UPDATE: December 22, 6:00 pm ESPN has decided to cancel the 2020 Gasparilla Bowl.
With South Carolina unable to play due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases, ESPN Events decided to cancel the 2020 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. pic.twitter.com/ucElPdPQKh
– Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (@GasparillaBowl) December 22, 2020
UPDATE: December 22, 2:00 pm This game is canceled due to problems with Covid-19 in South Carolina, according to the school, and apparently a player uprising against interim coach Mike Bobo.
No substitutions appear to be available for the conference champion Gamecocks.
The South Carolina Gamecocks and the UAB Blazers will face off at the 2020 Gasparilla Bowl. The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 pm Eastern Time on Saturday, December 26th. The game will air on ABC and will be available via live broadcast on WatchESPN.
South Carolina Gamecocks (2 to 8) have the least number of wins for any team in college football history. Losers in six consecutive games until the end of the regular season, they parted ways with their coach Will Muschamp and saw several players drop out of the college football season. But they will be able to enjoy the sunshine and beaches of Tampa Bay with new head coach Shane Beamer, while the 9-2 Army stays at home during the winter. What a system. One player to watch in this game is wide receiver Shi Smith, as the 5-foot-10 wideout had 57 receptions for 633 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season.
The UAB Blazers (6-3) beat Marshall Thundering Herd 22-13 on Friday night to win the US Conference championship. UAB had great performances from both quarterback Tyler Johnston III and running back Spencer Brown. Johnston completed 12 of 22 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and Brown recorded the game’s record for 149 yards on 30 loads. The senior Brown has 889 running yards and 10 touchdowns entering this last game.
UAB has won its conference championship in two of the past three years, and South Carolina has not yet won a single SEC crown in school history.