Florida wasn’t always sure it would win enough games to qualify for a bowl game.
Tulane flirted with a chance to play its way into the College Football Playoff.
Ultimately a late-season burst by the Gators (7-5) and a back-to-back loss to the Green Wave (9-4) put them both in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday in Tampa.
Florida, which failed to make a bowl game at 5-7 last season, dropped two of its first three games this year, falling to No. 19 Miami and Texas A&M. These results led to speculation early in the season that third-year coach Billy Napier might not make it to the end of the season, let alone coach a fourth season.
However, when the Gators fell to 4-4 after competing in a loss to then-No. 8 Tennessee and then-No. 2 Georgia, athletic director Scott Stricklin said Napier will continue as head coach.
After losing the next game to No. 5 in Texas, the Gators have improved over the last three games behind new quarterback DJ Lagway. Florida swept those three contests, defeating then-No. 21 LSU 27-16, then No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17 and Florida State 31-11.
“We want to keep the momentum we have,” said Napier.
Lagway, who is off to a 5-1 start and has passed for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, is expected to start at Tulane. He was hampered by a hamstring injury against Georgia on Nov. 2, an injury that kept him out of action against the Longhorns.
Napier does not expect a significant number of absences due to the exit.
“We talk a lot about, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, where we play, what time we play, who is there,” said Napier. “It’s like part of our DNA. When they put the ball down and kick something, we’ll be good to go.”
Tulane, which had won eight games in a row before losing 34-24 at home to Memphis on Nov. 28 and 35-14 at Army in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 6, has had no luck with its quarterback situation.
Redshirt freshman Darian Mensah, who unexpectedly won the starting spot during preseason camp and helped lead the Green Wave to the top spot as the No.
Kai Horton also passed through the portal, leaving former five-star Oregon signee Ty Thompson as the starter and only quarterback with bowl game experience. This will be his first college start, but he has played in 11 games this season as a change of pace for Mensah.
Thompson averaged 6.1 yards on 40 carries, scored six touchdowns, and completed 6 of 11 passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
“Absolutely, I’m blessed with this opportunity,” Thompson said. “I’ve been praying for this since I was 17 and I came out of college.”
Thompson indicated he might go through the portal again, but he’s sticking around to face the Gators.
“His response (by not winning the starting job) says a lot about who he is,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said of Thompson. “He wanted to be that guy but that’s how it was, so he could take it slow or move on to be better. He really handled it the right way.”
Thompson figures to have senior receiver Mario Williams and senior rusher Makhi Hughes available.
–Field Level Media
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