Slow and steady wins the race for Florida Football in the Gasparilla Bowl

Coming into the Gasparilla Bowl, Florida Football was placed in a classic conundrum. A win over a Tulane squad that had its starting QB opt out wouldn't move the needle. A loss would create a wave of doubt from all the positive momentum created to end the year.

In the end, the Gators did just enough after an unimpressive first half to pull away in the second half to collect their first bowl victory under Billy Napier.

Florida Football: Find treasure

The first half was a classic first half from Billy Napier. Florida gained plenty of yards, but time after time there was always "something" that got in the way of points. Whether it was a ill timed penalty or DJ Lagway not identifying a dropping lineman, Florida emerged from the first half with just a 6-0 lead.

Don't get it twisted: Florida's defense came to play even with the injuries to the interior of the line that saw Cam Jackson and Caleb Banks miss the game due to injuries. But the Gators showed no signs of pulling away 30 minutes into the game.

However, as the defense held firm, eventually, the running game for Florida proved to be too much for Tulane to handle. Jadan Baugh had 70 yards rushing, Ja'Kobi Jackson had 57, and eventually, KD Daniels got involved in racking up 82 yards.

Even Anthony Rubio, son of Marco Rubio, got involved to score a touchdown in the waning moments.

The end result was a 33-8 win that won't win over the Billy Napier doubters as offensive coordinator but was a positive showing for the defense that also rotated in guys we didn't see a ton of during the regular season.

Florida finishes the regular season 8-5, but it is still not where expectations were at the start of the season, but it is a far cry from what seemed possible in November.

The Gators will enter their offseason with a feeling of momentum and a sense of what is possible heading into 2025.