Duke football will aim for 10-win season while making first appearance in Gator Bowl
Playing in a bowl game for the ninth time in the past 13 seasons, the Duke Blue Devils’ next postseason trip will take them to a destination they’ve not previously visited.
Seeking the program’s second 10-win season, Duke will play No. 16 Mississippi in the 80th Gator Bowl game on Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ESPN will televise from EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.
This will be the first Gator Bowl appearance for the Blue Devils (9-3) and their first time playing Ole Miss in football.
“We are thrilled to accept an invitation to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” Duke athletics director Nina King said in a statement. “Coach Diaz, our coaches and staff and, most importantly, our student-athletes have earned the opportunity to play in this prestigious bowl game.”
The matchup will pair one of the nation’s top offenses from Ole Miss against Duke’s stingy defense. The Rebels (9-3) are No. 7 nationally in scoring offense (37.5 points per game). Duke is No. 41 nationally, allowing 22.2 points per game.
The Rebels are No. 4 nationally in scoring defense, having allowed 13.9 points per game.
Ole Miss and Duke are the nation’s top two teams in recording tackles for losses this season. Ole Miss is No. 1 with 116, while Duke is No. 2 with 110.
Duke heads to the Gator Bowl on a bowl winning streak. The Blue Devils have won their past five bowl games, winning the 2015 Pinstripe, 2017 Quick Lane, 2018 Independence, 2022 Military and 2023 Birmingham bowls. Prior to that, Duke hadn’t won a bowl game since the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
In coach Manny Diaz’s first season as Duke’s head coach, he’s led the Blue Devils to their most regular-season wins since 2014. If Duke can beat Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl, the program will have its first 10-win since since setting the school record for wins in a season in 2013 with a 10-4 mark.
Duke missed bowl games in three consecutive seasons, from 2019-21, before Mike Elko took over as head coach and led the Blue Devils to 9-4 and 8-5 seasons.
Ole Miss (9-3) harbored College Football Playoff hopes this season, but SEC losses to Kentucky (4-8), LSU (8-4) and Florida (7-5) knocked the Rebels out of contention. Ole Miss is ranked No. 16 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
This story was originally published December 8, 2024 at 4:00 PM.