mensah is reportedly set to enter the transfer portal.’

Adam Burke, VSiN: Tulane to cover the spread

Burke writes, ‘This line has gotten too high. (Tulane quarterback Ty) Thompson was at Oregon and was once a very highly-rated recruit. (Makhi) Hughes is a future NFL running back and (Mario) Williams could latch on somewhere as well. Tulane did look disinterested against Army, but that was after their CFP hopes went up in flames. (DJ) Lagway isn’t an overly efficient passer and Tulane’s run defense hung in there against Kansas State and Oklahoma.’

Jaren Kawada, ClutchPoints: Florida (-13.5)

Kawada writes, ‘Given how (DJ) Lagway and the offense have looked lately, there is no reason to believe a (Darian) Mensah-less Tulane offense can keep up with them. Lagway is not the only Gator to pick up the pace down the stretch, as running back Montrell Johnson Jr. has topped 90 rushing yards in three of the last four games.’

Blake Silverman, Sports Illustrated: Florida to win

Silverman writes, ‘Driving the late season surge and looking to build heading into year two in Gainesville, (Florida QB DJ) Lagway should come out slinging in Florida’s bowl game. Although (Tulane QB Ty) Thompson will look to show out equally for Tulane, (Darian) Mensah’s transfer and opt-out for their bowl game are a tall task to overcome, especially against a surging SEC team like Florida.’

Bowl game picks  

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Tulane vs. Florida all-time record 

The Tulane Green Wave and the Florida Gators have faced off 21 times in their history. The Gators have a 13-6 record with two ties in the series.

Florida beat Tulane 63-21 in the most recent matchup on Sept. 15, 1984.

College football bowl game schedule: Entire postseason lineup

College football bowl season began on Dec. 14 and will run through Jan. 20 with the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta. Click here for the schedule of all upcoming bowls, including the College Football Playoff, and the results of already completed games.