Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

Tulane (9-4) vs. Florida (7-5)

2:30 p.m. CST Friday (ESPN2)

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

3 Previous appearances for SEC teams in the Gasparilla Bowl, including a 29-17 loss by Florida to UCF on Dec. 23, 2021. Mississippi State defeated Miami (Ohio) 17-16 on Dec. 26, 2016, when the game was the St. Petersburg Bowl, and Missouri lost to Wake Forest 27-17 on Dec. 23, 2022.

5 Victories without a loss for Florida this season when QB DJ Lagway has started and finished the game. Lagway has started six games in 2024, but an injury knocked him out of the Gators’ 34-20 loss to Georgia on Nov. 2. Florida led the Bulldogs 10-3 when Lagway went out.

7 Offenses have averaged at least 200 rushing and 200 passing yards per game this season, including Tulane’s. The Green Wave have averaged 205.4 rushing yards and 215.8 passing yards per game in 2024.

7 Victories and 10 losses for Tulane in bowls. The Green Wave is facing an SEC opponent in a bowl for the first time. Tulane’s bowl history includes a 1910 appearance in the Bacardi Bowl before the Green Wave’s modern bowl history started with a 21-12 loss to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1932.

8 Non-offensive TDs have been scored by Tulane, the most in the nation this season. The Green Wave leads the nation with five interceptions returned for TDs and is tied for the lead with two kickoff-return TDs.

9 Previous appearances for American Athletic Conference teams in the Gasparilla Bowl, with Tulane representing the league this year. American teams have a 6-3 record in the game.

10 Consecutive losses to SEC opponents for Tulane. The Green Wave’s most recent victory against an SEC opponent came on Sept. 16, 2006, when Tulane topped Mississippi State 32-29. The Green Wave has a 33-96 record against SEC opponents since it left the conference after the 1965 season. Tulane was an SEC member for the league’s first 33 football seasons.

11 Passes have been thrown this season by Ty Thompson, who will start at quarterback for Tulane. QB Darian Mensah threw 22 TD passes, but he has transferred to Duke. Thompson has completed 6-of-11 passes for 74 yards with two TDs and no interceptions and ran for 243 yards and six TDs on 40 carries in 2024.

11 Consecutive victories for Florida against Tulane. The Green Wave’s most recent win over the Gators came on Oct. 5, 1946, when Tulane took a 27-13 victory in an SEC game. The teams tied 7-7 the next time that they met on Nov. 15, 1947, before Florida’s winning streak started with a 34-14 victory on Sept. 20, 1958. The Gators’ first five victories in the streak came in SEC games. Florida leads the series with Tulane 13-6-2. The teams most recently met on Sept. 15, 1984, when Florida scored a 63-21 victory.

12 Of Florida QB DJ Lagway’s 93 completions gained at least 40 yards this season. Lagway is tied for the 10th-most 40-or-more-yard completions in the nation in 2024. He’s the only player in the top 25 nationally for 40-yard completions with fewer than 100 completions.

15 Victories and nine losses for Florida against the American Athletic Conference and its ancestral league, the Big East. That includes a 4-3 record in bowls.

25 Victories without a loss for Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, when his team finishes with more rushing yards than its opponent. Sumrall is 7-8 when his team does not outrush its opponent. Sumrall compiled a 23-4 record in two seasons at Troy before taking over at Tulane in 2024.

37 Consecutive games with at least one reception for Florida WR Elijah Badger. Badger also has 37 receptions this season, good for 789 yards and four TDs. Badger’s average of 21.3 yards per catch is the best in the nation for any player with more than 32 receptions in 2024.

50 Bowl appearances for Florida when the Gators take the field on Friday. Florida has a 25-24 bowl record after losing its past three outings. The Gators’ bowl count includes a 1912 appearance in the Bacardi Bowl before Florida’ modern bowl history started with a 14-13 victory over Tulsa in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 1953.

460 Games have been played by Florida since it was most recently shut out, the longest scoring streak in major-college football history. The Gators haven’t been blanked since losing to Auburn 16-0 on Oct. 29, 1988.

1,372 Rushing yards for Tulane RB Makhi Hughes in 2024, the fifth-most for a Green Wave player in one season and 6 yards short of his rushing total for the 2023 season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.