2025 Gator Bowl (January)
Postseason college football bowl game
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The 2025 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2025, at EverBank Stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida. The 80th annual Gator Bowl featured Duke from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Ole Miss from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game began at approximately 8:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN.[3][4] The Gator Bowl was one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by financial technology company TaxSlayer and was officially known as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
| 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 80th Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | EverBank Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Ole Miss by 14.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Marvin Zapf | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jeffrey Servinski (Big Ten)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 31,290 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
Teams
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game featured Duke from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Ole Miss from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the first meeting between the programs.[5]
Duke Blue Devils
Duke compiled 9–3 regular-season record (5–3 in ACC play). After starting the season with five consecutive wins, the Blue Devils lost three of their next four games, then concluded their schedule with three wins. Duke faced two ranked teams, losing to SMU and Miami (FL).
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss finished their regular season with a 9–3 record (5–3 in SEC play). The Rebels were nationally ranked throughout the season, as high as fifth after starting with four consecutive wins. Ole Miss faced two ranked FBS teams, losing to LSU while defeating Georgia. Ole Miss was placed 14th in the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings.
Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| No. 14 Ole Miss | 14 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 52 |
at EverBank Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
- Game time: 8:06 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: 3 mph (4.8 km/h) northeast
- Game attendance: 31,290
- Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline)
- Box score
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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Statistics
| Statistics | DUKE | MISS |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 68–280 | 70–589 |
| Rushes–yards | 23–44 | 33–151 |
| Passing yards | 236 | 438 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–45–1 | 28–37–1 |
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | 30:02 | 29:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | Passing | Henry Belin IV | 25/44, 236 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Peyton Jones | 8 carries, 18 yards | |
| Receiving | Jordan Moore | 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD | |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 27/35, 404 yards, 4 TD |
| Rushing | Ulysses Bentley IV | 14 carries, 70 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Jordan Watkins | 7 receptions, 180 yards, 2 TD |