It’s ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s third bowl victory since 2017, which is also the most of any team in the state. And this is all before the Knights begin play in the Big 12 Conference, which could begin as early as the 2023 season.

In head coach Gus Malzahn’s first season at ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, he overcame many injuries to key players, and one of his own — a broken bone in his leg suffered late in the regular season — while leading his squad to nine wins with a true freshman at quarterback.

“I’m very proud of our team. We’re building the foundation. We’re just getting started. The best is yet to come. I am so proud of our guys,” Malzahn says. “The character that they have showed through tough times this year is amazing. These seniors helped us build this foundation and I am very proud of their effort.”

Keene went 7-3 as a starter for the Knights, finishing an efficient 14-of-22 for 144 yards and 54-yard touchdown pass to the game’s Most Valuable Player, .

O’Keefe finished with seven receptions for 85 yards and the one score, while also rushing for 110 yards on four carries and totaled a Gasparilla Bowl record 251 all-purpose yards with a pair of kick returns for 56 yards.

He, running back , and a stout defense carried the Knights to victory.

Bowser, who missed plenty of time this season due to injuries, returned in fine form, carrying the ball a career-high and Gasparilla Bowl record 35 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Knight leaned on the senior back in the second half, giving him the ball 23 times, which led to 116 yards as ÐÔÊӽ紫ý put the game away.

“I was back healthy. It felt great to play with my teammates and get the win. I was able to lean on my teammates. They were very encouraging for me to get back,” Bowser says.

ÐÔÊӽ紫ý outscored the Gators 20-7 in the second half and didn’t allow ÐÔÊӽ紫ý to score after a third-quarter touchdown that gave the Blue and Orange a 17-16 lead. The Knights held the Gators scoreless for almost 23 minutes to end the game.

The Knights had a pair of sacks from and and a trio of pass breakups from to help keep ÐÔÊӽ紫ý at bay in the second half.

Special teams did its part too, led by three made field goals. The kicker hit from 34 yards, 21 yards, and 33 yards to tie the ÐÔÊӽ紫ý record for most field goals made in a game.

The Knights finished the season 9-4, recording nine or more wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and have a whole lot of momentum heading into the offseason.

The most popular research stories of 2021 focused on threats to our survival and opportunities to advance our species — from the impact of sea rise to technology that promises to propel our exploration of the solar system. Stories about COVID-19 and workplace behavior also made the top 10.

ÐÔÊӽ紫ý shares its stories to demonstrate the impact ÐÔÊӽ紫ý research is having on the world. The stories showcase faculty and students who are making a difference. In 2021, ÐÔÊӽ紫ý research stories had a combined, total potential reach of more than 8.2 billion possible views worldwide via newspapers, magazines, news websites and select television news placements. The number does not include all TV placements nor a total number for December. The number is based on the number of visitors to a media outlet from both desktop and mobile devices who could have seen the stories from that source. That’s compared to a combined, total reach of more than 7.3 billion potential views in 2020.

The top 10 list is based on the number of media placements and the reach they earned. The number of views the stories received on ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Today is also considered. The stories were generated from ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s  and colleges.

ÐÔÊӽ紫ý research appeared in places such as the New York Times, the Smithsonian magazine, ¶Ù¾±²õ³¦´Ç±¹±ð°ùÌýmagazine, CBS This Morning and CNN. The Daily Mail in the UK is among a group of international publications that shared ÐÔÊӽ紫ý research content. All local newspapers and television stations shared at least one research story in 2021. Consistently sharing stories on certain topics also help media identify some of ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s faculty and students as experts, whom they call upon time after time. Some of our space experts are now featured regularly on WMFE and several television stations, and they provide commentary for almost every space launch. One of ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s advances in artificial intelligence was even the subject of

The top 10 research stories of 2021 are:

1. Flying at Speeds up to Mach 17 Could Become Reality with ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s Developing Propulsion System
2. ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Study Shows Masks, Ventilation Stop COVID Spread Better than Social Distancing
3. ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Team Develops Artificial Intelligence that can Detect Sarcasm in Social Media
4. Virgin Orbit Launches Rocket off a 747, puts 9 Satellites in Space
5. Coastal Changes Worsen Nuisance Flooding on Many U.S. Shorelines, Study Finds
6. Clues Emerge: How Harmless Bacteria Go Rogue Turning into Deadly Flesh-eating Variants
7. ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Scientist’s Unique Camera Will Investigate the Moon’s South Pole
8. Legendary Sargasso Sea May be ‘Sea Turtles’ Destination during Mysterious ‘Lost Years’
9. Rude Behavior at Work Not an Epidemic ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Study Shows
10. New ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Study Examines Leeches for Role in Major Disease of Sea Turtles in ÐÔÊӽ紫ý

Some research is so impactful that the stories keep getting attention even years later. ÐÔÊӽ紫ý had three stories published before 2021 that generated significant online and/or placements in media this year. They are:

ADHD Kids Can Be Still – If They’re Not Straining Their Brains (2017)

ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Researchers Develop Groundbreaking New Rocket-Propulsion System (2020)

Study Shows Keeping Gratitude Journal Reduces Gossip, Incivility in Workplace (2020)