Florida and Iowa had played a rather forgettable first half in the 2017 Outback Bowl on Monday afternoon until late in the second quarter. Then the Gators threw a screen pass to talented but frustrating running back Mark Thompson.
What he did was make a memory.
This is why the Gators are up 10-3 at halftime.@GatorsFB's Mark Thompson takes it 85-yards for the TD. pic.twitter.com/Hp0l4F2tzS
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 2, 2017
Off the porch: Mark Thompson in for 6! #JUCOPRODUCT https://t.co/VtcU8hnvlk
— JUCO Football Frenzy (@JUCOFFrenzy) January 2, 2017
.@FloridaGators RB Mark Thompson dives over the line for a go-ahead touchdown against @TheIowaHawkeyes in Q2 of @outbackbowl #Gators #UF pic.twitter.com/YHP9o2pZz5
— Loren Elliott (@Lelliottphoto) January 2, 2017
Thompson’s 85-yard catch-and-run — which featured no fewer than five missed tackles, one of them a result of a fine stiff-arm near midfield — was not just the longest play of the day and his Florida career, but the longest play in Outback Bowl history, eclipsing an 80-yard catch by Georgia’s Tavares King.
For Thompson, who saw his carries dwindle from midseason onward after a rash of fumbles and failures to distinguish himself in a backfield competition won by Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine, it was a big play that reminded the world — and maybe his coaches — how good he can be at his best.
For Florida, it was a crucial touchdown in what seems likely to finish as a low-scoring game.