Knights to begin preparation for Gasparilla Bowl on Friday

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — UCF will practice for the Gasparilla Bowl starting Friday, one of 11 that coach Gus Malzahn said the team will hold.

“That’s exactly what we did two years ago,” Malzahn said. “It worked out really well.”

The Knights (6-6) will line up against Georgia Tech (6-6) at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22 in the bowl game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Originally, their opponent was revealed as Duke on ESPN’s bowl selection show on Sunday, but the matchup was switched because those teams played in the Military Bowl last year.

In the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl, UCF defeated Florida 29-17, thanks to strong play by Isaiah Bowser, Mikey Keene and Ryan O’Keefe — who have all moved on since then. They also beat Marshall in the 2019 Gasparilla Bowl.

“We’re excited to go back to the Gasparilla Bowl,” Malzahn said. “We had a great experience there two years ago. … I know our players are excited to play this game.”

Playing in Tampa is a good spot for the Knights because the stadium is only about two hours away from UCF, so friends and family will have an easy time getting there. The proximity also will limit the amount of travel the team needs to do after completing a season in which it hit the road for 7,485 miles, the third-most among Florida Bowl Subdivision teams according to an analysis by Reddit.

Plus, Malzahn said, they have had success at the Gasparilla Bowl in the past and feel comfortable there because they have played in the stadium.

The opponent will be somewhat familiar to UCF and Georgia Tech.

Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key was an assistant coach, including assistant head coach, for George O’Leary during his 11 seasons as the Knights’ coach. 

“It’s cool to go back down there,” Key said.

The teams also played each other in the 2022 regular season, and UCF won that matchup 27-10. But Key was not hired as head coach of Georgia Tech until two days after that game, and they have a new quarterback — Haynes King.

During the regular season, the Yellow Jackets defeated two teams that were nationally ranked at the time — North Carolina and Miami — but neither of those teams finished among the Top 25. King threw for 2,755 yards with a 61.9% completion percentage, and Jamal Hayes ran for 931 yards.

“It’s a great opportunity for these guys to play in a bowl game, no matter where it’s at,” Key said. “It’s the experience of getting to play another opponent and extend your season. People have this crazy notion that there are too many bowl games and too many things. I think that’s ludicrous.”

Malzahn said he expects to come to the game with his regular-season roster mostly intact. Malzahn said no player who had not entered the transfer portal had told him that he planned to skip the game.

“It’s important for our seniors, real important to our players to finish on the right track,” Malzahn said “…. I really think our guys will be extremely motivated to play this game.”

The 30-day window for the transfer portal began on Monday, and fourth-year cornerback Corey Thornton was the most experienced player who has declared his plans to transfer as of Wednesday afternoon.

While preparing for the bowl game, Malzahn and his staff also must keep up with players going in and out of the transfer portal and recruiting. The college football early signing period, when new incoming players can sign their national letters of intent for the 2024 season, opens Dec. 20 and continues through Dec. 22.

“This bowl game is really important to keep that momentum,” Malzahn said. “Going in two years ago, we saw it end on a positive end. Last year, it was kind of a tough deal (loss to Duke in Military Bowl). So, we need to play well and gear up and do everything we can to get a victory.”

The Knights were the only new addition to the Big 12 this season to become eligible for a bowl game this season. They won three of their last four games after struggling midseason, partially because of injuries.

UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee missed three games with a leg injury but finished the regular season with 2,073 passing yards and a 63.9 pass completion percentage; he also rushed for 473 yards. Senior running back RJ Harvey ran for 1,296 yards, 10th among FBS players. 

Malzahn said he hopes to see a sellout for the game, with a strong turnout by Knights fans. UCF has already sold out its initial allotment of tickets, he said.

But Key said he could have the biggest name on his side of the stands.

“No one asked the real question,” Key said at the end of his press conference.

He said that question is which side of the stadium O’Leary would sit on.

A reporter responded, “He’s your guy.”

Key, who also played for O’Leary when he coached Georgia Tech, chuckled and replied, “You’re darned right.”