TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

No. 22 Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)

11 a.m. CST Friday, Dec. 28 (ESPN)

EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida

1 Player has recorded 1,000-yard rushing seasons for two SEC programs with RB Ray Davis registering 1,066 yards and 13 TDs on 186 carries for Kentucky this season after he ran for 1,042 yards and five TDs on 232 rushing attempts for Vanderbilt in 2022.

2 Coaches who hold the record for victories at their schools will meet in the Gator Bowl. Dabo Swinney has a 169-43 record in 16 seasons at Clemson. Mark Stoops has a 73-64 record in 11 seasons at Kentucky.

5 TD passes for Kentucky QB Devin Leary against Clemson. While playing for North Carolina State, Leary faced the Tigers three times. He completed 74-of-120 passes for 649 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Clemson won two of the games. Leary is tied for second in the SEC this season with 23 TD passes.

5 Interceptions have been made by Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston during the 2023 season, tied for the most in the SEC. He also leads the SEC with 131 interception-return yards and has scored TDs on two of his interceptions this season.

6 Victories and 10 losses for Clemson against SEC opponents in bowls, including four CFP national-championship games. Clemson has an overall 58-102-5 record against SEC opponents. The Tigers are playing teams from the SEC in consecutive games after closing their regular-season schedule with a 16-7 victory over South Carolina on Nov. 25.

7 Consecutive victories against ACC opponents for Kentucky, which is playing teams from the conference in consecutive games after closing its regular-season schedule with a 38-31 victory over Louisville on Nov. 25. Since a 44-17 setback to Louisville on Nov. 25, 2017, the Wildcats have five victories over Louisville and two bowl wins versus the ACC – 37-30 over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 31, 2019, and 23-21 over North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021. Kentucky has a 20-15-1 record against ACC opponents. That includes a 5-3 mark in bowl meetings.

8 Victories for Kentucky and five victories for Clemson in the Wildcats-Tigers series. The past three meetings have come in bowls. Clemson defeated Kentucky 14-13 in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, 1993, and 21-13 in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 27, 2009, and the Wildcats defeated the Tigers 28-20 in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 29, 2006.

10 Appearances for Clemson in the Gator Bowl when the Tigers take the field on Friday. The Tigers will take sole possession of the record for the most appearances in the Gator Bowl by breaking their tie with Florida. Clemson has a 4-5 record in the Gator Bowl. The Tigers defeated Missouri 24-23 on Jan. 1, 1949, Ohio State 17-15 on Dec. 29, 1978, Stanford 27-21 on Dec. 27, 1986, and West Virginia 27-7 on Dec. 30, 1989, and lost to Miami (Fla.) 14-0 on Jan. 1, 1952, Pittsburgh 34-3 on Dec. 30, 1977, Syracuse 41-0 on Jan. 1, 1996, Virginia Tech 41-20 on Jan. 1, 2001, and Nebraska 26-21 on Jan. 1, 2009. Clemson has a 26-23 bowl record and will become the 12th program to play in at least 50 bowls with its appearance in the Gator.

11 Bowl victories for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, tied with Bobby Bowden for the most in ACC history. Swinney has an 11-8 bowl record. Bowden was 11-7 in bowls after Florida State joined the ACC.

12 Consecutive seasons with at least nine victories for Clemson – a streak that will end if the Tigers do not beat Kentucky. Clemson’s streak is tied for the fifth-longest in major college football history. Nebraska won at least nine games annually for 33 consecutive seasons from 1969 through 2001. Alabama has a current streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least nine victories. Florida State had at least nine wins annually for 14 consecutive seasons from 1987 through 2000. Yale won at least nine games annually for 13 consecutive seasons from 1886 through 1898.

12 Victories and 10 losses for Kentucky in bowls. The Wildcats have played in the Gator Bowl twice previously, losing to Georgia Tech 33-18 on Dec. 31, 2016, and defeating North Carolina State 23-21 on Jan. 2, 2021.

29 Points per game have been averaged by Clemson and Kentucky this season. The Tigers have scored 350 points and the Wildcats have scored 343 points in 2023. Clemson has yielded an average of 20 points per game and Kentucky has yielded an average of 25 points per game in 2023.

29 Victories and 15 losses in the Gator Bowl for SEC teams. The SEC has a 25-11 record against teams from other conferences in the Gator Bowl. Four Gator Bowls featured two SEC teams. ACC teams have an 18-14 record in the Gator Bowl. SEC teams have a 6-2 record against ACC opponents in the Gator Bowl.

31.7 Yards per kickoff return for Kentucky WR Barion Brown this season, the best average in the nation for any player with at least 15 returns. Brown leads the SEC with 476 kickoff-return yards, has ran back two kickoffs for TDs and was the return specialist on The Sporting News All-American team.

84 Or more rushing yards in each of the past five games for Clemson RB Phil Mafah after he had failed to produce more than 69 rushing yards in any of the 11 preceding games. Mafah ran for 542 yards and five TDs on 101 carries in Clemson’s final five regular-season games. Mafah has 894 yards and nine TDs on 168 carries in 2023 to top Clemson’s rushing chart ahead of RB Will Shipley, who has 798 yards and five TDs on 156 carries.

98.59 Passing-efficiency rating for opposing quarterbacks against the Clemson defense this season, the fourth-lowest in the nation. In 2023, the Tigers have limited opponents to a 52.5 percent completion rate, the fifth-lowest in the nation; an average of 5.2 yards per pass, the third-lowest in the nation; and an average of 162.2 passing yards per game, the fifth-lowest in the nation. Clemson has yielded 11 TD passes while intercepting 14 passes this season. Kentucky has averaged gaining 203.8 passing yards per game while totaling 23 passing TDs and 10 interceptions this season.

125 points for Clemson and 29 points for the Tigers’ opponents in the second quarter this season. While outscoring its opponents by 96 points in the second quarter in 2023, Clemson has 15 more points than its opponents in the remainder of the game. Kentucky has outscored is opponents 96-80 in the second quarter this season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.