I’ve been wondering all week if there was going to be any bite to this year’s Gator Bowl, with the headlines being about Missouri losing its starting QB, Beau Pribula, to the portal, and Virginia’s All-ACC tailback, J’Mari Taylor, undecided on whether he’s going to play because he’s also a projected Day 3 draft pick next spring.
“This game means a whole lot to both sides. There’s opportunities here. But it’s also an opportunity for other guys to get a chance to play,” Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters at the final pregame media availability on Friday.
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“With the redshirt rule not applying, you’ll see some freshmen run down on kickoff, on special teams, get an opportunity to play, develop the bottom half of your roster. That is really what these practices have been all about for us. It’s a great situation. We wish those guys well that moved on. But really, it’s about our team now moving forward. That’s what we’re focused on,” Drinkwitz said.
The timing of the game made it hard for fans to get down here too early, but they’re here.
The Riverwalk was dotted with fans in orange and blue and yellow and black on Friday’s near-record-warm afternoon – high temperature: 81.
The teams got down here on Tuesday – Missouri had its practice here locally on Tuesday; Virginia practiced in Charlottesville on Tuesday before flying down later in the day.
“It has been really good energy. The guys have been excited. They’ve loved the preparation down here because of the weather and the venue. Very spirited from a practice standpoint,” said Virginia coach Tony Elliott, who has two of his former players from his Clemson days – Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne – here in town with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, who are right now the three seed in the AFC with an 11-4 record.
“I haven’t seen Trevor, and I haven’t seen Travis, in about five years,” said Elliott, who was the offensive coordinator for the Lawrence- and Etienne-led Clemson teams, which had a cumulative 34-2 record in the three seasons that they played together, before both went in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
“We’ve been approaching this game like a playoff game. This really is two teams that are a drive and a half away from playing the College Football Playoff. I would have brought those two over to just maybe help me get these guys fired up to go against them,” Elliott said.
Missouri (8-4, 4-4 SEC) is a four-point favorite over Virginia (10-3, 7-1 ACC), which was a play away from getting a playoff spot – missing out with the 27-20 OT setback in the ACC Championship Game to Duke.
The something to play for: this year’s UVA team is one of two to win 10 games in a season; no Virginia team has ever won 11 in a season.
“We’re playing for the first potential 11-win season in school history. There’s a ton to play for,” Elliott said. “That’s been fun, cool to see these guys rally around another goal that they had set when they may have come up a little bit short on some other goals that they set. It’s huge for our program going forward to be able to get these 10, 12 practices with these young guys, have an opportunity to play some of them in this game. It really sets the stage for next year.”