As the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl winded down to its final moments, the crowd of fans dressed primarily in orange and blue broke out into a familiar cheer: “It’s great to be a Florida Gator.”
Upon the clock hitting all zeroes, the entire team banded together in the corner of the field and locked arms. Florida’s marching band played its final rendition of the UF Alma Mater for the 2024 campaign, and as bunches of players smiled and sang along, there was a new feeling building that had seemingly been missing at several points for Florida this season: a feeling of hope.
After a turbulent start to the 2024 campaign that briefly saw head coach Billy Napier land on the hot seat, Florida capped off a stellar back half of the season with a statement bowl game victory over the Tulane Green Wave. The Gators (8-5, 4-4 SEC) rode a staunch defensive performance and a second-half offensive explosion to a 33-7 win over the Green Wave (9-5, 7-1 AAC) to come victorious in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl.
“It was an awesome environment,” UF head coach Billy Napier said. “For our fans to come out the way they did, it felt like a home game in there.”
Florida secured 529 total yards on the day to Tulane’s 194. UF freshman quarterback DJ Lagway was named the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl MVP, finishing the day with 305 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while completing 22 of his 35 passes.
The Gators also racked up 224 total yards on the ground, with three running backs tallying 50 or more yards each. Freshman running back Jadan Baugh led the way with 70 yards on 14 carries, while fellow freshman KJ Daniels secured 57 yards and a touchdown on five carries of his own. Redshirt junior Ja’Kobi Jackson chipped in with 12 carries and 57 yards of his own.
Additionally, UF junior kicker Trey Smack set a new Gasparilla Bowl single-game record by knocking in four field goals on the evening. Smack converted on kicks from 24, 30, 34 and 44 yards out to help keep Florida in front throughout Friday’s contest.
While the offense did its part, namely in the second half, Florida’s defense proved to be the true difference maker in this contest. UF held the Green Wave offense to just 2.6 yards per play while coming away with three interceptions and four tackles for loss.
On Tulane’s first offensive play of the afternoon, junior quarterback Ty Thompson lofted up a shaky deep ball with no apparent target in sight. UF defensive back Trikweze Bridges quickly settled under it and came away with the interception, giving the Gators possession at their own 24-yard line.
Florida’s offense took its time marching down the field on the subsequent drive. After four modest-gaining plays, Lagway eventually hit freshman wideout Aidan Mizell in stride on a 29-yard completion to put the Gators in the red zone.
Tulane managed to prevent any further bleeding from there, but UF still came away with a 34-yard field goal from Smack to cap off the drive. As Smack marched off the field and the Florida faithful in attendance cheered on, the Gators had taken their first lead of the day at 3-0 with 7:48 remaining in the first quarter.
After the Green Wave were held to another punt in the subsequent drive, Florida took back over at its own 10-yard line. Things quickly went south, however, after Lagway was picked off by sophomore safety Kevin Adams III six plays into the drive.
The Florida signal caller was looking to fit a spiral through a tight window to sophomore tight end Tony Livingston, but instead, Adams III came away with the ball and the Green Wave took over at the UF 25-yard line.
But even with prime field position following the pick, Tulane could not find any semblance of an offensive rhythm. After the Green Wave immediately went three-and-out to finish off the first quarter, freshman kicker Patrick Durkin’s subsequent 35-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left and was no good. Florida’s lead remained 3-0, and Tulane’s most blatant opportunity to crack the scoreboard had been all but flushed down the drain.
From there, UF’s offense got back on track and left Lagway’s prior interception in the rearview mirror. Redshirt junior running back Ja’Kobi Jackson barreled ahead on a pair of carries for a combined 23 yards to start the drive. Lagway immediately followed him up with a 17-yard strike to senior wide receiver Chimere Dike to cross back over into Tulane territory.
The Gators took it all the way down to the 29-yard line before being backed up 19 yards on back-to-back penalties over the next two plays. Facing a 2nd-and-29, Lagway managed to get some of those yards back on a pair of completions to Dike for a combined 22 yards.
Still well short of the line to gain, Florida went back to Smack once more, who in turn nailed a 44-yard field goal to put the Gators up 6-0 with just over nine minutes left in the first half.
Following another quick three-and-out from the Green Wave offense, the Gators went back to work in airing the ball out. After hitting Livingston on a 21-yard dot down the left side of the field, Lagway escaped the collapsing pocket and found TJ Abrams deep down the left sideline for a 31-yard completion to give UF a first-and-goal.
After a pair of short-gaining plays, Lagway went back to the passing game on third down and looked to find Mizell in the back of the end zone. Instead, his pass was cut off and intercepted by Tulane sophomore linebacker Dickson Agu, who fell down for a touchback to give the Green Wave possession back at their own 20.
Nonetheless, Tulane’s offense fizzled out once more in the waning moments of the first half. The Green Wave managed to take it all the way down to the Florida 40-yard line before a blown up run on 3rd-and-4 effectively eliminated any remaining chance of the Green Wave cracking the scoreboard.
As the two teams returned to their respective locker rooms for the halftime break, the Gators remained ahead 6-0. Thompson finished the first half having completed just three of his 12 passes for 28 yards and an interception. Likewise, the Green Wave only mustered up 69 total yards of offense to Florida’s 269 through the first 30 minutes of play.
The second half proved to be more of the same for both squads, as the Green Wave were stuffed by a staunch Florida defensive unit at seemingly every corner. Tulane mustered 105 yards over 39 plays in the third quarter, averaging out to just 2.7 YPP.
On the other hand, Florida’s offense found its footing as UF started to run away with an ever-growing lead. In their first drive of the second half, Lagway led the Gators down to the Tulane 41 before hitting Dike on a 38-yard completion that went all the way down to the three-yard line.
“I was just playing bad football [early]… seeing plays that I thought I could make and was forcing it,” Lagway said. “I just came in the second half, had my guys rally around me – it’s just a blessing to have amazing teammates like I have, and coaches – and everybody rallied behind me, just fixing things in the second half.”
The Gators were subsequently stuffed at the goal line, prompting Smack to come back out for his third attempt of the afternoon. The junior kicker proceeded to nail the 24-yard field goal to extend Florida’s lead to 9-0 with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Less than two minutes later, UF got the ball right back on a tip drill interception by junior defensive back Alfonzo Allen Jr. Thompson was looking to find junior wideout Mario Williams on a deep ball down the left side of the field, but the Tulane receiver could not come down with the ball and bobbled it into the air, allowing Allen Jr. to snag it on his way down instead.
From there, freshman running back Jadan Baugh looked like a man that could not be stopped on the ground. On the subsequent drive, Baugh received four consecutive carries, the latter of which saw him charge through multiple Tulane defenders for 23 yards to put Florida back in the red zone.
Two plays later, the Gators found the end zone for the first time in the afternoon, as Lagway connected with Livingston on a seven-yard touchdown reception. After more than 40 minutes of nothing but field goals, Florida had finally broken the seal and now led 16-0 with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter.
Even as they now sported a two-score lead, the Gators were still going full-steam ahead as they entered the final quarter of play. After a failed fourth-down conversion from the Green Wave saw Florida take over at the Tulane 47-yard line, Lagway connected with Livingston on a 24-yard dot for the latter’s fourth catch of the day.
Baugh managed to come away with a touchdown out of wildcat formation later in the drive, but the score was negated by a holding penalty. Following a short pass that went nowhere on the subsequent third down, Florida once again went back to the special teams unit.
Smack donned his helmet once more and knocked in another 30-yard field goal with ease. Smack’s record-breaking fourth field goal of the day extended Florida’s lead to 19-0 with 13:03 to go in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, the Gators found their way back into the end zone, albeit in somewhat unconventional fashion. Following another Tulane turnover on downs that saw the Gators take back over in opposing territory, Florida faced a 4th-and-1 at the Green Wave 25-yard line.
Already carrying a three-score lead, UF opted to go for it. Things quickly went awry, however, as Lagway fumbled the snap, causing pandemonium behind the line of scrimmage. Amid all the chaos, UF freshman running back KD Daniels scooped up the ball and broke through for a 27-yard scramble-and-score. With the play, Florida had averted a near-disaster and instead extended its lead to 26-0 with 6:29 left on the clock.
Florida and Tulane proceeded to trade garbage-time touchdowns in the game’s waning moments. After crossing back over into Tulane territory, the Gators faced a third-and-short and opted to hand the ball off to 6’5”, 450 pound defensive lineman Desmond Watson. Watson came away with a one-yard gain and a first down, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
UF freshman running back Anthony Rubio, son of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, went on to churn his way through the Green Wave defensive front for a nine-yard touchdown with just under two minutes remaining.
Tulane immediately responded with its first (and only) touchdown of the game less than a minute later, courtesy of a 16-yard touchdown catch from Williams. The Green Wave succeeded in their subsequent two-point conversion, but it proved to be largely in vain.
As the clock finally trickled down to triple-zeroes, Florida’s sideline began to pour onto the field in celebration. The moment proved to be a culmination of one of the more impressive turn-arounds in Florida football history, and a bright sign of what may be yet to come in the Billy Napier era.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Assistant Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
