DUKE-OLE MISS SERIES
• The bowl contest will mark the first between the two.
Duke Blue Devils Notes
OPENING KICKOFF
• Duke closes the 2024 campaign January 2 with a trip to Jacksonville, Fla., for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Kickoff against No. 16 Ole Miss is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Blue Devils and Rebels have never met. Duke will also be making its first appearance in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. • Duke is looking for a 10-win season for just the second time in program history, joining the 2013 squad. • The trip to Jacksonville will mark the Blue Devils’ 17th bowl appearance with nine in the last 12 seasons. Duke is 8-8 overall in bowl games and has won its last five postseason contests, tied for the second-longest streak nationally. • The Blue Devils have thrived in close games this season. In the regular season finale at Wake Forest, Duke rallied from 17-3 down in the third quarter and earned its fourth victory when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter, tied for the most in a year in program history and tied for the most at the FBS level this season according to ESPN. • With its six-point triumph at Wake Forest, Duke claimed its sixth one-score win, the most in a season in program history and the second most in the ACC in 2024. • Headlined by first-team selection Chandler Rivers, 15 Blue Devils earned All-ACC recognition. Duke trailed only Clemson (10) among selections to the all-league first, second or third teams with eight. • Duke had a trio of All-America honorees in CB Rivers, S Terry Moore and LB Alex Howard, plus a 247Sports True Freshman All-America pick in P Kade Reynoldson.
BOWLING AGAIN
• Duke will play in a bowl game for the third consecutive year and the ninth time in the last 12 seasons. • The Blue Devils had never been to consecutive bowls until accomplishing the feat from 2012-15. • Prior to the Belk Bowl trip in 2012, Duke had not been to a bowl game since the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl against Wisconsin. Duke was in two bowl games from 1962-2011.
DIAZ’S DUKE DEBUT SEASON
• Duke head coach Manny Diaz made his debut with the Blue Devils in Week 1 against Elon after being hired for the head coach position on December 7, 2023. • Most recently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Penn State for two seasons, Diaz helped the Nittany Lions to a 21-4 (.840) record and back-to-back bowl appearances, including a 35-21 Rose Bowl win over No. 8 Utah to cap the 2022 season.
DIAZ IN BOWL GAMES
• In Jacksonville, Diaz will be coaching in his 22nd bowl game. He has coached in two BCS national championship games and led Miami to three consecutive bowl berths (2019-20-21) during his time as head coach.
DIAZ RETURNS TO GATOR BOWL
• This will be Diaz’s third appearance in a Gator Bowl. He won both previous visits, the first with NC State as its linebackers coach and the second with Mississippi State as its defensive coordinator. • 2002 NC State; defeated No. 11 Notre Dame, 28-6 • 2010 Mississippi State; defeated Michigan, 52-14
DUKE VERSUS THE SEC
• The Blue Devils are 53-53-5 against current members of the Southeastern Conference. • Duke last faced an SEC foe on August 31, 2019, taking on Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. • Of the Blue Devils’ 16 previous bowl appearances, four have been against SEC opponents. • Jan. 1, 1945; Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama • Jan. 1, 1958; Orange Bowl vs. Oklahoma • Jan. 2, 1961; Cotton Bowl vs. Arkansas • Dec. 31, 2013; Chick-fil-A Bowl vs. Texas A&M
BLUE DEVILS IN JANUARY
• The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will mark Duke’s first January game since January 2, 1994, in the Hall of Fame Bowl versus Wisconsin. • In program history, the Blue Devils have played just seven January games.
DUKE IN JACKSONVILLE
• The postseason tilt will be Duke’s fourth contest in Jacksonville, having faced Florida (October 6, 1962 & September 12, 1970) and Florida State (October 2, 1999). • The 1962 game is Duke’s largest comeback win in program history, rallying from 21 points down to defeat Florida, 28-21. The Gators led 21-0 at halftime before Duke scored three touchdowns in the third period and capped the comeback with Mike Curtis scoring the game-winning TD in the fourth.
NINE-WIN DUKE
• Duke enters the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl with nine wins for just the eighth time in program history and looking for 10 for just the second time. • 1933 (9) • 1936 (9) • 1938 (9) • 1941 (9) • 2013 (10) • 2014 (9) • 2022 (9) • 2024 (9)
A WINNING SEASON SECURED
• The nine victories this season guarantees Duke a winning record. Duke has had winning seasons in eight of its last 12 campaigns. • Prior to the 2013 season, Duke had not had a winning record since 1994 (18 consecutive losing seasons) and had not put together three or more consecutive winning seasons since 1960-61-62-63.
Mississippi Rebels Notes
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Ole Miss is making its fifth straight bowl appearance under head coach Lane Kiffin. • Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally at bowl winning percentage (.625). • The Rebels are 25-15 in bowl games and 12-4 in its last 16 on the field dating back to the 1997 Motor City Bowl. • This will be Ole Miss’ fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl, its first since 1991. • This will be the first all-time meeting between the Rebels and Blue Devils. • Ole Miss is 17-10-1 all-time against current members of the ACC, including 4-1 in bowl games on the field. • A win would give Kiffin his third 10-win season and the first consecutive ones at Ole Miss since 1959-60. • Ole Miss ended No. 14 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, its fifth appearance in the final CFP top-15. • The Rebels are 38-13 under Lane Kiffin since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span. • Ole Miss leads the SEC in 17 stats and tops the FBS in four, including school records in TFL (116) and sacks (52). • Ole Miss leads all FBS offenses since 2020 at 502.8 yards per game and is the lone team to rank top-10 in both rushing (6th, 208.1) and passing (6th, 294.7) in that span. • At 83.5 rushing yards allowed per game, the Rebels are on pace for their best rush defense since 1992. • DT Walter Nolen recently became the 14th consensus All-American in program history. • Ole Miss’ defensive line (Nolen, Ivey, Pegues, Perkins, Umanmielen) owns a combined 38.0 sacks and 64.5 TFL. • Suntarine Perkins and Princely Umanmielen both own 10.5 sacks, 2.0 shy of Ole Miss’ single-season record. • QB Jaxson Dart will leave Ole Miss as its leader in wins (27), passing (10,213) and total offense (11,668). • Dart leads the FBS in total offense (360.6) and yards/attempt (10.7). • Dart owns each of the top-two total offense and passing performances in Ole Miss bowl history.
BLUE DEVIL SCOUTING REPORT
Duke enters the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl 9-3 overall and finished 5-3 in ACC play. The Blue Devils began the season 5-0 before losing to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 24-14. Offensively, Duke averages 341.5 yards per game, with 245 yards of that coming through the air. Maalik Murphy served as Duke’s primary signal-caller throughout the season, but the redshirt sophomore entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the regular season. Backup Henry Belin IV will lead the Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl. Belin has appeared in three games this year and started one game in 2023 for Duke. Receivers Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol are both threats on the outside for the Blue Devils, as the duo has combined for over 1500 receiving yards and 16 TDs on the season. New Mexico State transfer Star Thomas leads the Duke ground game, having run for 941 yards and seven TDs on 213 carries this season. The Blue Devils’ calling card this year has been on the defensive side of the ball. Coming into the bowl season, Duke ranked top-10 nationally in sacks (3.3) tackles for loss (9.2) and turnovers (26). The Blue Devils also led the ACC in pass defense (194.8). Linebacker Ozzie Nicholas, a transfer from Princeton, led Duke this season with 89 total tackles, including two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Sophomore defensive end Wesley Williams led the Blue Devils with 13.5 TFLs and 7.5 sacks.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
• Ole Miss is 69-17 (.802) versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994. • Under head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is 18-2 against non-conference opponents, including 2-2 in bowl games.
OLE MISS BOWL HISTORY
The 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will be Ole Miss’ 42nd bowl appearance in program history, as well as its fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl. The Rebels’ all-time bowl record stands at 25-15, excluding a vacated victory in the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl. Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and tied for fourth in the FBS in bowl win percentage at .625. Elsewhere in the bowl record book, Ole Miss is tied for 14th nationally in bowl wins and tied for 20th in bowl appearances. Ole Miss is 12-4 in its last 16 bowl games on the field, including a streak of six straight victories from 2002 to 2013.
REBELS VERSUS ACC OPPONENTS
• Ole Miss has a 17-10-1 record against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. • The Rebels are 4-1 on the field against the ACC in bowl games: 1953 Sugar Bowl vs. Georgia Tech (L, 24-7), 1968 Liberty Bowl vs. Virginia Tech (W, 34-17), 1971 Peach Bowl vs. Georgia Tech (W, 41-18), 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl vs. Pitt (W, 38-17; later vacated by NCAA ruling) and the 2013 Music City Bowl vs. Georgia Tech (W, 25-17). • This marks the first ever meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Duke.
REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss ended at No. 14 in the final CFP rankings, the fifth top-15 finish for the Rebels since the CFP began in 2014. • The Rebels currently rank No. 15 in the Coaches poll and No. 16 in the AP polls for Week 16. • Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 60 of the last 64 poll releases. • Ole Miss’ current ranked streak stands at 32 consecutive appearances since the beginning of 2023, the longest since being ranked 41 in a row from 2014-16 … Head coach Lane Kiffin also owns a streak of 29 across 2021-22. • The SEC boasts six teams in the final CFP top-25 rankings, including three playoff teams.
