TAMPA, Fla. — Florida closed out a turnaround season with a solid but unspectacular showing.
A 33-8 win against Tulane during the Gasparilla Bowl was still something to celebrate for coach Billy Napier. After all, the victory capped a four-game winning streak after two seasons that ended on skids of three and five games, respectively.
Yet Friday’s performance at Raymond James Stadium didn’t quite provide a surge of momentum entering a critical offseason for the Gators (8-5) or quell questions about Napier’s need to hire an offensive coordinator.
Quarterback DJ Lagway, the player many fans came to see, finished 22 of 35 for 305 yards, his first 300-yard performance against an FBS opponent to take home MVP honors.
The true freshman also threw two first-half interceptions to cost Florida points and highlight his struggles against zone coverage. Both miscues were thrown into the middle field with the intended target in triple coverage.
“We were sloppy early,” Napier said. “We were just a little rusty on offense.”
Lagway’s 7-yard touchdown to tight end Tony Livingston with 4:03 left in the third quarter was the Gators’ first touchdown, giving them a 16-0 lead following the first three of a bowl-record four field goals by Trey Smack.
“They didn’t make it easy, especially the first half,” Napier said.
Following the touchdown by Livingston, a sophomore from Tampa, Florida’s defensive intensity raised another level as Tulane managed just 194 yards.
The Green Wave (9-5) ended a once-promising debut season under Jon Sumrall on a three-game losing streak, but avoided their first shutout loss since 2016 against Temple when Ty Thompson found Mario Williams for a 16-yard touchdown with 29 seconds to go.
Without starting quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred to Duke three days after the Army loss, the Green Wave were 10-point underdogs with a backup quarterback who hadn’t started a game during four seasons.
Sumrall’s sense of urgency was evident from the opening snap.
Tulane looked to catch the Gators off guard with a flea-flicker on its first play.
Thompson, an Oregon transfer after the 2023 season and in the transfer portal again, fluttered a pass into the waiting hands of UF’s Trikweze Bridges.
“We sent a message to the team we weren’t going to play timid,” Sumrall said. “I don’t think we did. I just think we wore down.”
Thompson’s day didn’t get much better. He finished 11 of 29 for 125 yards and three interceptions, the second by Gators walk-on linebacker Alfonzo Allen Jr. on a pass broken up by sophomore cornerback Dijon Johnson of Tampa.
“Playing at a high level down in and down out is hard when you haven’t done it,” Sumrall said.
Tulane’s season-ending fall was precipitous.
The Green Wave sat No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings prior to the season-ending skid. Meanwhile, the Gators were 4-5 after a 49-17 drubbing Nov. 9 at Texas.
Behind Lagway, a suffocating defense and a strong kicking game, Florida closed with its longest winning streak during Napier’s three seasons.
The strong-armed, 6-foot-3, 239-pounds Lagway gives the Gators a head start entering the offseason. The 19-year-old also showed Friday in Tampa much work remains.
Lagway’s two first-half interceptions matched his season high during spot duty against Texas A&M.
The second pick was on third-and-goal from the Tulane 4 with Florida leading 6-0 with 3:29 remaining in a first half that ended as the lowest-scoring in the bowl game’s 16-year history.
The Green Wave’s first interception gave them the ball at UF’s 23. Forced to settle for a 35-yard field-goal attempt, Tulane’s placekicking woes continued as freshman walk-on Patrick Durkin’s effort was wide left.
A Durkin miss and botched snap on another attempt contributed to Tulane’s 35-14 loss Dec. 6 at Army during the America Athletic Conference title game.
