2021 Gator Bowl (January)

2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
76th Gator Bowl
NC State Wolfpack Kentucky Wildcats
(8–3) (4–6)
ACC SEC
21 23
Head coach: 
Dave Doeren		 Head coach: 
Mark Stoops
APCoachesCFP
242223
1234 Total
NC State 00714 21
Kentucky 310010 23
DateJanuary 2, 2021
Season2020
StadiumTIAA Bank Field
LocationJacksonville, Florida
MVPAsim Rose Jr. (RB, Kentucky) & Zonovan Knight (RB, NC State)[1]
FavoriteKentucky by 3[2]
RefereeReggie Smith (Big Ten)[3]
Attendance10,422
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Lericia Harris (sideline)
Gator Bowl
 < 2020  2021 (Dec.) > 

The 2021 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2021, with kickoff at noon EST on ESPN.[4] It was the 76th edition of the Gator Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by financial technology company TaxSlayer, the game was officially known as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Kentucky would go on to win the Taxslayer Gator Bowl against North Carolina State 23-21. This was Kentucky's third straight bowl victory following the 2019 Citrus Bowl and the 2019 Belk Bowl. The last time the Kentucky football program won three straight bowl games was 2006 to 2008, winning back-to-back Music City Bowls and Liberty Bowl.

  1. ^ @JoshMooreHL (January 2, 2021). "A.J. Rose was named Kentucky's MVP of the Gator Bowl (Zonovan Knight named for N.C. State)" (Tweet). Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "College football bowl betting lines released". 247Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020-21 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.