Florida football won its first postseason game since 2019 and the first of the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era on Friday against the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Gators nearly pitched a shutout in this one, grinding their way to a 33-8 victory inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
It was not the most exciting matchup, but the win gave the Orange and Blue an 8-5 final tally for the 2024 campaign after surviving a schedule that was among the toughest in the sport this fall. Florida kept Tulane scoreless until a touchdown with just 0:29 remaining spoiled the first shutout since 2021 in an overwhelming display of defensive domination.
It was a satisfying conclusion to an unexpectedly exciting college football campaign for Napier and Co. The Gators Wire crew provided their takeaways in a good, bad and ugly format following the game now that the final horn has sounded on the season.
Florida’s defense was outstanding today
GOOD: Florida’s defense was absolutely outstanding today, almost shutting out their opponent to give the Gators their 12-straight win over the Green Wave. The corps may have only had one sack, but it also grabbed a trio of interceptions while holding Tulane to 194 total yards (just 62 yards in the first half).
The one touchdown and two-point conversion came against bench players, for what it is worth.
Also give a gold star to Trey Smack, whose four field goals (in four attempts) set a new Gasparilla Bowl record. Of course, earning the win is in itself worthy of the “good” category as well.
BAD: Florida’s red zone offense was weak, being forced to take the field goal instead of pushing across the goal line in three of five the first five visits inside the 20-yard line while getting a TD once. At least points were put on the board, but it felt like a lot more were left off.
Also, Lagway did not necessarily have a terrible game — his numbers were perfectly solid — but he certainly seemed off at times, and both of his interceptions were very ill-advised. Additionally, it looked like he simply stopped planting his feet when he threw, which led to a few errant throws and those picks.
Sure, Tulane put some pressure on him, but his first half was a bit puzzling. He did manage to earn the MVP award thanks to a much stronger second half.
UGLY: Man alive, this game was a pure snoozefest — the first half was downright painful. Members of the media who ranked this game near the bottom of the bowl game roster made the right call. The overall officiating also left a lot to be desired, but hey, a win is a win. — Adam Dubbin
Another incredible display of defense
GOOD: Another incredible display of defense. I might sound like a broken record here, but this Florida defense looks like a completely different unit out there compared to the first few games of the season.
The Gators’ defense held Tulane to just eight points and 194 total yards, including only 23 in the second quarter. Florida also did a good job of generating multiple turnovers. The Green Wave gave up three interceptions, one to defensive back Trikweze Bridges, defensive back Alfonzo Allen Jr. and inside linebacker Myles Graham.
If this defense can continue this play heading into next season, the Gators have a chance to become a serious threat in the SEC.
BAD: DJ Lagway’s rusty first half. Lagway did not look like himself at all today, especially in the first half. He just didn’t look comfortable out there and he missed on some of his throws including the deep balls, which is one of the strongest aspects of his game.
The freshman threw two interceptions in the first half, one of them coming in the end zone that took away a Gators touchdown opportunity. At least in the second half, he looked more comfortable. I don’t think nerves played a factor in this game but rust might’ve had something to do with his poor play in the first half.
Nonetheless, Lagway threw for over 300 yards, set a single-game Gasparilla Bowl record, and did enough for the Gators to win.
UGLY: Red zone offense. The Gators just couldn’t find a way to get the ball in the end zone when they got in the red zone. They had six red zone opportunities and had two touchdowns.
When they called run plays, the running backs struggled to get yardage and when they called passes, Lagway struggled to hit an open receiver. Luckily, kicker Trey Smack was able to knock down all of his field goals to help the Gators point points on the board but it was a bit shaky for the Florida offense today. — Aidan Gallardo
Walk-on touchdowns are a beautiful thing
GOOD: Florida has played inspired football since the first month of the season, and it’s a big positive to see this team close out the year on a four-game win streak against mostly winning teams (sorry, not sorry, FSU).
While this might not have been DJ Lagway’s best game, he still put up decent numbers and led the team to several scoring drives in the second half. I’m not worried about the two picks at all.
Of course, the defense deserves its typical weekly praise, even if the walk-ons couldn’t hold the shutout intact. Keeping a conference championship-caliber club under 200 yards of total offense is the ideal way to build confidence going into the offseason.
BAD: I’m not of the mind that scoring points on 5-of-6 red zone drives is a bad thing, even though touchdowns are more desirable than field goals. Instead, I’ll point to Florida’s nine penalties. Okay, let’s call it eight because the team absolutely deserved to mob the end zone and celebrate with Rubio. Walk-on touchdowns are a beautiful thing. A reserve defensive back committing a late pass interference call is forgivable, too.
But the false start, two holding calls, personal foul, offsides and roughing the passer were all avoidable. Billy Napier has preached discipline for the entirety of his tenure as head coach at Florida, and this was not a disciplined performance. Something to work on for next year.
UGLY: Tulane looked lost on offense for most of the night, so the ugly goes to the Green Wave’s quarterback Ty Thompson. I know this is a guy who’s spent the year as a third-string option, but maybe he’ll reconsider his transfer portal decision after this performance.
He certainly didn’t help himself out with three interceptions, but maybe Tulane doesn’t want him back after this either…. You lie in the bed you make, I guess? — David Rosenberg
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