A little more than a month ago, it looked like the Florida football program was headed for its fourth consecutive losing season and third straight losing season under coach Billy Napier. The Gators bounced back in the final month to close out the 2024 season with a 33-8 victory over Tulane in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. With the win, the University of Florida has won four in a row and finished with an 8-5 record, its best record since 2020 when it went 8-4.
First time in career
Let’s start with the positive. The Gasparilla Bowl was full of career firsts. Walk safety Alfonzo Allen and true freshman linebacker Myles Graham recorded their first career interceptions in the contest. True freshman KD Daniels scored his first career touchdown on a 27-yard scamper that scooped off the ground in the backfield. Running back Anthony Rubio, the son of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, scored his first career touchdown late in the contest. Last, but certainly not least, 449-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson recorded his first career rushing yards, picking up 3 yards on his back against a linebacker and a 1-yard first down. Obtained.
Bowl games are unique in that we often get to see players we don’t get to see much of in the regular season, whether due to injuries, opt-outs or coaching staffs wanting to see young talent. players. Typically, coaches incorporate different players into their game plans, and Florida did just that. It also helped that Florida was able to take a sizable lead in the fourth quarter, which led us to some exciting career firsts.
Red zone offense struggles early on
Florida’s red zone offense struggled from the start, and Florida held a 9-0 lead until midway through the third quarter. The Gators found themselves falling behind in key moments due to sacks and penalties. Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway also didn’t have a good showing in the red zone, missing a wide-open Chaima Dike and throwing an interception into triple coverage that resulted in a touchback. Florida had 529 total yards of offense and had no trouble moving the ball, but they continued to take shots at their feet and couldn’t make shots in key moments.
The Gators had a strong performance with Tony Livingston and Anthony Rubio scoring two touchdowns in the red zone.
Defense led Florida to victory.
Tulane found the scoreboard less than 30 seconds into the game. Florida held the Green Wave to just 194 yards of total offense, or 3.4 yards per play. The Gators held Tulane’s powerful rushing attack, led by one of the best running backs in the country, Maki Hughes, to just 3.6 yards per carry. This forced Tulane backup quarterback Ty Thompson to beat Florida through the air, which he was unable to do. The former Oregon State QB completed 11-29 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Even though Florida’s offense struggled early in the game, I never thought the Gators would lose this game because of their defense. Florida executed its game plan perfectly and forced a questionable passing attack to win. Many different defenders were substituted throughout the match, but the decline was not noticeable.
DJ Ragway didn’t look 100% healthy
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is dealing with a hamstring injury, making it clear once again that he is not fully healthy. He limped up with a few scrambles and didn’t seem comfortable putting much weight on his legs when throwing. This caused the lugway to short arm several times and have poor mechanics. He also hesitated to run at times during the contest. The Gators will hope he is fully healthy for spring training.
Still, Lagway improved to 6-0 as the starting quarterback at the end of the game. He also set a Gasparilla Bowl record with 305 passing yards.
Trey Smack sets a record
Florida kicker Trey Smack had a perfect 4-4 record in this game, and for a moment it seemed like that could be the difference between the two. Smack’s four field goals set a Gasparilla Bowl game record. Smack scored 15 of Florida’s 33 points against Tulane.
Smack made 18 of 21 field goals (85.7%) this season and converted all 44 of his extra point attempts. Smack will be a senior in 2025 and is poised for another great season.
