Lagway leads Florida past Tulane in Gasparilla Bowl

TAMPA, Fla. — DJ Lagway and Florida put together a strong finish to a difficult season.

They closed it out in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Lagway shook off a mistake-filled first half to throw for 305 yards and a touchdown in Florida’s sloppy 33-8 victory over Tulane on Friday.

Trey Smack kicked a Gasparilla Bowl-record four field goals for the Gators (8-5), who also got a late TD run from walk-on running back Anthony Rubio, son of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, in their fourth consecutive victory.

“Great to finish the right way,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.

Tulane (9-5), which played without starting quarterback Darian Mensah, was outgained 529 yards to 194 and didn’t score until Ty Thompson threw a TD pass in the final minute.

A true freshman who sparked Florida’s turnaround from a 3-3 start to the season, Lagway finished 22-of-35 passing with two interceptions that contributed to the Gators only leading 6-0 at halftime. Late in the game, Lagway mishandled a snap on fourth-and-1 only to have running back KD Daniels scoop up the ball and run 25 yards for a touchdown.

Rubio, a 5-foot-9 redshirt freshman from Miami who had not appeared in a college game, entered in the fourth quarter. With 449-pound defensive lineman Desmond Watson lined up in the backfield in front of him, he ran for 8 yards on his first carry and eventually finished a nine-play drive with a 9-yard run that increased Florida’s lead to 33-0.

Watson, a 6-foot-5 senior who wears No. 21, gained 1 yard for a first down on the only carry of his career.

“You saw the sideline light up when he ran on the field,” Napier said, adding the plan to use Watson in a goal-line or short-yardage situation was hatched one day on the practice field.

Initially, he was to be used exclusively as a blocker or a decoy in the passing game. Watson was elated when a play was added to give him an opportunity to run the ball.

“I can do it all,” the nose tackle said, smiling.

The Gators won five of seven after their disappointing start, with most of the surge coming after athletic director Scott Strickin guaranteed Napier would return in 2025. Lagway became the starting quarterback after Graham Mertz was lost to a season-ending knee injury in October.

Tulane, which lost its last three games, played without Mensah, who entered the transfer portal and decided to continue his career at Duke after leading the Green Wave to an appearance in the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost to Army.

A loss in the regular-season finale to Memphis knocked Tulane out of the Top 25.

“I hate the way it ended,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said.

Thompson, who transferred to Tulane from Oregon in 2024, made his first college start — and possibly played his final game for the Green Wave. He also has entered the transfer portal, with the intent of finding a team that wants him to start full-time, though he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to the Green Wave.

Tulane avoided a shutout when Thompson tossed a 16-yard TD pass to Mario Williams. The Green Wave quarterback finished 11 of 29 for 125 yards and three interceptions.

Takeaways

Lagway showed flashes of why Florida feels good about its future with him running the offense, but also made some poor decisions with the ball. His end-zone interception cost the Gators at least three points, and he also was unable to get the ball into the end zone after a 38-yard completion to Chimere Dike gave Florida a first down at the Tulane 3 early in the third quarter.

Thompson’s audition for a shot at the Green Wave’s starting job did not go well. The junior generally is a better runner than passer, however he wasn’t effective doing either against the Gators.

Up next

Florida opens next season at home against LIU, while Tulane hosts Northwestern. Both teams begin Aug. 30.