The 2023 version of the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl was a competitive matchup. Ultimately, Georgia Tech came away with the victory by a score of 30-17. Both teams found success in chunks. In the early going, it was RJ Harvey for UCF finding success on the ground. The Knights’ ability to run the ball opened up some shots downfield. John Rhys Plumlee displayed great accuracy, finding the end zone twice through the air in the first half, putting UCF up 14-0. Haynes King and Jamal Haynes also used their legs to gash the opposing defense. The Yellow Jackets stormed back, and King also got a chance to show off his arm. After running for Georgia Tech’s first touchdown of the night, King connected with Malik Rutherford on a 41-yard bomb to score again. As expected, both offenses found opportunities to get it going.
UCF dominated the first quarter, then it was Georgia Tech’s turn in the second. The teams took the game into halftime tied at 17. In the second half, the big plays slowed down. UCF was held scoreless after halftime, and Georgia Tech leaned on the run game. The Yellow Jackets were able to grind out the remainder of the game and amass 13 second-half points. One team started hot, then stalled. The other started with some inconsistency but settled in and imposed their will. The stats on the ground tell the tale of this game. Georgia Tech outrushed UCF, and that’s how they won the Gasparilla Bowl.
Run To Set Up The Pass
The offenses for the Jackets and the Knights both look to run the ball first. Georgia Tech had 236 yards rushing through three quarters and ultimately finished with 284. After starting 0-2 on third down, the Yellow Jackets improved to 5-12 by the end of the game. The key was consistency in the running game. After King and Haynes found some rhythm, they were able to stay ahead of the sticks and put themselves in much more manageable third-down situations. As the game went on, it was clear that Georgia Tech’s offensive line, an experienced group, gained confidence and really began to lean on the UCF defensive front. A tandem of Yellow Jacket rushers found success with holes that got them to the second level. Then, they routinely broke the first tackle or made a man miss.
The leading rushers for both teams had very similar games on the stat sheet. For Tech, Haynes rushed 18 times for 128 yards. On the UCF side, Harvey ran 15 times for 120 yards. Both had productive games that gave their offenses the baseline they needed. The real difference was the ability of King to get it going on the ground. We predicted that both quarterbacks would seek to run the ball. In the end, King had the better game from that standpoint. He only threw the ball 13 times but ran for 89 yards on 12 carries. That was enough to put him second on the team in rushing.
Conversely, Plumlee only managed 32 yards even though he ran the ball 15 times. Both quarterbacks were in the mid-fifties in terms of completion percentage, but Plumlee threw it more than double the amount of times King did. Much of Plumlee’s success throwing was in the first quarter. After that, the Knights struggled to move the ball. Midway through the fourth quarter, Plumlee left the game with an injury and did not return.
No Longer .500
The Gasparilla Bowl was a matchup of two 6-6 teams in Georgia Tech and UCF. Naturally, that means one team ends the season with a winning record and the other with a losing record. For Georgia Tech, Brent Key noted the difference between the optics of 6-7 and 7-6 when talking with the broadcast team in preparation for the game. He understands that building something like he is attempting to at Tech, relies on a solid beginning and quality momentum heading into the next year. King can return to run the offense in Atlanta next season. Haynes also looks to return to carry the ball for the Jackets. Below Florida State, the ACC is wide open in 2024. Georgia Tech is poised to make a jump and challenge the conference’s upper tier heading into the second full season under Key.
Many believed UCF would make more noise in their first year in the Big 12. Gus Malzahn’s team may have finished the season under .500 after the loss in the Gasparilla Bowl, but make no mistake, they still figure into the conversation of Big 12 contenders in 2024. Unlike the Yellow Jackets, however, the quarterback position will be up for grabs as Plumlee’s eligibility has run out. Malzahn and UCF could fill this need in the portal and put themselves in a position to challenge the Big 12. With some significant loss of productivity, though, if Malzahn fails to acquire talent from the transfer portal, 2024 could serve as a reset for the Knights.
The Entertainment Factor
Ultimately, college football fans want entertaining football games. Blowouts are not fun if viewers aren’t fans of the two teams playing in a bowl game. This game had a lot of promise and delivered for the most part. Much of the quality is determined by the number of opt-outs/transfer portal departures or lack thereof. While both teams had double-digit opt-outs, mainly due to the transfer portal, not many key contributors missed the game. That’s good for college football. Bowl games are good for college football. On a Friday night, when the Gasparilla Bowl had no other football games to compete with, Georgia Tech and UCF delivered.
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