CLEMSON TIGERS NOTES:
CLEMSON TO FACE KENTUCKY IN 2023 TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL
Clemson will make its record 10th all-time Gator Bowl appearance when the Tigers face the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Friday, Dec. 29. Kickoff at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. is set for noon ET.
The Gator Bowl will be Clemson’s 50th bowl appearance in school history. Clemson will become the 12th program in the nation to play at least 50 all-time bowl games.
Though Clemson’s streak of consecutive 10-win seasons concluded this year at a dozen (the third-longest streak in FBS history), Clemson can still extend a historically profound streak of consecutive nine-win seasons with another victory.
Despite the challenges of a 4-4 start, Clemson responded by being one of only 11 teams in the Power Five to go undefeated in the month of November, a stretch that included multiple wins against ranked opponents.
“Football is exactly like life,” Head Coach Dabo Swinney said following Clemson’s regular season finale.
“That’s why it is such a great teacher. When you have got 18-to-23-year-old young people that work really hard to get a result and it does not go your way, especially in today’s world with all the noise and distractions, you can lose your focus. You can splinter. You can point fingers.
“It is really inspiring to see a group of young people stay together, but not only stay together but grow stronger and just keep going. Just keep getting up. Again, it’s not what happens, it is how you respond… The leadership on this team, it’s inspiring, man. It’s been fun to be a part of it.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
– Clemson attempting to win a postseason game (conference championship, bowl game and/or national championship game) for a 13th consecutive season. Clemson’s current 12-year streak is the longest streak on record in major college football history.
– Clemson attempting to win nine games in a season for the 31st time in school history. It would be Clemson’s 13th consecutive nine-win season and its 14th overall in Dabo Swinney’s 15 full seasons as head coach.
– Clemson (12) attempting to tie Yale (13 straight from 1886-98) for the fourth-most consecutive nine-win seasons in major college football history, trailing only Nebraska (33 from 1969-2001), Alabama (16 from 2008-23) and Florida State (14 from 1987-2000).
– Clemson making its 50th bowl appearance in school history. Clemson will become the 12th program in the nation to appear in 50 bowl games all-time.
– Clemson making its 10th Gator Bowl appearance all-time, its most of any bowl game.
– Clemson becoming the first program in history to appear in 10 Gator Bowls.
– Clemson attempting to even its Gator Bowl record at 5-5.
– Head Coach Dabo Swinney becoming the first coach in ACC history to lead a team in 20 bowl games.
– Swinney (11) attempting to break Bobby Bowden’s ACC record (11) for the most career bowl wins leading an ACC program.
– Clemson is attempting to earn its sixth victory in its all-time series with Kentucky.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 3-1 all-time in postseason games against Kentucky.
– Clemson facing multiple SEC opponents in a season for the 17th time in the last 18 years, dating to 2006. The lone exception came in 2020 when the SEC opted out of non-conference play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 14-6 against SEC opponents since 2015. A Clemson win would make Kentucky the sixth different SEC opponent defeated by Clemson in that span, joining Alabama, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 21-12 in games at NFL stadiums under Dabo Swinney. A win would improve Clemson to 18-8 at NFL stadiums since 2015.
– Clemson facing Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops for the first time. – Clemson attempting to improve to 163-73-3 all-time (and 46-7 since 2011) when facing a coach for the first time.
– Swinney (sixth) and Stoops (seventh) facing off in a matchup of two of the seven longest-tenured head coaches in the FBS.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 3-0 against the Stoops family including postseason victories against Mark’s brother, Bob, in 2014 and 2015 during Bob’s tenure at Oklahoma.
– Clemson is attempting to improve to 131-18 against AP-unranked teams under Dabo Swinney and improve to 108-8 in those games since the start of the 2012 season.
– Clemson entering the game unranked despite having more wins against ranked teams (two) than 10 members of this week’s AP Top 25: No. 10 Penn State (one), No. 12 Oklahoma (one), No. 13 LSU (one), No. 17 SMU (one), No. 18 Liberty (none), No. 19 NC State (none), No. 20 Iowa (none), No. 23 Tulane (none), No. 24 James Madison (none) and No. 25 Tennessee (none). Clemson’s two ranked wins are also equal to the number of ranked wins by No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 16 Louisville, No. 21 Oregon State and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
– Clemson’s senior class (39-12) attempting to become the 11th senior class in program history to earn 40 wins in a four-year span. Clemson’s seniors would be the fifth active class in the country to accomplish the feat (Note: Notre Dame and Liberty’s classes can also reach 40 wins with a victory in their respective bowls).
– Clemson (918) running 82 offensive plays to produce the 10th 1,000-play season in school history.
– Clemson (4,868) is needing 132 yards to produce its 12th 5,000-yard season in the last 13 years. It would be Clemson’s 13th 5,000-yard season in Dabo Swinney’s 15 full seasons.
– Clemson (272) needing 28 completions to post the 11th 300-completion season in school history.
– Clemson is attempting to produce a sixth 200-yard rushing game this season to give the Tigers at least six 200-yard rushing performances in a season for the first time since 2019 (10).
– Clemson entering the game having scored at least one rushing touchdown in a national-best 77 of its 81 games since the start of the 2018 season. Clemson has also rushed for multiple touchdowns in a national-best 64 games in that span.
– Clemson attempting to produce a fourth player with multiple receiving touchdowns in a game for the first time since 2020 (four). Jake Briningstool, Tyler Brown and Antonio Williams have each recorded one game with two receiving touchdowns this season.
– Clemson attempting to hold five consecutive opponents to 50 percent or worse completion percentage for the first time since a six-game streak in 2019.
– Clemson attempting to win the turnover margin for a fifth consecutive game for the first time since a nine-game streak in 2019. – Clemson attempting to record multiple takeaways in five consecutive games for the first time since the final three games of 2018 and the first two games of 2019.
– Clemson attempting to add to its 24 takeaways this season, its most since 2019 (30 in 15 games).
– Clemson (five) trying to score six non-offensive touchdowns in a season for the first time since 2009 (seven — six on special teams and one on defense).
– Clemson (five) attempting to record its sixth defensive touchdown of the season to take sole possession of the school record. Clemson’s five defensive touchdowns this season (four via interception return, one via fumble return) are tied for the record set in 1990.
– Clemson (four) attempting to record its fifth interception return touchdown this season to take sole possession of the school record. Clemson’s four interception return touchdowns this season are tied for the record set in 1990.
– Clemson entering the game 5-0 this season in games in which it scores a non-offensive touchdown. Clemson is 27-1 in such games since 2015.
– Clemson attempting to outsack its opponent in an eighth consecutive game for the first time since a nine-game streak across the 2019-20 seasons.
– Clemson (30) needing five sacks to reach 35 sacks on the year. Entering 2023, Clemson had reached 35 sacks in every year of the College Football Playoff era, and Clemson’s nine such seasons led Alabama (seven) for the most in the nation.
– Safety Khalil Barnes entering the game as the only Clemson freshman in the Dabo Swinney era to record multiple forced fumbles and multiple interceptions in a freshman season.
– Barnes (two) needing one more forced fumble to join Myles Murphy (three in 2020) as the only Clemson freshmen under Dabo Swinney to force three fumbles in a season. Presently, Murphy and Ed McDaniel are the only Clemson freshmen (true or redshirt) with three forced fumbles in a season since 1988.
– Barnes (three) attempting to become the first Clemson freshman to record four interceptions in a season since Jayron Kearse in 2013 (four).
– Tight end Jake Briningstool entering the game with a career-high 407 receiving yards this season. He needs 93 yards to post the first 500-yard season by a Clemson tight end since Jordan Leggett in 2016 (736).
– Briningstool (41) sitting nine receptions shy of the Clemson record for receptions by a tight end in a single season set by Dwayne Allen in 2011 (50).
– Briningstool (10) needing one more touchdown to pass Bennie Cunningham (10 from 1972-75) for sole possession of the sixth-most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in Clemson history. He is two touchdowns shy of an existing four-way tie for second with John McMakin, Dwayne Allen, Brandon Ford and Davis Allen (12 each).
– Briningstool (two touchdowns vs. Miami on Oct. 21) attempting to become the first Clemson tight end to catch multiple touchdown passes in multiple games in a single season since Brandon Ford in 2012 (two).
– Wide receiver Tyler Brown (51) needing four receptions to become the fourth Clemson player since 2010 to record 55 receptions in a freshman season, joining Antonio Williams (56 in 2022), Artavis Scott (76 in 2014) and Sammy Watkins (82 in 2011).
– Brown (two touchdowns vs. Florida Atlantic on Sept. 16) attempting to become the first Clemson player to record multiple touchdown receptions in multiple games of a freshman season since Artavis Scott (three games) in 2014. Scott is now an offensive graduate assistant on Clemson’s staff.
– Brown (153 yards at Syracuse on Sept. 30) needing one more 150-yard receiving game to join Sammy Watkins (three in 2011) and Artavis Scott (two in 2014) as the only Clemson true freshmen to record multiple 150-yard receiving games in a season.
– Defensive tackle Tyler Davis (51) making his 52nd career start to extend his Clemson record for the most career starts by a defensive player.
– Davis tying PK Chandler Catanzaro (52) for the fourth-most career starts in Clemson history.
– Quarterback Cade Klubnik (21) chasing Steve Fuller (22 from 1975-78) for 13th on Clemson’s alltime leaderboard for career passing touchdowns. He is three touchdowns shy of 11th place, shared by Bobby Gage (24 from 1945-48) and Tommy Kendrick (24 from 1969-71).
– Klubnik (21) needing four more touchdown passes to become the 11th player in Clemson history to throw 25 career touchdown passes.
– Klubnik attempting to tie his former offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter (four) for the fifth-most career 300-yard passing games in Clemson history.
– Klubnik (260) entering the game 10th in school history in completions in a single season.
– Klubnik (413) entering the game ranked tied for seventh in Clemson history in pass attempts in a single season. He is 20 attempts from fifth (Cullen Harper, 433 in 2007).
– Klubnik (321) needing 13 completions to pass Rodney Williams (333 from 1985-88) and enter the Top 10 in Clemson history in career completions.
– Klubnik (321) needing 29 completions to become the 13th player in school history to complete 350 career passes.
– Klubnik (3,277) sitting 77 yards shy of entering the Top 15 in Clemson history in career passing yards. He is 223 yards shy of becoming the 15th player in Clemson history to reach 3,500 career passing yards.
– Klubnik (523) entering the game having the most plays of total offense (combined rushing attempts and passing attempts) by a Clemson player in a single seaosn since Kelly Bryant in 2017 (590).
– Running back Phil Mafah (nine) seeking to add to his single-season career high in rushing touchdowns.
– Mafah needing one more rushing touchdown to give Clemson at least one player with double-digit rushing touchdowns in nine consecutive seasons.
– Mafah (career-high 894) needing 106 more rushing yards this season to post the 24th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history.
– Mafah (894) and Will Shipley (798) entering the game as one of only four running back duos in the Power Five with 750+ rushing yards each.
– Mafah (894) and Shipley (798) needing two rushing yards from Shipley to make them the fifth Clemson duo since 1948 to each rush for 800 yards in a single season. They would be only the third running back duo to accomplish the feat, joining C.J Spiller/James Davis in 2006 and Kenny Flowers/Stacey Driver in 1985.
– Defensive end T.J. Parker (5.0) needing two more sacks to tie the Clemson freshman record for sacks set by Michael Dean Perry (seven in 1984), Chester McGlockton (seven in 1989) and Dexter Lawrence (seven in 2016). Among the trio of current record holders, only Lawrence’s performance came in a true freshman season; neither Perry nor McGlockton played in their first years on campus.
– Parker (11.0) entering the game leading the nation in tackles for loss by a freshman. He is one tackle for loss shy of Myles Murphy’s true freshman school record of 12 and four tackles for loss shy of the overall freshman school record of 15 set by redshirt freshman Michael Dean Perry in 1984.
– Offensive lineman Will Putnam (3,480) playing 20 snaps to become the second player on record in Clemson history to play 3,500 career snaps from scrimmage. His 3,480 career snaps from scrimmage presently rank second in Clemson history behind only Mitch Hyatt (3,754 from 2015-18).
– Putnam (59) playing his 60th career game to become the first offensive lineman in school history to play 60 career games.
– Putnam and safety Jalyn Phillips (59 each) both attempting to join seven existing players in school history to have reached 60 career games (P Will Spiers, WR/H Will Swinney, LB James Skalski, PK B.T. Potter, S Nolan Turner, DE Justin Mascoll and DE Xavier Thomas).
– Putnam (48) making his 49th career start to tie tackle Landon Walker and center Dalton Freeman for the second-most career starts by an offensive lineman in school history.
– Putnam recording his 49th consecutive start to tie center Dalton Freeman’s school record by a non-specialist (49 from 2009-12).
– Running back Will Shipley (31) chasing No. 6 C.J. Spiller (32 from 2006-09), No. 5 Andre Ellington (33 from 2009-12) and No. 4 Wayne Gallman (34 from 2014-16) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career rushing touchdowns.
– Shipley (33) needing three touchdowns of any kind to tie Andre Ellington and Wayne Gallman (36 each) for the fifth-most career total touchdowns in Clemson history.
– Shipley (10) attempting to tie Woodrow Dantzler, Kenny Flowers and Buddy Gore (11 each) for seventh in Clemson history in career 100-yard rushing games.
– Shipley (2,718) needing 44 rushing yards to pass Woodrow Dantzler (2,761) for the 10th-most career rushing yards in Clemson history. Shipley is also 61 yards away from passing Terry Allen (2,778) for ninth.
– Shipley (4,121) chasing No. 8 Raymond Priester (4,282 from 1884-94), No. 7 James Davis (4,335 from 2005-08) and No. 6 Travis Zachery (4,391 from 1998- 2001) on Clemson’s all-time leaderboard for career all-purpose yards.
– Shipley (810) needing 38 kickoff return yards to enter the Top 10 in Clemson history in career kickoff return yards. Warren Ratchford (848 from 1974-78) presently sits 10th in that category.
– Punter Aidan Swanson (career-high 24) chasing Bradley Pinion’s school record for punts inside the 20 in a single season (28 in 2014).
– Swanson (career-best 43.7-yard punting average) entering the game ranked fifth in Clemson history in single-season punting average. He is less than a yard shy of the Clemson record of 44.5, set by Chris Gardocki in 1990.
POSTSEASON STREAK
GATOR BOWL HISTORY
This year’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will represent Clemson’s 10th all-time appearance in the Gator Bowl, its most of any bowl and the most Gator Bowl appearances of any team in the bowl’s history. Between ACC Championship Games, bowl games and College Football Playoff National Championship Games, Clemson has won at least one postseason game in each of the last 12 years, the longest streak in FBS history.
The Tigers’ first appearance in the Gator Bowl took place at the conclusion of the 1948 season. Clemson defeated Missouri, 24-23, in a battle of Tigers, clinching a perfect 11-0 season for Frank Howard’s team.
Clemson also participated in the Gator Bowl at the conclusion of the 1951, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1989, 1995, 2000 and 2008 seasons. Clemson’s appearance against Pittsburgh in the 1977 Gator Bowl ended an 18-year stretch without a bowl for the Tiger program. Clemson defeated Ohio State, 17- 15, in the Gator Bowl the following year in Danny Ford’s first game as Clemson’s head coach. Ford had taken over for Charley Pell, who had resigned at the end of the regular season to become head coach at Florida. A late interception by Charlie Bauman, the only interception of his four-year career, clinched the victory for the Tigers.
The Tigers had a 2-0 record in the Gator Bowl in the 1980s, a 27-21 win over Stanford in 1986 and a 27-7 win over West Virginia in 1989. The win over West Virginia was the final game for Ford as Clemson’s head coach. Ford went 3-0 in his career in the Gator Bowl, including both his first and last games as head coach.
The Gator Bowl also holds personal significance for Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney’s first bowl game as a coach was the 1993 Gator Bowl when he was a graduate assistant on Gene Stallings’ staff at Alabama. The Crimson Tide earned a 24-10 win against North Carolina in that contest. The Gator Bowl was also the site of Swinney’s first bowl game as a head coach, as Clemson ended the 2008 season after Swinney was elevated to head coach by facing Nebraska in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day in 2009.
BOWL SUCCESS UNDER SWINNEY
Clemson has posted an 11-8 bowl record under Head Coach Dabo Swinney, including a 10-5 mark in its last 15 bowl games dating back to the 2012 season. Swinney is already the ACC record holder for career bowl games coached (19). This year, Swinney will become the first coach ever to lead a team in 20 bowl games as an ACC head coach. He is also tied for the conference record in career bowl victories (11, shared with Bobby Bowden). Many of Clemson’s 10 bowl wins since 2012 have not come against run-of-the-mill opponents. Eight of Swinney’s 10 bowl victories in that span have come against head coaches with national championship victories to their credit at various levels of NCAA play, including two wins each against Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops, as well as single victories against Les Miles and Brian Kelly. Four of those coaches won FBS titles, while Kelly was a two-time champion at the Division II level.
CLEMSON VS. SEC OPPONENTS
Clemson is 20-13 against SEC foes under the guidance of Head Coach Dabo Swinney, but the Tigers are 14-7 against the conference in the College Football Playoff era, including a 12-3 mark in regular season play during that time frame. Clemson has won 12 of its last 17 against the SEC since the start of the 2016 season.
HISTORY VS. NEW COACHES
The Gator Bowl against Mark Stoops and Kentucky will be the fifth game this season in which Clemson will face an opposing head coach for the first time, a list that includes Duke’s Mike Elko, Charleston Southern’s Gabe Giardina, Florida Atlantic’s Tom Herman and Georgia Tech’s Brent Key. Though Clemson has never faced Mark Stoops, the Tigers are 2-0 all-time against Stoops’ brother, Bob, including bowl wins in 2014 and 2015. Since 2011, Clemson is 45-7 when facing an opposing head coach for the first time.
SWINNEY IN NFL STADIUMS
The Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, will be Clemson’s 23rd game in an NFL stadium since 2015. Clemson has won 17 of its last 25 games in NFL stadiums. Clemson has a 20-12 record in NFL stadiums under Head Coach Dabo Swinney
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY
The Gator Bowl will be the 14th all-time meeting between Clemson and Kentucky. Kentucky holds an 8-5 advantage in the series. Each of the last three meetings in the series have come in postseason play, with Clemson earning a 14-13 Peach Bowl win in 1993 and the teams splitting a pair of Music City Bowls in 2006 (a 28-20 Kentucky win) and 2009 (a 21-13 Clemson win). The first meeting took place in 1925, a Southern Conference contest won by the Wildcats in Lexington, 19-6. The first six games of the series were played in Lexington and Kentucky won five of the six. The greatest upset in the series took place in 1929 when Kentucky defeated a 6-0 Tiger squad, 44-6, in Lexington. The two teams played in the 1971 season opener at Clemson. Kentucky won that game, 13-10, after Doug Kotar took the opening kickoff, the opening kickoff of the season, 98 yards for a score. Clemson defeated Kentucky, 21-3, during the Tigers’ first national championship campaign in 1981 and earned a 24-6 win against the Wildcats a year later. Kentucky stymied the Clemson offense for the first half in 1981 and led 3-0 at halftime. But the Tigers stormed back for 21 second-half points behind touchdowns by Kevin Mack, Homer Jordan and Chuck McSwain. The Tigers ran their record to 4-0 with the win and moved into the top 10 in the polls for the first time since 1959 after the victory. Cliff Austin scored three touchdowns and ran for 116 yards on the ground to pace the offense to the 1982 win..
KENTUCKY WILDCATS NOTES:
QUICK NOTES
• The University of Kentucky football program returns to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl for the third time in program history to face No. 22 / NR Clemson on Dec. 29, 2023. • UK has a 1-1 record in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, defeating NC State, 23-21, on Jan. 2, 2021 after falling to Georgia Tech, 33-18, on Dec. 31, 2016. • The Wildcats, who have reached a program record eight straight bowl games, are 12-10 all-time in bowl games, while head coach Mark Stoops is 4-3 in bowl action at the helm of the program. • This season, Kentucky clinched a winning record (7-5, .583) for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. (The exception is the pandemic-altered season in 2020.) • Kentucky is coming off a school-record six straight triumphs in regular-season finales (2018- 2023) after winning at then-No. 9/9 Louisville, 38-31, on Nov. 25. • It marked the highest Associated Press-ranked triumph of the Mark Stoops era and it tied for the eighth highest in program history. • UK was named the Cheez-It National Team of the Week, Stoops was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week and Barion Brown and J.J. Weaver were named SEC Players of the Week for special teams and defense, respectively. • Kentucky has won 24 of its last 25 nonconference games, and it has won its last 20 straight nonconference games in the regular season. • The regular-season nonconference streak is second in the nation behind Georgia (24). • Devin Leary, quarterback, concluded the regular season ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in passing touchdowns (23). • He was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Comeback Player of the Year Award. • Fun Fact: Despite being in his fourth season on a bowl-eligible team, he will play in his first bowl game on Dec. 29. • Running back Ray Davis leads the SEC in total touchdowns (20) and scoring (120), which also set Kentucky single-season records. Davis is believed to be the first player in history to rush for more than 1,000 yards at three FBS schools (Temple, Vanderbilt, Kentucky). • The Wildcats’ three starting wide receivers all eclipsed 1,000 UK career yards over the past two games this season – Barion Brown (1,067), Dane Key (1,072), Tayvion Robinson (1,004). • Kentucky is ranked third in the SEC and 24th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 113.9 yards per game. • UK has held eight of its last 13 opponents to under 100 yards rushing. • The Wildcats have four defensive touchdowns this season, the second most in the nation.
KENTUCKY BOWL HISTORY
All-Time Record: 12-10
KENTUCKY-CLEMSON SERIES
• Kentucky leads the all-time meetings with Clemson, 8-5, in a series that began in 1925. • The Wildcats trail Clemson in bowl games, 2-1, which include matchups at the 1993 Peach Bowl, 2006 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and 2009 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. • The two teams have gone back and forth over the last five meetings, with no team winning two-or-more since Clemson won two straight in 1981 and 1982. • In their most recent matchup, the Tigers defeated the Wildcats, 21-13, in the 2009 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. • The matchup before that, the Wildcats defeated the Tigers, 28-20, in the 2006 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. • Kentucky’s biggest win was a 44-6 triumph (+38) in 1929, while Clemson’s biggest wins were a 21-3 victory (+18) in 1981 and a 24-6 (+18) victory in 1982. • UK current quarterback and former NC State quarterback, Devin Leary, is 1-2 against Clemson, earning a win in 2021 and taking losses in 2019 and 2020.
KENTUCKY AGAINST THE RANKED
• Kentucky has played 270 ranked teams in the Associated Press poll in its history, while the Wildcats are 52-213-5 in those games. • UK is 2-3 against ranked teams in 2023, defeating No. 22/23 Florida at home on Sept. 30 and No. 9/9 Louisville on the road on Nov. 25. UK fell to No. 1/1 Georgia in Athens on Oct. 7, No. 21/20 Tennessee on Oct. 28 and No. 8/8 Alabama on Nov. 11. • Please note, Missouri was ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll when the two teams met on Oct. 14, but unranked in the AP poll. • UK’s win over No. 9/9 UofL marked the highest AP-ranked triumph of the Mark Stoops era and it tied for the eighth-highest AP-ranked triumph in program history. • The Wildcats are 7-7 against their last 14 ranked AP-ranked teams, dating back to a win over NC State in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. • Since 2018, the Cats are 11-14 against AP-ranked teams. • Kentucky is 0-2 against ranked Clemson teams (1981, 1993).
A UK WIN WOULD…
• Help UK conclude the season on an 8-5 overall record. • It would mark the fourth season since 2018 that UK recorded at least eight wins. • Help UK earn its fifth bowl win in its last six bowl appearances since 2018. • Help UK earn its 25th win against its last 26 nonconference opponents since 2018. • Help UK go 3-3 against ranked teams in 2023. • Help UK earn its first ranked win against Clemson in program history. • Help UK earn its first ranked win in a bowl game since defeating then-No. 17 Iowa, 20- 17, in the VRBO Citrus Bowl following the 2021 season. • Help UK go 8-7 against its last 15 ranked opponents. • Extend head coach Mark Stoops’ all-time school records for overall wins (74), wins against ranked opponents (14) and bowl wins (5).
NONCONFERENCE COMPETITION
• Kentucky has won 24 of its last 25 nonconference games. • That stretch featured 20 straight nonconference wins, including four straight bowl wins. The streak began in the season opener on Sept. 1, 2018 and ended in the Music City Bowl game on Dec. 31, 2022. It was the longest active streak in FBS at the time. • The Wildcats have won their last 20 straight nonconference games in the regular season. • That streak is second in the nation behind Georgia (24). • UK has won 18 straight nonconference games at Kroger Field, dating back to the start of 2018.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
SIRI, WHO IS LEARY?
• In four seasons at NC State (2019-22), quarterback Devin Leary made 26 starts in 30 games played, connecting on 568 of his 944 passes for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns. In that time, he had just 16 interceptions. • Between 2021 and 2022, he aided NC State to a 17-4 record, helping him earn ACC Preseason Player of the Year praise in 2022. He got off to a promising start through just six games in 2022, before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against Florida State. • The last time he was healthy for a full season was in 2021, when he threw for 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also added two rushing touchdowns that season. Leary finished that season ranked in the top 25 in the nation in completion percentage, completions per game, passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, passing yards, passing yards per game, total offense, points responsible for and points responsible for per game. • The signal caller is best known for his timing and precision as a pocket passer, while he also has the ability to break down defenses in play-action and can throw the deep ball when needed.
DEVIN LEARY’S BOWL SAGA
• Despite his tenured five-year career, believe it or not, Devin Leary will be playing in his first bowl game when Kentucky kicks off against Clemson in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 29. • Here is a look back at Devin Leary vs. Bowl Games, the “but…” edition: • 2018 – NC State played in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, but Leary redshirted that season. • 2019 – Leary played in eight games and had five starts, but NC State did not reach a bowl game that season (4-8 record). • 2020 – Leary played in four games and had three starts, but he suffered a season-ending fractured fibula in the second half of the win over Duke, as NC State ironically went on to meet Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. • 2021 – Leary had a breakout season, generating 3,433 passing yards, completing 283 of 431 passes for 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions through 12 games, but the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl got canceled after efforts failed to find a team to replace UCLA, which abruptly pulled out of the game due to COVID-19. • 2022 – Leary played and started in the first six games, but he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the win over Florida State, as NC State went on to play Maryland in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
DEVIN LEARY IN BLUE & WHITE THE STATS
• Following a surgery and almost a year of not playing, Devin Leary has completed 193 of his 343 passing attempts (56.3 percent) for 2,440 yards and 23 touchdowns. • He finished the regular season ranked second in the Southeastern Conference and 23rd in the nation in touchdowns passing (23). • He finished the regular season tied for eighth on the program’s single-season touchdowns passing list (23). • He finished the regular season ranked 10th on the program’s single-season passing yards list (2,440). • The Wildcat also has one touchdown rushing this season, for 24 total TDs in 2023. • For his career, Leary currently has the 13th-most career touchdowns passing among active players in the FBS (85) and the 23rd-most career yards passing (9,247).
THE GAMES
• Devin Leary threw for at least 240 yards and at least one touchdown in each of his first three games in Blue and White. He became the first quarterback to do that in at least two-and-a-half decades. • Leary topped off the season opener against Ball State on Sept. 2 connecting on 10 of his last 11 passes in the game. • Leary came back the next weekend against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 9 to throw for 299 yards and four touchdowns. Again, he finished strong by completing his last eight passes of the contest. • The next weekend, he connected on 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 315 yards and three touchdowns against Akron on Sept. 16. It marked the ninth game of his career with at least 300 yards, while he became just the 15th quarterback in school history to throw for at least 300 yards. • He also became the first UK signal caller to have at least three touchdown passes in consecutive games since Mike Hartline against South Carolina and Georgia in 2010. • The Wildcat completed 28-of-39 passes for 372 yards in a close game against No. 21/20 Tennessee on Oct. 28, all of which were season highs. He also threw two touchdowns with no interceptions. • It marked his second 300+ yard passing game at Kentucky and the 10th of his career. • Helped Kentucky take down No. 9/9 Louisville in rival territory by throwing a trio of touchdowns passing, which marked his third three-plus touchdowns passing game in 2023.
“SWEET BABY RAY”
• Ray Davis has 1,066 yards on 186 carries and 13 touchdowns rushing. He also has 317 yards on 29 catches and seven touchdowns receiving. • He concluded the regular season as the program’s single-season record holder in total touchdowns (20). • He concluded the regular season as the program’s single-season record holder in scoring (120 points). • He concluded the regular season ranked 13th on the program’s single-season rushing yards list (1,066). • He became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. The feat has been accomplished a total of 15 times by 11 players. • Davis scored at least one touchdown in each of Kentucky’s first eight games of the season. • He became the only player in program history to score at least one touchdown in each of the first six games of the season (with single-game statistics available to the 1940s). • He became the first player in program history to score at least one touchdown in eight straight games since Randall Cobb in 2009. • The Wildcat concluded the regular season ranked toward the top of the Southeastern Conference in numerous categories:
RUN, RAY, RUN
• Ray Davis eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in Blue and White to help Kentucky take down No. 9/9 Louisville on the road on Nov. 25. • Davis became the only active player – and believed to be the only player in history – to total at least 1,000 rushing yards in a career at three different Division I schools (also Temple and Vanderbilt). • Davis became the first player in Southeastern Conference history to have 1,000-yard seasons at two league schools, also running for 1,042 last season for Vanderbilt. • The Wildcats currently has the fourth-most career yards rushing among active players in the FBS (3,563).
