To most people, it was a garbage-time touchdown. However, for Anthony Rubio and and the Florida Gators, it was extremely significant.

Rubio, the son of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, is a walk-on running back on the Gators’ roster and scored a touchdown with a little over a minute remaining in Florida’s 33-8 victory over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl .

After the 5-foot-9, 173-pound running back broke the end zone plane, the entire Florida sideline erupted in celebration, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Gators. But with the game in hand, Florida was not concerned about the penalty. What mattered was the touchdown scored by the walk-on redshirt freshman.

Rubio finished with six rushes for 32 yards and the touchdown in his first career collegiate game. Rubio joined the Gators as a walk-on last year and did not see any action during the 2023 season. He finally debuted against the Green Wave on Friday and capped his day with a nine-yard touchdown run to give Florida a 33-0 lead.

The unsportsmanlike conduct did give Tulane a chance to get on the scoreboard, as the penalty moved the ball to the Green Wave’s 45-yard line and gave them a shorter field.

Rubio attended Belen Jesuit in Miami and followed his father’s footsteps by attending UF. The elder Rubio played college football for a year on a scholarship at Tarkio College in Missouri.

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