Ole Miss Football Accepts Invite to TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Rebels Will Play Duke
OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss football and head coach Lane Kiffin have accepted an invite to play in the 80th TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the fifth bowl appearance in five seasons under Kiffin.
The 14th-ranked Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) will face off against the Duke Blue Devils (9-3, 5-3 ACC) at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. This will mark the first all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Duke.
Ticket requests are available now HERE. The priority deadline to purchase is Friday, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. CT. All ticket requests will be allocated based on blue priority points and giving levels to the best available seats in the Ole Miss allotment. In the event demand exceeds the Ole Miss allotment, orders will be reduced based on giving level with the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation. Ole Miss student tickets can be purchased HERE.
“We are excited to accept an invitation to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and continue our rich bowl tradition,” said Keith Carter, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics.
“Our team is one of the best in college football, and the game will serve as a memorable finale for this special group of players. The trip also provides an excellent opportunity to join our strong alumni base in the Sunshine State while competing in one of the nation’s most fertile recruiting grounds. We appreciate the chance to face a program like Duke on a national platform, and we expect the Ole Miss family to be well represented.”
Keith Carter
“We are grateful to once again take the field with this Ole Miss team — one of the best in the country,” Coach Kiffin added.
“Jacksonville, Florida is an exciting destination for our players and fans, as we aim to finish the season with 10-or-more wins for the third time in the last four years. We look forward to a great bowl experience and to compete against a 9-3 ACC team in Duke.”
Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss’ all-time bowl record stands at 25-15 (26-15 before vacations). The Rebels rank second in the SEC and tied for fourth in the NCAA in bowl win percentage at .625. Elsewhere in the bowl record book, Ole Miss is tied for 14th nationally in bowl wins and 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. This will mark Ole Miss’ fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl, its first since 1991. Prior trips to the Gator Bowl came in 1958 (vs. Florida; W, 7-3), 1971 (vs. Auburn, L, 35-28) and the aforementioned 1991 edition vs. Michigan (L, 35-3). The 1971 game marked Archie Manning’s final in the Red and Blue as he recorded 275 yards of total offense.
Ole Miss possesses both an electric offense that leads the SEC and ranks second in the FBS in total offense (521.3 ypg), as well as a fearsome defense that leads the FBS with school records in both sacks (52) and tackles for loss (116).
Conerly Trophy winner and Rebel senior quarterback Jaxson Dart ranks among the best signal callers nationwide, leading the FBS in total offense (360.6 ypg) and passing yards per attempt (10.7), while also leading the SEC and ranking FBS top-10 in passing efficiency (177.7; FBS No. 2), yards per completion (15.6; FBS No. 3), passing yards (3,875; FBS No. 4) and passing yards per game (322.9; FBS No. 4). Dart is a finalist for the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy and the Manning Award, and was also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Duke is currently receiving votes in the latest edition of the AP poll, and enters the Gator Bowl on a three-game winning streak under first-year head coach Manny Diaz. Two of its three losses have come to nationally ranked opponents in No. 5 Miami and No. 22 SMU, with the Blue Devils falling by just one point to the CFP-bound Mustangs on Oct. 26.
Nationally, the Blue Devils hold a tough defense of their own, ranking tied for third in the nation in sacks (40) and second nationally behind the Rebels in TFL (110). Duke is also skilled at preventing the opposing pass rush, currently tied for 10th nationally at just 12 sacks allowed all season.
Offensively, Duke is led by quarterback Maalik Murphy, who owns 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns to his credit against 12 interceptions. Duke’s top rusher is Star Thomas, who owns 871 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, while the top passing targets for the Blue Devils are Jordan Moore (798 yards, 7 TD) and Eli Pancol (741 yards, 9 TD).
The Rebels will take on a current ACC opponent for the sixth time in their bowl history, the first since the 2013 Music City Bowl against Georgia Tech (W, 25-17). Other bowl games against current members of the ACC include the 1953 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech (L, 24-7), the 1968 Liberty Bowl against Virginia Tech (W, 34-17), the 1971 Peach Bowl against Georgia Tech (W, 41-18) and the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl against Pitt (W, 38-17) that was later vacated by NCAA rule.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
