The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl's top-10 Tigers: Clemson will break game record for appearances

The Clemson football team will set TaxSlayer Gator Bowl history Dec. 29 when it plays in Jacksonville for the 10th time.

The Tigers (8-4) will take on Kentucky (7-5) at EverBank Stadium at noon (ESPN), the first trip to the Gator Bowl since the 2008 season. But the appearance breaks a tie with the University of Florida for the most Gator Bowl appearances over the 79-year history of the nation's sixth-oldest bowl game.

Bowling time: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl tickets on public sale for Dec. 29 SEC vs. ACC matchup

Clemson first appeared in the Gator Bowl when Harry Truman was President of the United States. They have a 4-5 record in the game and have lost their last three Gator Bowls.

This will be the first time the Tigers have played an SEC team in the Gator Bowl (they played Missouri in 1949 when that team was in the Big Eight). At the time of the meeting, Clemson played four independent teams, two from the old Big East and one each from the Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12.

The Tigers have been outscored 222-139 in the Gator Bowl.

Clemson and Kentucky have arrived in Jacksonville to begin their preparations. The Tigers are practicing at Fernandina Beach High School and the Wildcats at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium. All practices are closed to the public.

How well do Clemson fans support the Gator Bowl?

Pretty darn good.

One constant for the Tigers in the Gator Bowl is that their fans have turned out in droves. Before the 84,129 that saw Bobby Bowden coach his final game for Florida State in 2010, Clemson played in the most-watched Gator Bowl in 1989 against West Virginia, with 82,911.

Gator Bowl games with the Tigers in the house have broken the Gator Bowl attendance record four times. The average attendance for a Gator Bowl game involving Clemson is 64,305 — including their first two appearances, which drew 32,939 and 34,577.

Their last seven appearances have averaged 73,032. Four of the top 16 Gator Bowl crowds in history have involved Clemson and seven of the top 31.

Here is the history of Clemson in the Gator Bowl:

Jan. 1, 2009: Nebraska rallies to spoil Dabo's bowl debut

Clemson jumped out to a 14-3 halftime lead, sparked by a 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown by DeAndre McDaniel. But the Cornhuskers outscored the Tigers 23-7 in the second half to win 26-21 in the first bowl game for Tigers coach Dabo Swinney.

Joe Ganz threw two touchdown passes and Alex Henery kicked three of his four field goals after halftime. Clemson was held to 58 yards rushing and Nebraska's Quentin Castille gained 125 yards on 18 carries.

The game was in doubt until a pass intended for Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, a Union County graduate, was knocked away in the end zone by Nebraska safety Matt Hanlon. Spiller is now the Tigers' running backs coach.

Jan. 1, 2001: Michael Vick wins final college game

Virginia Tech jumped on Clemson for a 14-0 first-quarter lead and went on to win 41-20 in the final college game for Hokies' quarterback Michael Vick.

Vick figured in the first two touchdowns, throwing a 23-yard pass to Jarrett Ferguson and scoring on a 6-yard run, and ended the game with 205 yards passing and 19 yards rushing to earn game MVP honors.

Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler threw for 180 yards and one TD and wide receiver Rod Gardner, a Raines graduate, caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown and was the Clemson MVP.

Jan. 1, 1996: Donovan McNabb leads Syracuse rout in the rain

The first year of the Gator Bowl's ACC vs. Big East conference affiliation brought two Orange-clad teams to Jacksonville and in the case of Syracuse, its first appearance since 1966.

Clemson was favored but two things happened: a driving rain that lasted nearly the entire game and the Syracuse combination of freshman quarterback Donovan McNabb to senior wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

McNabb threw for 309 yards off only 13 completions and hit Harrison with TD passes of 38 and 56 yards in a 41-0 victory. McNabb threw one other TD pass and scored on a 5-run yard run, and Harrison caught seven passes for 173 yards.

Dec. 30, 1989: Tigers defense dominates West Virginia

Clemson pulled away from a 10-7 edge by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter and the Tigers' defense forced four turnovers in a 27-7 spanking of the Mountaineers.

Chester McGlockton recovered a West Virginia fumble in the end zone for one touchdown and the Mountaineers had only 237 yards of offense and 13 first downs. Joe Henderson led a running attack that produced 257 yards by gaining 92 yards and scoring one touchdown and Chris Gardocki kicked two field goals. Clemson threw only 11 passes in the game.

Dec. 27, 1986: First Coast products lead victory over Stanford

For the first and only time in Gator Bowl history, a Pac-12 team came to Jacksonville. But Clemson bullied the Cardinal by scoring all 27 points in the first half and held Stanford and running back Brad Muster off in the second half for a 27-21 victory.

First Coast products Terrence Flagler (Fernandina Beach) and David Treadwell (Bolles) figured heavily in the game. Flagler gained 82 yards on 12 carries and caught three passes for 25 yards; and Treadwell had field goals of 22 and 46 yards. Muster scored all three Stanford touchdowns, on a 1-yard run and pass receptions of 13 and 37 yards from Greg Ennis.

Dec. 29, 1978: The Punch

In perhaps the most impactful Gator Bowl game from a national perspective, Clemson beat Ohio State 17-15.

However, the final score mattered less than what happened in the final seconds: Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman intercepted Art Schlichter to end the Buckeyes' final possession. When Bauman was run out of bounds on the Ohio State sideline, Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes punched Bauman in the throat and when he was restrained by his own players, grabbed the face mask of OSU player Ken Fritz, earning two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

While the incident wasn't even mentioned or replayed on TV by the ABC announcing team of Keith Jackson and Ara Parseghian, Hayes was fired the next day before he could return to Columbus, ending his career after 205 victories.

Dec. 20, 1977: Matt Cavanaugh dismantles the Tigers

Clemson never knew what hit them. Pittsburgh quarterback Matt Cavanaugh threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Elliott Walker on the first possession and threw for 387 yards and four TDs in all as the Panthers won 34-3.

Two Pitt players, Gordon Jones (10 receptions for 163 yards) and Walker (six for 121) gained over 100 yards receiving and Walker had 53 yards rushing. Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller threw four interceptions.

Jan. 1, 1952: Miami's Mellios sparks Hurricane shutout

It was all about Harry in the Hurricanes' 14-0 victory over the Tigers.

Harry Mellios scored two first-half touchdowns on runs of 11 and 2 yards and it was all UM needed to win the seventh Gator Bowl. Mellios gained a yard-earned 50 yards on 20 carries and Miami overcame a lopsided Clemson edge in the stats.

The Tigers outgained the 'Canes 233-174, had 14 first downs to Miami's five and was one of only two teams in Gator Bowl history to not get hit with a penalty (Pitt in 1956 was the other). But Clemson quarterback Billy Hair threw four interceptions and the Tigers had five turnovers in all.

Jan. 1, 1949: In a battle of Tigers, Clemson prevails

Clemson's first Gator Bowl game ever saw them beat Missouri 24-23 in a game that was waged for the most part on the ground.

Clemson's Ray Matthews gained 73 yards and Fred Cone had 72, while Missouri countered with Harold Entsminger (77 yards) and Nicholas Carras (73). After a 14-14 halftime tie. Clemson took the lead for good on Bobby Gage's 9-yard touchdown pass to John Poulos and after Missouri scored a safety, Jack Miller's 32-yard field goal clinched it for Clemson.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Clemson has played a large role in history of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl