79th TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Six storylines to follow for game between Kentucky and Clemson

JACKSONVILLE — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney may have thought he saw the last of Devin Leary.

But there he is, a senior quarterback at Kentucky and poised to torment a Tigers defense once again after facing Clemson twice at N.C. State.

"You never know in today's world," Swinney said Thursday at the EverBank Stadium East Club during a news conference involving Clemson and Kentucky players and coaches on the eve of the 79th TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. "Good football player, obviously. A lot of respect for him. He's going to have a chance to play at the next level, for sure."

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Leary vs. the Tigers for a third time in a second uniform is one of the storylines for the Gator Bowl between Clemson (8-4) and Kentucky (7-5), which will kick off at noon on Friday (ESPN) and play each other for the fourth consecutive time in a bowl game.

Leary played four years for N.C. State but only twice against Clemson due to injuries. He made the most of those chances, including a 238-yard, four-touchdown pass day in 2021 when the Wolfpack upset the Tigers 27-21 in double overtime at home.

The following season, Leary threw for 245 yards and one score, but Clemson got some payback with a 30-20 victory. He entered the transfer portal after that season and landed at Kentucky.

Leary said he may have changed conferences, but Clemson's defense is still the same and he's hoping that his familiarity with the Tigers will matter on Friday.

"It definitely helps [to have played against the Tigers before]," Leary said. "We know they will be hard-nosed and disciplined. I can give some keys to our players, what type of team this is. You have to start fast and not hurt yourself with self-inflicted penalties. It will be a four-quarter game."

Leary threw for 2,440 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions for the Wildcats this season.

Leary is also making his second trip to Jacksonville. He was injured and didn't play for N.C. State in the 2020 Gator Bowl when the Wolfpack lost to Kentucky 23-21. 

His teammates may not be familiar with the Clemson defense, but they know the style, according to coach Mark Stoops.

"They're built like an SEC football team," Stoops said. "Very physical, very explosive at each level and well-coached. It will be a great challenge."

Here are five more storylines for the Gator Bowl:

Both teams want to run first, and stop the run

Before Leary and his counterpart for Clemson, Cade Klubnik, are unleashed, the two teams may spend some time probing each other on the ground.

The Tigers and Wildcats historically emphasize the run. Clemson is fifth in the ACC and 37th in the nation with 180.3 rushing yards per game and while Kentucky is 94th in the nation at 130.8 yards per game, they do have Ray Davis — who gained 1,066 yards rushing, 317 receiving (on 29 catches) and led the SEC with 20 touchdowns.

Both teams are among the national leaders in run defense. Kentucky has allowed 113.9 yards per game, 25th in the nation, and Clemson is one spot behind at 26th, allowing 116.5 yards per game.

"They're tough, they're physical," Swinney said. "They're built to stop the run and they're built to run the ball. [Davis] leading the SEC in touchdowns is not something you luck into."

Clemson will counter with their two-headed running attack of Phil Mafah (894 yards and nine touchdowns) and Will Shipley (798 yards and five scores).

Dabo comes full circle

Dabo Swinney's first bowl game as a coach came in the 1993 Gator Bowl when he was a graduate assistant at Alabama in a 24-10 victory over N.C. State.

His first bowl game as a head coach was the 2009 Gator Bowl, a 26-21 loss to Nebraska.

Swinney is now leading Clemson to its 20th bowl game during his tenure. The Tigers have more than their share of big bowl games under Swinney, leading to two national championships, and he said he and his staff have come up with a tried-and-true game plan to prepare for bowls since that first loss.

"We've learned a lot over the years ... we've been in a lot of post-season games," he said. "Things are very different from that first [Gator] bowl game. We've had outstanding preparation for this game and we're looking forward to competing."

Clemson is 11-8 in bowl games under Swinney and are 5-3 in Florida bowl games. The Tigers have been to the College Football Playoff six times, have reached the championship game four times and won in 2017 and 2019.

The Tigers are 7-6 in New Year's Day Six games. Four of the losses have come to SEC teams, Alabama twice, LSU and Tennessee.

The Jaguars' Clemson influence

Three Jacksonville Jaguars played at Clemson, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and offensive guard Tyler Shatley.

All played for Swinney and he had high praise for them during the news conference.

"I'm really proud of those guys," Swinney said. "Tyler was in my first signing class. Trevor, he's Trevor. A great winner. They've lost a couple but they're right there in the hunt. Just need to find a way to win one. Trevor's been beat up, banged up but he's one of those guys who keeps coming. He loves to play. He's a grinder."

Swinney said Etienne, "is one of the most explosive players at this level, just like he was at our level. Three great guys and really proud of them."

Swinney said he hoped the players could walk across the parking lot to the stadium to catch part of the game.

"Game day for us, workday for them," he said.

The Jaguars have two former Kentucky players, outside linebacker Josh Allen and center Luke Fortner.

SEC vs. ACC: The battle continues

When Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of Alabama, Washington, Michigan and Texas, disgruntled Seminole and ACC fans pointed out that the conference is 6-4 this season against the SEC, including victories by FSU over LSU and Florida.

The argument will continue with the Gator Bowl, one of only two bowl games this season matching the SEC vs. the ACC. Georgia will play Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

The ACC is 3-3 in bowl games through Dec. 27. There has been only one bowl game involving the SEC prior to Thursday, a 31-23 loss by Texas A&M to Oklahoma State. The bulk of the SEC bowl games are between Dec. 28 and Jan. 1.

The sod report

The last time there was a college football game in Jacksonville, CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell created a controversy when she reported Florida linebacker Shemar James injured himself by tripping over what she claimed was a seam in the turf that had been laid out six days before.

What looked like seams was merely the edge of the sod that had yellowed in transport. The pieces had already knitted together and not only did James still play but both coaches, Billy Napier at Florida and Kirby Smart at Georgia, said they had no issues with the sod.

EverBank Stadium director Eray Saban of ASM Global said on Thursday that the field is in fine shape for the Gator Bowl and for the Jaguars-Carolina game on Sunday.

The end zones and midfield were resodded after the Jaguars played Baltimore on Dec. 17 and the rest of the turf has been intact since the week before the Florida-Georgia game.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Devin Leary back to face Clemson a third time, in a different uniform