2016 Outback Bowl: Florida wins free Bloomin’ Onions for America

Florida beat Iowa 30-3 on Monday afternoon in the Outback Bowl, which means that you, yes you, can receive a free Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse on Tuesday, Jan. 3. All you have to do is say “Outback Bowl” to your server and a free, delicious Bloomin’ Onion is yours. They were pumped to earn the win.

Both teams were tied 3-3 in the first quarter. Florida went to the locker room with a 10-3 lead, the Gators were able to take the lead on an 85-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Appleby to running back Mark Thompson. Appleby finished his Florida career with 222 yards and two touchdowns along with two picks on the day.

Throughout the day, Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard, in the final game of his Hawkeye career, struggled. He threw for just 55 total yards and three interceptions, one of those being a pick-six that put Florida up 24-3 in the fourth quarter. Iowa running back Akrum Wadley was able to get 115 yards on the day, though.

Florida freshman safety Chauncey Gardner registered the pick-six, and he intercepted Beathard’s third pick of the day. This is good news for Florida fans, as the Gators will lose a ton of depth on defense after this season.

For the Iowa Hawkeyes, this season was met with some highs and lows — getting upset by North Dakota State, as well as an unexpected loss against Northwestern were some of the lows. But one of the biggest highlights came with the upset victory over then-No. 3 Michigan, a game that ultimately knocked the Wolverines out the Big Ten Championship.

Florida gets to finish its season on a high note, after suffering back-to-back blowout losses to both Florida State and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. After a blowout loss to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl last year, getting a win during bowl season is a definite positive.