Tag: Clemson vs. Kentucky

Five takeaways from Clemson’s wild Gator Bowl win over Kentucky

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s wild Gator Bowl win over Kentucky.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers took down Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats 38-35 in an absolutely wild Gator Bowl win.

A battle between the ACC and SEC, this matchup wasn’t short of excitement as big plays and big turnovers were huge pieces of this game. Drive after drive, we saw some crazy things happen, and at the end of the day, Swinney and Clemson came out on top in this wild one. 

There is a lot to process from this Clemson performance, with the Tigers earning the win on their final offensive drive. Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s back-and-forth Gator Bowl win over Kentucky. 

Clemson rallies with one final drive as the Tigers win the Gator Bowl over Kentucky

Clemson’s offense performed when they needed it most, winning the Gator Bowl on their final offensive drive.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers won the Gator Bowl 38-35 over the Kentucky Wildcats in a wild, wild game.

It was an eh first half for the Tigers, as the offense struggled on all but one drive, where they went 5-plays for 59 yards and scored a touchdown off one of Phil Mafah’s four rushing touchdowns. The defense did their part but did allow a couple of explosive plays. One of the game’s biggest plays came on a 58-yard pass from Devin Leary to Dane Key, with Key getting away with one of the worst offensive pass interferences I’ve ever seen.

Heading into the locker room trailing 14-10, the Tigers needed to come out strong in the second half. Instead of that, they allowed a 100-yard kick return touchdown to Barion Brown.

In the second half, it was Clemosn’s defense that led the way for as long as they could. On Kentucky’s first three drives of the fourth quarter, the Tigers caused a fumble, interception, and then another fumble. The final turnover of the three led to a 1-play drive for Clemson, where Mafah broke off a 29-yard rushing touchdown.

Then, the secondary fell apart. The Tigers got burned for a 60-yard touchdown and a later 72-yard pass that set up a 1-yard touchdown score for Kentucky. Down 35-30 with one drive left, Cade Klubnik and the offense performed when it mattered most.

Klubnik led the offense 12 plays for 68 yards in the game’s final moments, performing well enough to get the Tigers downfield. Phil Mafah scored his fourth touchdown of the on a 3-yard rushing touchdown, sealing the Tigers victory. Clemson kicker Jonathan Weitz was an unsung hero in this one, hitting two field goals, including a 52-yarder that gave this team some life.

The Clemson Tigers are your 2023 Gator Bowl winners.

Halftime Report: Clemson trails Kentucky in the Gator Bowl behind an uninspired offensive showing

Clemson’s offense struggles as the Tigers head to the locker room trailing Kentucky.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers trail Mark Stoops and Kentucky 14-10 as Clemson’s defense plays well, and the offense continues to lag behind.

The offensive troubles are real for the Tigers once again, who have looked brutal on all but one drive on Friday. Their one strong drive was a 5-play 59-yard drive for the Tigers, where the offense clicked in both the run and the passing games. It started with a Phil Mafah 18-yard run up the middle and ended with a Mafah 1-yard touchdown run where he ran over the Kentucky defense.

Other than that drive, however, Clemson’s offense has looked uninspired and, well, not good. They just aren’t clicking once again with questionable play calling and struggles from starting quarterback Cade Klubnik under center.

On defense, the Tigers have looked good but have been prone to allowing some big third-down plays. One of the game’s biggest plays came on a 58-yard pass from Devin Leary to Dane Key, with Key getting away with one of the worst offensive pass interferences I’ve ever seen. It was a mind-numbing no-call, and I’d love to know what the officials were looking at on that play.

Overall, it was a decent first half from the Tigers, but a performance like this won’t win them this Gator Bowl. Clemson’s offense needs to come out in the second half with more life before it’s too late.

Clemson takes the lead over Kentucky behind a Phil Mafah touchdown

Phil Mafah scores his 10th touchdown of the season to give Clemson a Gator Bowl lead over Kentucky.

After some poor offensive drives, Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense got things going in the 2nd quarter to take a 10-7 lead over Kentucky.

It was a 5-play 59-yard drive for the Tigers, where the offense clicked in both the run and the passing games. It started with a Phil Mafah 18-yard run up the middle and ended with a Mafah 1-yard touchdown run where he ran over the Kentucky defense.

Klubnik did his part on this drive, setting up the 1-yard score on a beautiful 28-yard pass to tight end Jake Briningstool. This was exactly the type of drive this Clemson offense needed after an incredibly slow start to this Gator Bowl game.

Weitz nails field goal to give Clemson an early Gator Bowl lead

Clemson takes an early lead in the Gator Bowl behind a Jonathan Weitz field goal.

The 2023 Gator Bowl has kicked off, and Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have an early lead over the Kentucky Wildcats.

On the Tigers’ first offensive play of the game, there was an unnecessary roughness call that set the offense up on the Kentucky side of the field.

They took advantage, taking 7 plays for 39 yards on a solid but not spectacular drive. The drive set up a 39-yard field goal for kicker Jonathan Weitz, who nailed the kick after playing the wind correctly.

It was a strong start for this Clemson team that has an offense that needs to end this season on a high note.

Clemson set to make history with Gator Bowl appearance

The Clemson football program has an excellent history in the Gator Bowl.

Clemson is set to make history when the No. 22 Tigers meet Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Friday at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN.

While the Gator Bowl isn’t exactly what most Clemson fans had hoped for entering the 2023 season, especially coming off an Orange Bowl appearance following a 10-2 regular season and an ACC championship in 2022, the Tigers are no strangers to Jacksonville or the bowl the city is famous for.

In fact, Clemson will set a new record once play begins Friday. The Tigers entered the season tied with the Florida Gators of the SEC for the most appearances by a school in Gator Bowl history, with nine apiece. With its game against Kentucky, Clemson will become the school with the most official appearances in the history of the Gator Bowl, which has been played continuously since 1946.

Clemson enters play 4-5 all-time in the Gator Bowl, with the Tigers’ most recent trip to Jacksonville ending in a closely contested 26-21 loss to Nebraska on New Year’s Day 2009. Friday’s game will also have another touch of history in that it will be Clemson’s 50th bowl game in school history. The school is 26-23 all-time in bowl games.

Clemson first appeared in the Gator Bowl on January 1, 1949, when the school defeated Missouri, 24-23. Through the years, the Tigers have also defeated Stanford (27-21 in 1986) and, most memorably, Ohio State (17-15 in 1978) in the bowl.

The game against Ohio State is famous for Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes’ punch of Clemson player Charlie Bauman, which sparked a benches-clearing brawl between the teams and led to Hayes’ firing the following morning.

To find Clemson’s last victory in the Gator Bowl, you’d have to go back to December 30, 1989, when coach Danny Ford’s team defeated West Virginia, 27-7.

Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats since December 2009, when Clemson defeated Kentucky, 21-13, in the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

Clemson’s Defensive X-Factor for the Gator Bowl vs. Kentucky

This Clemson linebacker will be the defensive leader in the Gator Bowl.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers face Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Dec. 29, in the Gator Bowl, with both teams looking to end their seasons on a high note.

For Clemson to win this game, their defense will have to play at the elite level we’ve seen from them many times this season. There are many Tigers on the defensive side of the ball that will be crucial for the team’s success, but linebacker Barrett Carter is the player we’ve identified as Clemson’s defensive X-Factor for the Gator Bowl.

Carter announced that he will return to Clemson for another season, and with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. departing for the NFL, it’s safe to say that this is Carter’s defense to lead. It’s Carter’s time to step up in the middle for the Tigers’ defense, and he is more than capable of doing so. The star defender will look to help this defense end the season on top as he prepares to take over the role we’ll see him in on Friday full-time in 2024.

Expect big things from Carter against the Wildcats.

3 Reasons Clemson picks up a Gator Bowl win over Kentucky

Here are three reasons Clemson will walk away with a Gator Bowl win over Kentucky on Friday.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program are a day away from their matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats in this year’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

The game takes place on Dec. 29 in Jacksonville, Fla., at Noon. It is Clemson’s 50th bowl appearance and the 10th time they will participate in the Gator Bowl. Clemson (8-4, 4-4 ACC) will face a Kentucky (7-5, 3-5 SEC) team with talent on both sides of the ball, being coached by one of the best in the game, Mark Stoops.

This game can go either way, but Clemson is the favorite heading into this matchup for a reason. The Tigers have more than what it takes to win this game and end their season on a high note. Here are three reasons Clemson will pick up a Gator Bowl win over Kentucky.

Current ticket prices for No.22 Clemson vs. Kentucky in the Gator Bowl

Here is a look at the current ticket prices for Clemson’s Gator Bowl matchup against Kentucky.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers will face Mark Stoop and the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Dec.19, at 12:00 p.m. in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, at EverBank Stadium.

With the news the Tigers would participate in the Gator Bowls, fans became curious about what ticket prices would look like for this matchup. We’ve got you covered there with a look at SeatGeek.

As of Saturday, SeatGeek has tickets listed from $43 to $1,930 per ticket. There are currently some excellent deals on tickets here, with great value coming from tickets listed under $100. 

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There are a ton of great options for fans here to get reasonably priced seats in some great locations. 

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Dabo Swinney shares which players won’t play in the Gator Bowl

Dabo Swinney shares an update on who won’t participate in Clemson’s bowl game.

Dabo Swinney met with the media Thursday as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl held a virtual press conference with Swinney and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops as the teams prepare for their matchup.

During the press conference, Swinney was asked to share updates on some of the players who will be opting out of the bowl game and not participating. Swinney shared a quick update on how the roster looks ahead of the Gator Bowl.

“Obviously, you’ve got a few guys that are publicly in the portal, and it’s unfortunate that that’s just the way it is. … So, you got that process and kids trying to decide where they’re going to go. So, you know about those guys,” Swinney said.

“And then (defensive tackle) Ruke (Orhorhoro) and (linebacker Jeremiah) Trotter, (cornerback) Nate (Wiggins) are going pro, so they’ve decided that they’re not going to play. Other than that, I think all hands are on deck. But what is today? Today’s Thursday. We’ve got a team meeting on Sunday, so we’ll know a little bit more as we get to that point.”

“I do know this – we’ve got a team that’s super excited about being in the Gator Bowl,” Swinney said, “and whatever we’ve got, we’re going to have great preparation, and we’ll be excited to go down there and compete.”

Swinney and the Tigers will come to play, with this game set for Friday, Dec. 29, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., with kickoff scheduled for noon on ESPN.