Kentucky, NC State will play in TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (WJXT)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl has its matchup.

Kentucky will face North Carolina State in the annual bowl game on Jan. 2, 2021 noon at TIAA Bank Field. Capacity for the game has been set at 25%, the same as what the Jaguars abide by. That means roughly 17,000 fans will be able to attend.

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Tickets can be purchased here.

The game matches a team from the SEC against an ACC opponent in the first of a six-year conference affiliation for the bowl game.

NC State (8-3) is back in the Gator for the fifth time.

It marks the first time that the Gator Bowl will have hosted a team with a losing record.

The Wildcats (4-6) are eligible for the bowl game this year after the NCAA removed requirements for teams to be at least .500 to qualify due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kentucky has lost three of its last five games

Kentucky played in the Gator Bowl in 2016, losing to Georgia Tech (33-18). The Wildcats were expected to play in the Gator last season, but that bid wound up going to Tennessee. NC State played in the Gator in 2018, getting pummeled by Texas A&M, 52-13.


About the Author

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.

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