Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers won the Gator Bowl 38-35 over the Kentucky Wildcats in a wild game, one of the best bowl games of 2023-24.
From top to bottom, this was an exciting matchup between two excellent programs. There were huge plays, turnovers, lead changes, and a ton of suspense, and the Tigers battled with the Wildcats in what many called an instant classic.
How good was this Gator Bowl? From many points of view, including mine, it was arguably the best bowl game of the season. I’m not the only one who feels this way, as CBS Sports’ recent article ranking all 41 college football bowl games for 2023-24 ranked the Gator Bowl as the No.2 best bowl game this season. Here is what writer Tom Fornelli had to say about the matchup.
No. 22 Clemson 38, Kentucky 35: I don’t know where to begin, so I’ll just begin with the record. There were 42 points scored in the fourth quarter of this game, more than in any fourth quarter in bowl game history — and that was just part of what went down in the Gator Bowl. There were eight lead changes, including four in the fourth quarter, as both teams kept trading haymakers. It was everything you could want from a bowl game played on a Friday morning in Jacksonville. Early on, the star of the show was Kentucky’s Barion Brown. He scored UK’s first touchdown of the day with a 22-yard run and then opened the second half with a 100-yard kick return TD that gave the Wildcats a 21-10 at the time. He had a setback with a fumble that led to a 29-yard TD run by Clemson’s Phil Mafah to give the Tigers a 27-21 lead (Clemson’s first lead since it was up 10-7), but Brown made up for it immediately, catching a 60-yard touchdown pass to take the lead back.
What more could you want from a bowl game? As a fan, I’m sure if you’re on Kentucky’s side, a win would be the answer, but other than that, what? This game had it all!
If you haven’t seen it, check out the highlights below from this crazy game.