UCF accepts invite to face Gators in Tampa
UCF has accepted an invitation to the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl and will face the Florida Gators on Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the team announced Sunday.
The two Sunshine State programs have met twice in history, with both games taking place in Gainesville and the Gators winning twice. This will mark the first time UCF and Florida will meet in a bowl.
“We’re excited to be playing in the Gasparilla Bowl against a quality in-state opponent like Florida,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement. “This is a great opportunity for our fans being right down the road at a place our program has had a lot of success. We’re really looking forward to heading over to Tampa.”
For the Knights, this is their sixth straight bowl appearance, extending the program record for most consecutive bowl game appearances. UCF will also be playing in the Gasparilla Bowl for the second time in three years.
The Knights beat Marshall 48-25 that year. UCF played in the Cure Bowl in 2016, the Peach Bowl in 2017, the Fiesta Bowl in 2018, the Gasparilla Bowl in 2019, and the Boca Raton Bowl in 2020.
This year’s bowl appearance will be UCF’s ninth in the last 10 seasons and the Knights’ 13th in the past 17 years. This will be the seventh time UCF has played a bowl game in Florida — after three previous appearances in the St. Petersburg/Beef O’Brady’s game and one each in the Cure Bowl in Orlando, the Gasparilla Bowl and the Boca Raton Bowl.
For Florida, this is the Gators’ fourth consecutive bowl appearance and the seventh in the last eight years. This year’s game will be the program’s first time playing in the Gasparilla Bowl regardless of opponent.
The Gators played at Raymond James Stadium earlier this season beating the USF Bulls in September. Florida also faced in-state school FAU this year as well.
“That will be our fourth in-state team to play this year. We’ve had success with the other three,” Florida AD Scott Stricklin said. “This will be, like I said, bowl games are supposed to be a lot of fun.”
“This one’s going to be special, getting us and UCF together, Stricklin added. “I know the Gators down in Tampa and throughout central Florida will be real excited to see that game.”
UCF fans can purchase tickets for the bowl game online through UCF. According to UCF, fans who purchase bowl tickets directly from UCF will financially support the program by maximizing bowl revenue to the university.
Additionally, fans who purchase through UCF will be guaranteed seating in Raymond James Stadium among other UCF fans. Those who buy their bowl tickets by December 7 through UCF will receive a commemorative ticket and spirit item in their assigned seat at the game as well.
The Gators will represent the “home” team and will be on the east sideline while the Knights will be the “road” and sit on the west sideline, the Gasparilla Bowl said. More information regarding tickets for the game can be found at UCFKnights.com.
The timing of a Florida-UCF bowl game is interesting considering the state of the two programs. The Gators finished the regular season 6-6 after firing head coach Dan Mullen the week before their final game.
In the last game of the regular season, Florida beat Florida State 27-24 to achieve bowl eligibility. Then on Nov. 28, the school announced Louisiana coach Billy Napier would succeed Mullen.
While Napier was officially introduced Sunday at Florida, he won’t coach the bowl game, Stricklin said. Running backs coach and special-teams coordinator Greg Knox has served as interim coach.
“Coach Knox will continue as the interim coach for the bowl game,” Stricklin said. “Coach Napier’s going to take some time to put his staff together. He’ll be focused on recruiting and kind of observing. We’re fortunate that Coach Knox will continue to lead us into the bowl game.”
As for UCF, coach Gus Malzahn led the Knights to an 8-4 regular season despite losing a number of key players, including starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, defensive tackle Kalia Davis and linebacker Bryson Armstrong, to season-ending injuries.
In addition, starting wide receiver Jaylon Robinson missed 6 games due to a knee injury while running back Isaiah Bowser missed a handful of games with a knee injury of his own.
Over the summer, the programs announced a future three-game football series as well.
The Gators will host the Knights in Gainesville on Oct. 5, 2024, and travel to Orlando on Sept. 14, 2030. Three years later, Florida will host UCF again on Sept. 3, 2033.
But there’s no need to wait, thanks to the Gasparilla Bowl. UCF and Florida will face off in Tampa in three weeks for a highly anticipated regional bowl game.