The Union Home Mortage Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. UCF

After miserably failing to meet high standards in the 2021-2022 College Football Season, the Florida Gators will look to end their season on a positive note as they look to face the UCF Knights in the Gasparilla Bowl.

With a regular-season record of 6-6, Florida is coming off their worst regular-season record since the 2017 season (4-7). In fact, the Gators decided to fire former Head Coach Dan Mullen and hire Louisiana’s Billy Napier after losing four out of five games, which ended any hopes of contending for the SEC East. As for UCF, they had another solid season where they earned eight or more wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons. In spite of this, the Knights were unable to do much damage in the American Athletic Conference, suffering three conference losses, leading them to a third-place finish behind No. 4 Cincinnati and No. 20 Houston.

In order to win the Gasparilla Bowl, Florida and UCF must first win the Line of Scrimmage

While this game will likely not have the offensive fireworks that college football fans dream of, it will still be a very entertaining game.

Both offenses will likely rely on the success of their run game to generate points, which means it should be a very physical fight to win the line of scrimmage. Both the Gators and Knights rank inside the top-five for Rushing Yards per game (RYPG) in their respected conferences. Florida was able to generate their 209.1 RYPG in large part to QB Emory Jones and RB’s Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis. Jones led Florida with a team-high 697 rush yards and four touchdowns as Dameon Pierce (517 yards and 12 Touchdowns) and Malik Davis (401 yards and Four Touchdowns) followed suit. UCF (188.7 RYPG) found similar success on the ground, boasting three RBs with over 300 rushing yards on the season, including Johnny Richardson with a team-high 693 rush yards.

Like their running game, UCF’s defense was one of their strengths throughout the season. In fact, UCF ranked in the top five for points allowed per game (25.2 PPG, third), yards allowed per game (368.9 YPG, fourth), and sacks (33 total, fourth). The main reason regarding UCF’s defensive success was multiple players stepping up their game. LB Tatum Bethune notched a team-high 101 total tackles, while Defensive Lineman Big Kat Bryant tallied six sacks, and Davonte Brown had a team-high six passes defended. The defensive dominance of UCF can’t be said about Florida. The Gators were among the SEC’s worst in most defensive stats, including yards allowed per game (362.2 YPG, eighth-worst), rush yards allowed per game (153.6 RYPG, sixth-worst), and points allowed per game (26.6 PPG, fourth-worst). Despite this, Zach Carter (8.0 Sacks) and Brenton Cox (7.5 Sacks) formed a formidable pass-rush attack.

Will Emory Jones or Anthony Richardson Start at QB for Florida?

Throughout the College Football season, it would be anyone’s guess as to who would be Florida’s primary QB for the game. Junior Emory Jones and Freshman Anthony Richardson began to split playing time late in the season. Both Jones and Richardson had their share of flashes throughout the year. Jones threw for 2,563 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 67.7% of his passes, and Richardson showed off his big-play ability with 529 Yards and six touchdowns on only 38 completions. Despite this, both QB’s had their share of mistakes, as Jones and Richardson combined for 18 interceptions. In Greg Knox’s first game as Florida’s interim Head Coach against Florida State, Knox named Jones the starter, but Richardson did come in relief after Jones threw three interceptions. With this said, it’s anyone’s guess for whom Knox will give the starting job to for the Gasparilla Bowl.

How will Florida Respond to all of the Players Opting Out of the Gasparilla Bowl vs UCF?

Once the NCAA Transfer Portal opened up, it would be clear that some teams would be hit hardest with numerous departures. With this being said, it’s shocking just how hard Florida was hit by this. As of December 16th, Florida has already seen eight players leave Florida for a different school, including Jones WR Jacob Copeland, and OT Gerald Mincey. However, most of Florida’s Departures have come from the Defense, with six of the nine players transferring in the Transfer Portal. These players include DE Khris Bogle, DE Lloyd Summerall, DT Dante Zanders, LB Mohamoud Diabate, CB Elijah Blades, and CB Khamal Ellison. While Napier and the Gators have had a strong recruiting class this offseason, finding out how to keep those players will be key to having long-term success in the SEC.

The Gasparilla Bowl is only the beginning of the Florida vs. UCF Rivalry

While this matchup will mark just the third time Florida and UCF have matched up with each other, this game will start the upcoming rivalry between the Gators and Knights. Prior to this season, the two colleges announced that they would be starting a ‘two-for-one’ series that begins in 2024, and would continue in 2030 and 2033. As for the past matchups between Florida and UCF, it’s been as lopsided as any series could be. Florida is undefeated in both games against the Knights, with a 42-0 win in 2006 and a 58-27 win in 1999. If Florida beats UCF, then the Gators will close out the 2021 season with wins over all four of their in-state FBS opponents (Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Florida State, and UCF), which would set a school record for in-state victories in one season for the Gators.

Game Information

• Kickoff Date and Time: December 23rd, 7 P.M. ET
• Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
• Television/Stream: ESPN
• Online/Mobile App: ESPN+
• Opening Line: Florida -7.5
• Points Scored Over/Under: 56.5 Points

(Featured image by Phil Sandlin/AP Photo)

FL Teams has partnered with “The AJ Show”. AJ will be covering the Gasparilla Bowl! Be sure to stop on by for play-by-play reactions along with smack talk!