ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The Tigers travel down to Jacksonville, Florida to take on Virginia in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
The Tigers finished the regular season with an 8-4 record. Although they were short on their goal of making the College Football Playoffs, they look to end this year off with a bang.
Changes in Offense
The Tigers’ offense took a couple blows prior to this week’s bowl game with quarterback Beau Pribula announcing that he won’t play in the game. The junior quarterback is entering the transfer portal for the second time in his college career.
Pribula led the Tigers to a 6-1 record halfway through the season, before dislocating his ankle. When he returned, he threw for 231 yards against Oklahoma, but did not score.
Along with Pribula, receiver Josh Manning and running backs Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood are entering the transfer portal. Offensive Coordinator Kirby Moore also left the program after receiving a head coaching position at Washington State.
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Now that he’s out, freshman quarterback Matt Zollers is in. The true freshman showed promise after playing against Texas A&M and Mississippi, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers are looking to work things out with play calling for this Saturday. Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz hired Michigan’s Chip Lindsey as their new offensive coordinator, but he won’t start calling plays until next season.
About Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers finished 10-3 this regular season. Just like the Tigers, their playoff dreams were shut down after losing to Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.
The Cavaliers are led by quarterback Chandler Morris, who threw for 2,802 yards and 16 touchdowns. His favorite target is Trell Harris who caught 57 passes this season for 847 yards and five touchdowns.
The last time these two teams faced off was in 1973, when Mizzou defeated Virginia 31-7.
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The game will start at 6:30 p.m. at Everbank Stadium.
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