How To Watch Gasparilla Bowl, Memphis vs NC State

Bowl season is underway, and Friday afternoon is full of fun. It started with an 11:00 AM EST kickoff between the Kennesaw State Owls and the Western Michigan Broncos in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. It will end with game one of the College Football Playoff between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners.

But sandwiched between the two is the Grandaddy of them all, the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The 8-4 Memphis Tigers will be representing the American Conference, taking on the 7-5 North Carolina State Wolfpack out of the ACC.

The Wolfpack is favored by 3.5 points in the game that will be played in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Memphis had playoff hopes late in the season, but lost each of its last three games against Tulane, ECU, and Navy.

The game will kick off at 2:30 PM EST (1:30 PM CST), and will be airing on ESPN for cable/satellite customers.

ESPN+ subscribers will have access to the stream, as well as YouTube TV and Sling users.


Notable Opt Outs For Memphis

Memphis has a bigger obstacle than opt-outs this Bowl Season: its coaching staff.

Longtime head coach Ryan Silverfield took a high-leverage SEC opening in late November, becoming the next head coach of the state-line rival Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Tigers hired former Southern Mississippi head coach Charles Huff to take his place, but Huff will not be involved for this bowl game.

It’ll be a makeshift effort from interim head coach Reggie Howard.

Although quarterback Arrington Maiden has already made his intentions to enter the transfer portal known, he will be playing in one last game with his teammates and finishing the job this afternoon against NC State.

Nearly every other starter will play as well for Memphis.


NC State Refuses To Opt Out

The term “opt out” is not in the Wolfpack’s vocabulary.

Head coach Dave Doeren equated opting out to quitting, saying that it is “essentially throwing in the towel.”

“I don’t understand opt outs, period,” Doeren said.

Sophomore phenom CJ Bailey will be under center, where he looks to put an exclamation mark on a standout season. The six-foot-six quarterback threw for 23 touchdowns and only nine interceptions in his second year starting.

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post How To Watch Gasparilla Bowl, Memphis vs NC State appeared first on Heavy Sports.

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *