Join us as we take to the high seas, as we travel to Tampa, Florida, for the 2026 Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl between the Memphis Tigers and NC State Wolfpack. Held inside Raymond James Stadium, this bowl will play its seventh season inside the home of the Tampa Bay Bucs, complete with the pirate ship in the end zone. We at Last Word will delve into a brief history of the bowl game, the two teams that will play, and how each can have success on December 19th. Now, we set sail on the 2025 Gasparilla Bowl.
Ahoy! We Set Course For The 2025 Gasparilla Bowl
What A Ride!
Now known in its current iteration, this bowl game itself has seen quite the evolution since its inception in the 2008 season. Originally, this game was the MagicJack St Petersburg Bowl. The first game, between Memphis and South Florida, ended in a Bulls 41-14 win inside Tropicana Field. Following this was the first change, as the bowl was played with the Beef O’ Brady’s sponsor. This remained the same from the 2009 to 2013 seasons. In 2014, this bowl was labeled as the BitPay Bowl for its lone season.
We saw a return of the St Petersburg Bowl in the 2014 season. This rerun would take place through the 2016 season. Bad Boy Mowers became the sponsor for the Gasparilla Bowl beginning in the 2017 season, and the game was moved to its current location, Raymond James Stadium, the following season. The current sponsor, Union Mortgage, took over as sponsor in the 2020 season. Throughout its history, this bowl game has featured teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, American, and Big 12 conferences.
Paying honor to legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, this bowl game has seen an uptick in popularity. The bowl features a parade, tied into the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, filled with pirate floats, and more, as the locals celebrate its rich history. As the city ties its history into this gridiron matchup, we now look to what teams could walk the plank in Tampa.
Who Will Walk The Plank?
At its core, this version of the bowl is a tale of how opposites can attract. The Tigers have just announced their 26th head coach after a disappointing 8-4 regular season. Included in the four losses were three consecutive to close the season slate. In the case of the Wolfpack, they enter with a 7-5 record behind back-to-back wins over rivals to become bowl-bound. We will now look at each team more deeply, along with three keys to success.
NC State WolfPack
As the Wolfpack enters the game, they come in with stability. Under Dave Doeren, in his 14th season at Raleigh, NC State has become a team to be reckoned with. What started as a 3-3 season behind close losses over Clemson and Boston College was assisted with a thrilling win over Virginia. This happiness was quickly dispelled after losses to Wake Forest and Duke had the team tethered. The two above-mentioned wins to close the season secured the sixth consecutive bowl berth and Doeren’s 11th nod in 13 seasons on the sidelines for the Wolfpack.
Offensively, the Wolfpack is led by CJ Bailey, its quarterback. The 6’-2″ phenom has tossed 20 touchdowns with only seven interceptions on the year. This play under center has helped the Pack to explode for an average of 30 points per game, which ranks 35th nationally. Along with the signal caller, NC State has other weapons on offense. On the ground, the Pack is led by Hollywood Smothers, a senior who has run for nearly one thousand yards, has scored 14 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Joining Smothers as a weapon on offense is wide receiver Terrell Anderson. Anderson, who leads the team in yards, anchors a deep receiving corps that has multiple players who can have an impact.
From a defensive perspective, NC State has a bend but not break approach. Entering the game, this unit yields 28 points, along with 380 yards per game. The anchor for the defense is Caden Fordham, a senior linebacker who has 56 tackles on the season as well as 3.5 sacks. NC State is solid defensively at all three levels, yet it will be challenged by the Tigers in the first meeting in their history.
Keys To Wolfpack Success
#1 Bailey Ball
As we have done all season, we will now provide keys to success. First, the Pack will need to utilize the dual-threat of Bailey. The Tigers are aggressive defensively, which can create gaps of opportunity. This ellusiveness, along with a ground attack with Smothers, and NC State has to focus on keeping Memphis off balance with designed runs, RPOs, and counters. If the State can rush for 150 yards or more, this will be beneficial for them. This, along with sustaining drives and remaining a master in the red zone, will enable the Pack to have success against Memphis. For reference, NC State has a 92% success rate behind kicker Kanoah Vinesett, who is practically automatic within this zone.
#2 Defend
Secondly, the Wolfpack has to be able to defend. A unit that thrives on pressure from the outside as well as a wall in the middle will have to perform well. Additionally, this performance will need to be stout within the red zone. As good as the Wolfpack are offensively in this area, Memphis is just as potent. Inside the 20-yard line, Memphis converts on roughly 88% of its possessions. This stat says that NC State will need to clog lanes, bring pressure, and attempt to force field goals.
Memphis Tigers
The Tigers enter the game under the tutelage of Reggie Howard, a former player and now secondary coach, as he takes over as interim for the bowl. A season that held great expectations began smoothly. At the beginning of the season, the Tigers jumped out to a 6-1 record, including a win over Arkansas. This record shot Memphis into the top-25. Then, a road loss to UAB, who had just fired Trent Dilfer, seemed to change everything.
Even winning the following week over USF did not fix what was felt to be a lost season for the Tigers. With a possibility of the CFP, the Tigers just needed to win their final three games. This would not last as Memphis fell to Tulane, East Carolina, and Navy to close the season. To make this even worse, the departure of Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas has the program in the midst of a regime change. Even with these late-season issues, the Tigers are now in their 12th consecutive bowl game and looking for their 5th consecutive win.
Fresh Slate For Bowl
Offensively, Memphis is led by senior quarterback Brendon Lewis, who has battled lower leg injuries seemingly since the UAB loss. The dual-threat ability of Lewis has given Memphis an identity not seen in many seasons. Along with Lewis are a plethora of running backs that can all attack defenses in different ways. Beginning with Sutton Smith, an explosive, track-star style back, Memphis can score fast and furious. On the outside is Cortez Braham, a do-it-all wide receiver, who has been the number one target of Lewis. One major change to note is that Tim Cramsey will not be with Memphis. The former offensive coordinator is now at Arkansas, news first broken by 4 Star Sports Media on December 3rd.
On defense, Memphis has been aggressive in nature. Anchored by a three-down lineman scheme, this unit utilizes unique stunts and blitz packages to bring pressure against opponents. Led by defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins, the Memphis defense will have to be smart with the Wolfpack offense. As we have seen to close this season, the defense has struggled with getting out of position and, in turn, was dismantled by three offenses. This has to of been corrected in the preparation for the Tigers to have success. Speaking of success, let us now look at how Memphis can have some against the Wolfpack.
Keys to Tigers’ Success
#1 – Healthy Lewis
The first way for Memphis to have success is to have a healthy quarterback. We mentioned the injury issues for Lewis this season, and this will be key in what will be his final game. In the games healthy this season, Lewis showed the ability to lead Memphis prolifically on offense with his legs and arm down the field. If this happens, and Lewis remains healthy, this has the possibility of being an underrated bowl matchup.
#2 – Cause Chaos
Secondly, for Memphis, the next key for Memphis is to have a defense that causes chaos. Anchoring this needs to be linebacker Sam Brumfield, who has been everywhere for this unit in the 2025 season. On the season, NC State has allowed 32 sacks, which is where Brumfield can have a field day. Entering the game, Memphis averages 2.8 sacks per game, yet it will need to be disciplined with a Wolfpack quarterback who is mobile. This pressure can also lead to fumbles for the Memphis defense. On the season, NC State has fumbled nine times while losing three. More pressure from an already aggressive defense can be beneficial for a bowl win.
Tidal Clash
This Gasparilla Bowl has much intrigue despite being one of the final games to be announced for this bowl season. Many storylines, in addition to the ones we laid out, are in play, including bowl success versus recent slumps. Every snap will bring us all one step closer to the end of the plank. Below, the cold waters of the college football offseason. What team will fire the final cannon for the win? We soon will find out, as all eyes are now in Tampa Bay.
How to Watch
Time and Date: Friday, December 19th, 2025, at 2:30 pm Eastern
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Broadcast: ESPN
The post Ahoy! We Set Course For The 2025 Gasparilla Bowl appeared first on Last Word on College Football.