Gators head coach Billy Napier and Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith attend Tuesday's Las Vegas Bowl press conference. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Photo By: Hannah White
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Gators Arrive in Las Vegas for Unique Bowl Experience
Scott Carter
/
Senior Writer
The Gators made a cross-country flight on Tuesday afternoon to face Oregon State in Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl.
LAS VEGAS — Not long after touching down here on Tuesday afternoon, Gators coach
Billy Napier and two of his players – receiver
Ricky Pearsall and defensive lineman
Gervon Dexter Sr. – took a van ride across town for an appearance at a Las Vegas Bowl media function.
They passed the MGM Grand and Caesars Palace, looked out the windows at magnificent Allegiant Stadium, the site of Saturday's game, and gazed at the picturesque mountains that encircle the Las Vegas Valley.
Pearsall and Dexter have been to Las Vegas before. Napier is making his first trip.
"What I think of is all the movies that I have seen that were filmed here,'' Napier said. "Bowl games are rewarding, and certainly, a bowl game in Las Vegas is really rewarding. I'm excited for our players."
The Gators (6-6) face Oregon State (9-3) on Saturday in the first meeting between the schools. Florida is the first team from the Eastern Time Zone to appear in the Las Vegas Bowl since North Carolina defeated San Diego State in 1998.
The rare matchup offers most of Florida's players a unique bowl experience. Pearsall is the rare exception. He played in the Las Vegas Bowl last season for Arizona State, leading the Sun Devils with four catches for 65 yards in their 20-13 loss to the Badgers.
Pearsall has been the team's go-to guy for Vegas info.
"It's a beautiful stadium,'' Pearsall said. "I tell them that when the lights go on, it's time to play. It's going to be good for the guys to get this experience. It's a fun game."
Pearsall grew up in Arizona and is familiar with the desert scenery that surrounds the city. However, as Florida's plane approached its landing at Harry Reid International Airport, more players opened the window cover to get a glimpse of the town than is typical for a game in Knoxville or Baton Rouge.
Dexter first visited Las Vegas for a basketball camp in eighth grade. A native of Lake Wales, it was the first time Dexter remembers seeing mountains.
"A lot different than home,'' Dexter said. "We're excited to be here and see something we normally don't see. We want to have fun here, but we came to win a game, so that's our focus."
Florida is the first Southeastern Conference team to appear in the Las Vegas Bowl since Arkansas in 2000. The 17th-ranked Beavers are led by head coach Jonathan Smith, who was awarded a new six-year contract worth $30.6 million on Sunday.
Smith played quarterback at Oregon State from 1998-2001 and took over his alma mater in 2018. Oregon State has won six of its last seven games, including a 38-34 win over rival Oregon in the regular-season finale.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Gulbranson sparked the Beavers when he took over as the starting quarterback midway into the season.
"They've got a heck of a team. They obviously have a lot of momentum," Napier said. "Since they made the quarterback change, they have played fantastic football. We've got a ton of respect from what we've seen on film. They are going to require us to be at our very best."
The Gators will star third-year sophomore Jack Miller III at quarterback in place of Anthony Richardson, who announced last week that he was declaring for the NFL Draft and would skip the bowl game.
Pearsall is confident the Gators will be ready come kickoff Saturday. They want to enjoy the unique bowl trip – Florida's farthest trip West since the 1989 Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, Calif. – but they are here with a purpose.
"This a chance to finish the season the right way,'' he said.
--Check out FloridaGators.com all week for more coverage of the Las Vegas Bowl.
