Cats to play Clemson in Gator Bowl
The Cats will travel back to Florida for a Gator Bowl matchup against Clemson on Dec. 29 in Jacksonville, Fla. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
After a chaotic Sunday afternoon that featured a controversial College Football Playoff bracket and the subsequent trickle-down effect on several other bowl matchups, Kentucky has landed in something of a surprise destination.
The Wildcats, who finished the regular season 7-5 with a win over rival Louisville, were invited to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl where they will face Clemson on Dec. 29 in Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff is slated for Noon ET on ESPN.
Clemson (8-4) finished sixth in the ACC this season but has won its last four games, including victories over ranked Notre Dame and North Carolina teams. The Tigers also defeated South Carolina 16-7 a week after the Gamecocks topped Kentucky in the SEC finale.
Dabo Swinney's team ranks No. 7 in total defense (278.7 ypg) and No. 24 in scoring defense (19.9 ppg) nationally. The Tigers are 51st (405.7 ypg) and 56th (29.2 ppg) on the offensive side of the ball.
A big question mark for both teams will be how many players will participate in the Gator Bowl. One of UK's top players, senior running back Ray Davis, has already announced he is opting out in order to begin preparation for the NFL Draft. He has rushed for 1,066 yards and scored a school-record 20 touchdowns this season.
Kentucky will be appearing in its eighth consecutive bowl game under head coach Mark Stoops, having won three of the last four. The Cats will be making their third trip to the Gator Bowl. They lost 33-18 to Georgia Tech in the December 2016 game but defeated NC State 23-21 in the January 2021 game.
It will mark the fourth time that UK has faced Clemson in a bowl game. The Tigers defeated the Cats in the 1993 Peach Bowl, while the teams split Music City Bowl matchups in 2006 and 2009.
https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/cats-to-play-clemson-in-gator-bowl
