TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

No. 14 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. Duke (9-3)

6:30 p.m. CST Thursday (ESPN)

EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida

0 Previous games between Ole Miss and Duke.

1 Season has featured 10 victories for Duke, which would reach double-digit wins again by beating Ole Miss. In 2013, Duke posted a 10-4 record. Six of the Blue Devils’ nine victories have come by seven or fewer points this season. A victory by Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl would give the Rebels consecutive seasons with double-digit victories for the first time since 1959 and 1960. Ole Miss went 11-2 in 2023.

2 Bowls among Duke’s 87 games against SEC opponents. The Blue Devils defeated Alabama 29-26 in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1945, and lost to Texas A&M 52-48 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31, 2013. Duke has lost its past three games against SEC opponents to fall to 37-47-3 against the league. The Blue Devils most recently defeated an SEC opponent on Oct. 25, 2008, when Duke won at Vanderbilt 10-7.

2.3 Yards per rushing attempt have been averaged by opposing ball-carriers against Ole Miss in 2024, the lowest in the nation. The Duke offense has averaged 3.2 yards per rushing attempt this season, which ranks 15th in the ACC.

3 Previous appearances for Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. The Rebels defeated Florida 7-3 on Dec. 27, 1958, lost to Auburn 35-28 on Jan. 2, 1971, and lost to Michigan 35-3 on Jan. 1, 1991. Duke has not played in the Gator Bowl previously.

4 Receptions by Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins have gained at least 60 yards, the most in the nation this season. The Duke defense has allowed four completions that have gained at least 60 yards, tied for the most in the ACC in 2024.

5 Victories and four losses for Ole Miss against ACC opponents, with the Rebels facing two ACC teams in the same season for the first time. Ole Miss defeated Wake Forest 40-6 on Sept. 14. The Rebels have won their past four meetings with ACC opponents. This will be Ole Miss’ second bowl meeting with an ACC member. The Rebels defeated Georgia Tech 25-17 in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, 2013.

5 Consecutive bowl victories for Duke to even the Blue Devils’ bowl record to 8-8. Since Duke lost to Arizona State 36-31 on Dec. 27, 2014, the Blue Devils have beaten Indiana 44-41 in overtime in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 26, 2015, Northern Illinois 36-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26, 2017, Temple 56-28 in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 27, 2018, UCF 30-13 in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28, 2022, and Troy 17-10 in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 23, 2023.

7 Passing yards for Duke’s Henry Belin IV and 3,875 passing yards for Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart in the 2024 season. They are the projected starting quarterbacks for Thursday night’s game. Belin, who has completed his only pass this season for a 7-yard gain, will step in for Maalik Murphy, who has entered the transfer portal after throwing for 2,933 yards and a school single-season record 26 TDs this season. Duke also will be without leading rusher Star Thomas. The running back also entered the transfer portal after running for 871 yards and seven TDs on 213 carries.

14 Ole Miss players have earned consensus All-American recognition, including current DT Walter Nolen for the 2024 season.

14 Of its opponents’ fumbles have been recovered by Duke this season, tied for the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Ole Miss has lost six fumbles this season.

26 Victories and 16 losses in bowls for Ole Miss. The Rebels defeated Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl last season.

29 Victories and 16 losses in the Gator Bowl for SEC teams. The SEC has a 25-12 record against teams from other conferences in the Gator Bowl. Four Gator Bowls featured two SEC teams. ACC teams have an 19-14 record in the Gator Bowl. SEC teams have a 6-3 record against ACC opponents in the Gator Bowl.

38 Consecutive games with a reception for Duke WR Jordan Moore. Moore has 50 receptions for 798 yards and seven TDs in 2024. Blue Devils WR Eli Pancol has 55 receptions for 741 yards and nine TDs this season.

42 Plays from scrimmage gained at least 30 yards for Ole Miss in 2024, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Thirty-five of the plays were passes. The Rebels also had the national lead with 10 completions that gained at least 50 yards and eight that gained at least 60.

116 Tackles for loss for Ole Miss this season, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Duke has 110 tackles for loss in 2024, which ranked second in the nation entering the bowl season.

332 Yards are needed by Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart to become the fourth player in SEC history with 12,000 yards of total offense. With 452 rushing yards and 3,875 passing yards in 2024, Dart has averaged 360.6 yards of total offense per game this season. The SEC players with 12,000 yards of total offense are Georgia QB Aaron Murray, Missouri QB Drew Lock and Florida QB Tim Tebow.

740 Passing yards in two previous bowl appearances for Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. Dart completed 25-of-41 passes for 361 yards with two TDs and three interceptions in a 42-25 loss to Texas Tech in the 2022 Texas Bowl and 25-of-40 passes for 379 yards with three TDs and no interceptions in a 38-25 victory over Penn State in last season’s Peach Bowl. Dart also ran for a TD in each of the games.

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