NC State, Memphis Are Matching Up In Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Friday Afternoon At Raymond James Stadium Home Of NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NC State, Memphis are matching up in Union Home Mortage Gasparilla Bowl Friday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium home of NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NC State is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference while Memphis is a member of American Conference!
NC State comes into Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl with record of 7-5 because they finished the regular season on a two game winning streak that included NC State beating North Carolina to conclude, end regular season with 42-19 win in North Carolina’s state capital on Saturday November 29, 2025 in North Carolina’s state capital!
In the 1st quarter Wesley Grimes who is a senior wide receiver caught 15 yard pass from CJ Bailey, Kanoah Vinesett would kick, make extra point before Will Wilson would run for 7 yard touchdown , Kanoah Vinesett would kick, make extra point extending NC State’s lead 14-0 before North Carolina would get on scoreboard Jordan Shipp who is wide receiver would catch from quarterback Gio Lopez , Rece Verhoff would kick, make extra point cutting NC State’s lead North Carolina’s deficit to 14-7 before NC State quarterback Will Wilson would run for 1 yard touchdown, Kanoah Vinesett would kick, make extra point in 2nd quarter before Rece Verhoff would kick, make 49 yard field goal cutting North Carolina’s deficit NC State’s lead to 21 -10 before NC State would extend the lead 28-10 on CJ Bailey pass to tight end Justin Jolly before Rece Verhoff kicked, made 29 yard field goal . In the 4th quarter Will Wilson ran two touchdowns a 15 yard touchdown before Kanoah Vinesett kicked, made extra point extending NC State’s lead 35-13 42-13.
Following NC beating North Carolina 42-19 Head Coach Dave Doeren had this to say about Will Wison!He rushed for 400 yards in one game in high school. It’s not like a secret that he could run,”“We recruited a guy who can throw the ball and run the ball, and that’s what we got. We were hopeful that he’d be able to do what he’s doing for us.”
Following NC beating North Carolina 42-19 Will Wilson had this to say!
“A lot of freshmen don’t get this opportunity, so I take full advantage of it,”I’m just trying to get experience, being on the field during crucial moments, taking it all in, and just executing, doing what the team needs me to do. It’s awesome. It’s a blessing.”
According to Jadyn Watson Fisher News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article313012658.html
Memphis comes into the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl with NC State Friday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium home of NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers with record of 8-4 and unlike NC State is on a three game losing streak coming into Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl because they’ve lost three straight games including their final regular season game to Navy by score of 28-17 where defensively they gave up 28 points to Navy including four touchdowns . In the 2nd quarter Kendell Evans who is a wide receiver caught 3 yard pass from quarterback Blake Horvath Nathan Kirkwood kicked, made extra point putting Navy up 7-3 before Navy took a 14-10 lead on running back Alex Tecza 2 yard run , Nathan Kirkwood kicking, making extra point before Memphis took the lead at 17-14 as Cortez Braham Jr. a wide receiver caught 38 yard pass from quarterback Brendon Lewis , Gianni Spectic kicked, made extra point. In the 3rd quarter Navy took a 21-17 lead on running back Alex Tecza ‘s touchdown run. A lead they would not relinquish because Blake Horvath would run for 2 yard touchdown, Nathan Kirkwood would kick, make extra point.
Following Memphis 28-17 loss to Navy to conclude, end regular season Ryan Silverfield who is being replaced by Reggie Howard who is Interim Head Coach expressed his commitment to Memphis he was honored to be their coach and would give it his all. Though, now he won’t be giving it his all because Ryan Silverfield is now Head Coach of Arkansas while Reggie Howard who is running back coach is Interim Head Coach for the Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Friday afternoon At Raymond James Stadium Home Of NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Reggie Howard is going to hand the reigns over to Charles Huff who was named new Memphis Head Coach on Monday December 8, 2025.
Charles Huff had a record of 7-5 with Southern Miss this season after taking over a program that went 1-11 in 2024. That was the program's best regular-season record since 2019. The six-win turnaround was one of the biggest improvements in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
Huff went 32-30 at Marshall between 2021 and 2024, capped by a win in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference championship game. Huff coached Marshall to a bowl in each of his four seasons, and he notched wins over then-No. 8 Notre Dame in 2022 and Virginia Tech in 2023.
Following being named Head Coach of Memphis Charles Huff had this to say about having opportunity to lead gridiron program!
The level of consistency the football program has had over the recent years is incredible,"thanking university officials with trusting him to lead the program. "To the city of Memphis and Tiger Nation, it's time to STAND UP! To the players and administration, it's go time!"
Following Charles Huff being named Head Coach of Memphis Director Of Athletics Ed Scott had this to say about hiring Charles Huff who is replacing Ryan Silverfield is now Head Coach of Arkansas!Early in our search process, Coach Huff quickly rose to the top of our list as a dynamic leader with a proven track record of building strong, competitive programs," Scott said. "He brings a championship mindset, tremendous drive, and more than 20 years of experience working alongside some of the top coaches in college football.
According to article by Associated Press on ESPN .com
Kick-off is set for 2:30pm Eastern Time 1:30pm Central Time from Raymond James Stadium!
The game is going to be televised on ESPN with Anish Shroff , Andre Ware , Paul Carcaterra!
Anish Shroff is a play-by-play commentator for various sports, including college football, college basketball, college baseball and lacrosse.
Shroff is the current radio play-by-play announcer for the Carolina Panthers NFL team, joining in March 2022 as the team’s play-by-play announcer. Shroff also worked the NFL preseason in the summer of 2021.
Shroff was a part of ESPN’s MegaCast coverage of the 2021-22 College Football Playoff and was on the call for the viral 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Shroff has covered several bowl games and FCS championship games, along with matchups across the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.
Since 2017, Shroff has been ESPN’s lead voice for men’s college lacrosse. He has called the past five national championships and announced the first Premier Lacrosse League game on ESPN in June 2022. He contributes as a columnist for USA Lacrosse Magazine and wrote the script for “Roots” – a longform feature produced by the PLL that explores the origins of lacrosse.
Shroff also does play-by-play commentary for college basketball for ESPN, primarily covering games in the ACC. He has called ACC Tournament games on both television and radio. Shroff contributes to ESPN’s college baseball coverage, having announced several regionals and super regionals.
Shroff began his ESPN career in 2008 as a studio anchor and host, anchoring SportsCenter and College Football Live, along with several other daily and specialty shows. He contributed to ESPNU’s studio coverage from 2011-17 and has filled in as a guest host on ACC Network.
Prior to ESPN, Shroff worked as a sports reporter and anchor in Syracuse, NY and Yakima, Wash.
Shroff graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in broadcast journalism. He resides in Charlotte, NC, with his wife Faye and their daughter Athena.Former Heisman Trophy winner and Davey O’Brien Award recipient Andre Ware joined ESPN in 2003 as a college football commentator. Ware is a regular contributor to College Football Live and other ESPN studio shows as an analyst, as well as calling games on ESPN and ABC.
A native of Texas, Ware is also an analyst for Houston Texans radio, with broadcast partner Marc Vandermeer. Before joining ESPN, Ware was a commentator for CBS.
The quarterback for the University of Houston operating under the highly successful Run & Shoot offense, Ware won the 1989 Heisman Trophy as a junior. That season he threw for 4,699 yards and 46 touchdowns, setting 26 NCAA records. He also won the Davey O’Brien Award that year.
Ware entered the NFL Draft in 1990 and was signed by the Detroit Lions in the first round, the seventh overall pick. He played for the Lions (1990-93) and Los Angeles Raiders (1994). Ware also played for the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Rough Riders, B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts.
In 2004, Ware was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Paul Carcaterra joined ESPN in 2010 as a lacrosse game analyst and sideline reporter. Carcaterra has been a staple of ESPN’s lacrosse coverage for almost a decade, providing fans with a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite college players with his ‘reLAXin’ with P. Carc’ features. Additionally, he serves as a sideline reporter on ESPN’s college football coverage.
Carcaterra began his career with CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV) as an analyst and web site contributor from 2005-2009. He is a contributor to Inside Lacrosse Magazine and is president of No Limit Lacrosse.
In 2016, he was the recipient of the 2016 Doyle Smith Sports Information/Media Award (USILA).
Carcaterra – a native of Yorktown, N.Y. – graduated from Syracuse University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A four-year letterwinner in men’s lacrosse as a midfielder, Carcaterra helped guide the Orange to the 1995 national title and was named a 1997 All-American. He was also a member of the New Jersey Pride, a former Major League Lacrosse team, and represented Team England in the World Lacrosse Games in 1998.
According to https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/shroff_anish/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/ware_andre/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/carcaterra_paul/