| 2013 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 68th Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | EverBank Field | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Jared Carpenter (S, Northwestern) & Nickoe Whitley (DB, Mississippi State)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Miss. St. by 2[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Greg Burks (Big 12) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 48,612 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Bob Wischusen (Play-by-Play) Danny Kanell (Analyst) Allison Williams | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 1.6[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2013 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game held on January 1, 2013, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida in the United States. The 68th edition of the Gator Bowl began at noon EST and aired on ESPN2. It featured the Mississippi State Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Northwestern Wildcats from the Big Ten Conference and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. The Bulldogs accepted their bowl bid after an 8–4 regular season, while the Wildcats accepted theirs after a 9–3 finish. It was the first time that the two teams had met. Northwestern won the game by a score of 34 – 20.