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‘The vibe has been great’: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl brings Clemson, Kentucky fans together for thrilling game

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‘The vibe has been great’: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl brings Clemson, Kentucky fans together for thrilling game


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The energy at EverBank Stadium was high on Friday afternoon.

Everywhere you looked, Kentucky and Clemson fans were celebrating their favorite teams. Even though Clemson took home the Taxslayer Gator Bowl victory in thrilling fashion, fans on both sides celebrated the joy of college football and camaraderie.

Kendall Hardwick made the trip from South Carolina and was a cheerleader for years at Clemson. Even after graduation, she never stopped cheering for her alma mater.

“Jacksonville is great. Beautiful city, beautiful town,” Hardwick said. “We have great friends hosting us here in town, so we couldn’t miss it.”

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Adam Stigall is a University of Kentucky alumnus. He said the normally 11-hour drive took much longer due to so many others making the same trip. But he said wouldn’t have missed the game for the world.

“Don’t miss a game. We go to every bowl game, every home game,” Stigall said. “Always a good time, the vibe has been great.”

With low temperatures and bright skies, fans were bundled up for good reason. Extra patrols from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were out working to make sure people stayed safe while enjoying the atmosphere. 

Teresa Morgan attended the game for a very special reason. The First Coast High School digital information teacher was honored at halftime as an MVT, which stands for Most Valuable Teacher. She was overjoyed when she learned her students had nominated her for the honor.

“There’s not a word that could describe how I felt when they announced it,” Morgan said. “I love my kids. My kids are like my own children. So, this is a blessing.”

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Let’s not forget the ultimate fan, Clemson University alumnus and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

“He is our guy. We love our number 16,” Hardwick said with a smile. “He’s always a Clemson Tiger.”

Speaking of the Clemson Tigers, you may or may not have noticed some $2 bills with orange pawprints stamped on the front while out and about Friday. Clemson fans told News4JAX, some of them were paying for items while shopping in the city leading up to the game. They said the $2 bills were used as a way to leave their mark on Jacksonville.

Roy Franklin and Brad Hatton aren’t fans of either school who competed in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. They simply came to the game to have a good time and support the community. They’re originally from up north but have lived in Jacksonville for years.

“It’s beautiful, it’s wonderful. We’ve got everything from the beaches to downtown. We cover everything, it’s a great little city,” Franklin said.

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“You’re not going to tell everybody about this, are you?” Hatton responded with a chuckle. “We want to keep this a secret. It’s getting a little out of hand down here. But no, come on down. It’s beautiful, love it.”

Morgan couldn’t agree more.

“Look, they don’t know what they’re missing until they get here to Jacksonville,” Morgan said. “That’s why they say DUUUUUVAL!”

Bringing people together in the River City, one bowl game at a time.

Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.

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Kentucky

ESPN picks the winner between Kentucky and Georgia State

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ESPN picks the winner between Kentucky and Georgia State


The Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to take on Georgia State in Rupp Arena as Mark Pope’s squad will look to move to 7-0 on the season. In the Wildcat’s first game of the week, they took down WKU, but for the first team, all season looked vulnerable.

The Wildcats were able to win this game 87-68, but there were some things Coach Pope’s team could have done better. Defensively the Wildcats were solid in the win, but the threes weren’t falling in this ball game.

A game like this was good for Kentucky because they have looked unstoppable against every team this season aside from Duke, so a little bit of struggle is a good thing. The threes won’t always fall, so the Wildcats need to learn to win a game when this is happening.

Now the Wildcats will take on Georgia State who is 4-3 on the season. The Panthers played Mississippi State earlier in the season, and the Bulldogs blew them out 101-61 in Starkville.

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ESPN doesn’t seem to think the Wildcats will struggle in this ball game as they give Kentucky a 98.2% chance to win.

The goal in this game for the Wildcats should be to keep working on the rebounding and taking care of the ball but also the shots need to fall.

The matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia State will be on Friday the 29th at 7:00 pm et. Kentucky fans can watch this game on the SEC Network. Coach Pope and his team shouldn’t have any issue blowing out the Panthers on Friday.



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No. 12 Kentucky Captures SEC Title Outright with 3-1 Win over No. 24 Missouri

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No. 12 Kentucky Captures SEC Title Outright with 3-1 Win over No. 24 Missouri


Thanks to a dominant offensive performance from every position across the net, No. 12 Kentucky picked up a 3-1 victory over No. 24 Missouri Wednesday night in Columbia (25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20) to capture the SEC Title outright for the second-consecutive season.

As they’ve done for much of the season, the Cats once again turned to their superstar sophomore to deliver under the brightest lights as DeLeye recorded a match-high 19 kills on an impressive .359 clip. She also picked up five service aces in the winning effort and rattled off a 5-0 service run to bring the Cats back within a point and kickstart a comeback after trailing by as many as six in the fourth and final set.

DeLeye wasn’t doing it by herself against the Tigers, however, as Megan Wilson (13) and Brooke Bultema (11) also eclipsed double figures in the match. Rounding out the scoring was Jordyn Dailey, who finished with nine kills on a .750 hitting percentage and Erin Lamb, who finished with eight terminations.

Kentucky was paced by senior setter Emma Grome who dished out a match-high 54 assists as the Cats hit .377 as a team.

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On the back line Eleanor Beavin led the way with 15 digs and a pair of service aces. Molly Tuozzo added 14 digs to go along with four assists and a service ace, Grome finished with eight digs, Wilson had six, and DeLeye had five.

Dailey led the defensive effort at the net with four rejections. Grome added three, Wilson had a pair, and Bultema and DeLeye each totaled one.

With the victory, Kentucky concludes the regular season with a 20-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the SEC and are currently riding an 11-match winning streak. With no matches left to play, the Cats claimed the SEC Title outright and the NCAA Tournament’s automatic qualifier over Texas, who currently sits in second place with three losses and a match still left to play. With the regular season concluded, Kentucky now awaits their NCAA Tournament berth as the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show airs Sunday evening at 6:00 pm ET. The top-16 seeded teams named by the committee will host the First and Second Rounds next weekend on campus.



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Kentucky football lands another top 500 recruit for 2025

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Kentucky football lands another top 500 recruit for 2025


Kentucky football lost a 2025 wide receiver when recruit Ja’kayden Ferguson re-opened his recruitment in mid-November. Now, they have gained a commitment from top 500 receiver Dejerrian Miller to take the open spot.

Miller is a 6’3″, 195 lb receiver out of Missouri. He is rated four stars, and is ranked as the number 379 overall player in the 2025 class in the 247sports composite rankings. He is the 53rd ranked receiver in the class.

Eight options to replace coach Mark Stoops

Coach Mark Stoops and his staff have put together a solid recruiting class for 2025 so far. It’s currently ranked 25th in the country, though it is the 13th best class of the 16 teams of the SEC.

Miller joins Quintin Simmons Jr., Preston Bowman, and Montavin Quisenberry as wide receivers who are committed to Kentucky for 2025. Miller’s size should be an advantage for him as he looks to find playing time. It’s good get for the Wildcats and Stoops, who continues to bring in quality players at the receiver position.

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