No. 3 Florida (11-1) vs. No. 21 Louisville (10-2)
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ET
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (74,000) • New Orleans, La.
TV: ESPN (Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; Quint Kessenich, sidelines)
FLORIDA GATORS (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Will Muschamp (Georgia ’94)
Overall/Years: 18-7 (.720)/Second Season
UF/Years: Same
National Rankings: BCS (3rd); Harris (4th); USA Today (4th); AP (4th)
UF Bowl Appearances: 39
UF Bowl Record: 20-19 (.513)
UF Bowl Streak: W4 [Last: Def. Ohio State 24-17; 2012 Gator Bowl]
Formations: Offense - Pro Style • Defense - 4-3
KEY PLAYERS
DB Matt Elam (5-10, 202, Jr., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Elam tied for 21st in the nation and third in the SEC in interceptions with four in 2012. His 65 total tackles rank 41st in the country, as well. The junior has compiled 10 tackles for loss, one sack, four pass breakups and forced one fumble.
PK Caleb Sturgis (5-11, 184, Sr., St. Augustine, Fla.)
On the season, Sturgis leads the Orange and Blue in scoring with 101 points and became the third player in school history to score 300 points in their career. He is tied for third in the nation in field goals and tied for the lead in the SEC in scoring by a kicker while tied for second in overall scoring (23 FG, 32 PAT). In addition, Sturgis leads the SEC with 20 made field goals and an 85.2 field goal percentage.
DT Sharrif Floyd (6-3, 303, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.)
Floyd recorded 41 total tackles on the year for the Gators. He led the team in tackles for loss with 11 for a loss of 40 yards. Floyd also had one sack, six quarterback hits, one forced fumble and a blocked kick.
P Kyle Christy (6-2, 199, So., Brownsburg, Ind.)
Christy leads the SEC and is sixth in the nation in punting, averaging 46.1 yards per punt on 62 at- tempts. The Brownsburg, Ind., native had career performance against South Carolina when he punted seven times for 380 yards to set the UF record with an average of 54.3 yards, the second-best single- game performance in the country this season.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (10-2, 5-2 BIG EAST)
Head Coach: Charlie Strong (Central Arkansas ’82)
Overall/Years: 24-15 (.615)/Third Season (Coached Florida in 2004 Peach Bowl)
UN/Years: 24-14 (.632)/Third Season
National Rankings: BCS (21st); Harris (19th); USA Today (18th); AP (22nd)
UL Bowl Appearances: 16
UL Bowl Record: 7-8-1 (.469)
KEY PLAYERS
QB Teddy Bridgewater (6-2, 218, So., Miami, Fla.)
Threw for 3,452 yards and 25 touchdowns in 11 games as a starter. Coming off the bench for the first time in over a year, Bridgewater threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-17 win over Rutgers. He threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Syracuse and 416 yards and two scores in an overtime win over Cincinnati.
WR DeVante Parker (6-3, 205, So., Louisville, Ky.)
Leads the team with nine touchdown receptions. He caught a career-best 38 passes for 712 yards, averaging 18.7 yards a catch. He has caught a touchdown pass in five consecutive games and registered a pair of scores against Cincinnati and Connecticut.
CB Adrian Bushell (5-11, 184, Sr., DeSoto, Texas)
Bushell is enjoying his best season as a Cardinal, recording 59 tackles and one interception. He also leads the team with 11 pass break-ups.
S Calvin Pryor (6-2, 213, So., Port St. Joe, Fla.)
Pryor is second on the team with 94 tackles and has been a mainstay in the secondary for the last two seasons. He leads the team with four forced fumbles.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: Florida leads, 2-0
Last: Florida, 31-17 (1992 at Gainesville)
SERIES: This will be the third meeting on the gridiron between Florida and Louisville. ... The first meeting came on Oct. 25, 1980, as the Gators topped the Cardinals, 13-0, in Gainesville. ... On Oct. 24, 1992, Florida upended Louisville, 31-17, also at The Swamp. ...Charlie Strong started his coaching career at Florida as a graduate assistant in 1983 and served as Florida's defensive coordinator before taking over the Cardinals in 2010...Strong helped the Gators win two national titles (2006 and 2008).
GAME NOTES: The Gators (11-1) will be making their 22nd-straight bowl appearance, which ranks first in the SEC and second nationally. ... This will also be Florida’s 19th January Bowl game since 1993, the highest total in the country...This will be the ninth Sugar Bowl appearance by the Gators, tied for the third-most in history. ... Florida is 3-5 in its eight previous Sugar Bowl appearances, which most recently included a 51-24 win over Cincinnati in the 2010 game and also included a 52-20 victory over Florida State for the 1997 National Championship (1996 season). ... The Gators’ first Sugar Bowl appearance was in the 1966 Sugar Bowl, a 20-18 loss to Missouri, despite an MVP-performance by quarterback Steve Spurrier...UF has claimed a school-record four-consecutive bowls and will be making its eighth-consecutive January Bowl appearance, the longest active streak in the nation... In addition, the Gators will be appearing in a BCS Bowl for the seventh time, tops in the SEC and tied for the third-best total nationally. ... Florida’s total of five BCS Bowl wins is tied for the top total in the nation and with a victory it will have the top total in the nation in all-time BCS wins. UF will be making its 40th bowl appearance.