2021 Gasparilla Bowl
The 2021 Gasparilla Bowl is a college football bowl game that will be played on December 23, 2021, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.[2] It will be the 13th edition of the Gasparilla Bowl (after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and will be one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by mortgage loan company Union Home Mortgage, the game will be officially known as the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.
| 2021 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13th Gasparilla Bowl | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Date | December 23, 2021 | ||||||||
| Season | 2021 | ||||||||
| Stadium | Raymond James Stadium | ||||||||
| Location | Tampa, Florida | ||||||||
| Favorite | Florida by 7.5 | ||||||||
| Referee | Mark Duddy (Pac-12)[1] | ||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||
| Announcers | Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline) | ||||||||
On December 10, 2021, the game was officially announced as a sellout, the first time the Gasparilla Bowl has sold out in its history.[3]
Teams
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game will be played between teams from the American Athletic Conference (AAC or "The American") and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The bowl also has a tie-in with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
This will be the third meeting all-time between Florida and UCF. The Gators have won both previous meetings,[4] both held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, by the scores of 58–27 in 1999, then 42–0 in 2006.
Florida Gators
The Gators finished 6–6 (2–6 in the SEC), becoming bowl eligible in the final week of the regular season by defeating in-state rival Florida State. Fourth year head coach Dan Mullen was fired on November 21, after a disappointing 5–6 start.[5] Greg Knox took over as interim head coach to finish out the season before Billy Napier takes over in 2022. Defensive lineman Zachary Carter and wide receiver Jacob Copeland announced they were opting out of the game, while quarterback Anthony Richardson (who played in six games) will miss the game due to injury.[6]
UCF Knights
The Knights started out the season 2–0 under first-year head coach Gus Malzahn, however, the season was nearly derailed after the team suffered a rash of injuries during a last-minute loss at Louisville. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a season-ending broken clavicle, and by season's end, elected to enter the NCAA's transfer portal. Injuries to running back Isiah Bowser, defensive tackle Kalia Davis, wide receiver Jaylon Robinson, linebacker Tatum Bethune, center Corey Thornton, and several others, shuffled the starting lineups.[7] Freshman Mikey Keene took over as starting quarterback, winning six of his nine starts, leading the Knights to an 8–4 record regular season (third place in the AAC) and 7–0 at home.
Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| UCF | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
- Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (ESPN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline)
| Game information |
|---|
|
Statistics
| Statistics | FLA | UCF |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Plays–yards | – | – |
| Rushes–yards | – | – |
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | –– | –– |
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| UCF | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
References
- "2021-22 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- "2021 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- Kephart, Tim (December 10, 2021). "Gasparilla Bowl between UCF and UF officially sold out". WFTS. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- "Winsipedia - Florida vs. UCF". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- Low, Chris (2021-11-21). "Sources: Mullen out at Florida; Knox interim". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- Carter, Scott (December 12, 2021). "Gasparilla Bowl Sells Out, Napier Interview, Richardson Update, More Gators Tidbits". Carter's Corner. FloridaGators.com. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- Smith, Brian (October 13, 2021). "After a Run of Injuries, UCF Football at a Crossroads". Fan nation. SI.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.