TAMPA, Fla. — Isaiah Bowser ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan O'Keefe had 85 yards on seven receptions, and Central Florida earned Sunshine State bragging rights by beating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night.
UCF took a 26-17 lead late in the third when Daniel Obarski made a 21-yard field goal and Mikey Keene threw a 54-yard scoring strike to O'Keefe in the span of about two minutes.
Obarski then made it 29-17 on a 33-yarder with 2:41 to play.
O'Keefe also put up 110 rushing yards for UCF.
Florida quarterback Emory Jones completed 14 of 36 passes for 171 yards. He also ran for 62 yards on 10 carries.
It was the first time the time the two teams played since Florida won 42-0 during its 2006 national championship season. The Gators also won 58-27 in 1999.
The announced crowd at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a Gasparilla Bowl record of 63,669.
After the game ended, the teams were involved in a scrum that featured pushing and shoving near midfield.
