Kentucky vs NC State: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl prediction and game preview.
Kentucky vs NC State: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Broadcast
Date: Saturday, January 2
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
Venue: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Network: ESPN
– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Kentucky (4-6) vs NC State (8-3) Game Preview
For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM
Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
– Sometimes bowl games are just bowl games, and sometimes they’re season-definers. It’s the latter for these two but for completely different reasons.
Kentucky had a disappointing losing campaign, but it’s in the bowl it likely would’ve been in had the schedule been normal – assume it would’ve had a few non-conference wins to build up the record. For a team that relies on a rock-steady style of play, it’s been a flaky year with a whole slew of blowouts for both good and bad. Winning this would make the season. On the flip side …
– NC State had a strong record, it was the only team to beat Liberty, and it comes in this on a four-game winning streak. It’s not the most scintillating of teams, but it finds ways to get wins. It’s the sixth bowl game under head coach Dave Doeren after going 3-2 with the Wolfpack, while Kentucky’s Mark Stoops has won two in a row with this his fifth straight bowl appearance.
– The SEC has owned this bowl over the last several seasons, going 5-1 – including a Texas A&M blowout over NC State in 2018, and with the lone loss a Kentucky gaffe to Georgia Tech in 2016 – but last year it took an epic finish for Tennessee to slip past Indiana. This matchup might not be that, but it should be close.
Why Kentucky, NC State Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History
NEXT: Why Kentucky Will Win, Why NC State Will Win, Kentucky vs NC State Prediction
Why Kentucky Will Win The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
– Kentucky HAS to win the turnover battle. The offense doesn’t do a whole lot of things all that consistently well – there isn’t the running game like there was last year – and the defense doesn’t do enough to stop NC State cold, but this team picks off passes.
Granted, six came against Mississippi State, and three more came against Tennessee, but that matters. Creating bulk takeaways is what the Cats need to do. Even though there have been just two interceptions in the last four games, the five fumble recoveries in the last two made up for them.
NC State doesn’t have a massive turnover issue, but the passing game threw 12 picks on the season.
– There isn’t enough of a NC State running game to worry about. The ground game rumbled for 270 yards against Wake Forest in the opener, and that’s been about it. This is a soft UK defensive front that can be hit hard against a commitment to the ground game, but the Wolfpack will want to throw.
– Kentucky has guys. There might not be the NFL talents across the board like other SEC teams will boast, but Terry Wilson is a veteran quarterback who knows how to manage an offense, the running backs are fine, and the bulk on the lines will be a problem for the Pack. As always, this is a team that has its style, and it makes you play to it. However …
Why NC State Will Win The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
– Kentucky just isn’t very good at college football this season. It’s okay, and the 4-6 record is a bit misleading – it’s a six-win-caliber team if it had its normal schedule with non-conference wins – but it doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. The offense only worked against the miserable defenses in the SEC – Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and and South Carolina.
NC State’s three losses came to the three high-powered offenses on the slate – North Carolina, Miami and against the Virginia Tech running game. In general, the Wolfpack were fine against the teams that didn’t do any one thing at a high level.
More specifically …
– The defensive did a great job of being disruptive. There weren’t a lot of takeaways, and the pressure didn’t force mistakes, but the linebacking corps was terrific at getting into the backfield on a steady basis.
It stings that star tackle Asim McNeill is leaving early for the NFL, but he’s expected to clog up the inside one more time – everything works around the all-star. Linebackers Payton Wilson on the outside and Isaiah Moore know how to bottle up mediocre offensive backfields.
– QB Bailey Hockman will throw a pick – he has given up eight on the year – but he’s also playing well with two straight 300-yard games. There’s just enough from the veteran running backs to balance things out, but if Hockman is on, State should be able to keep pushing.
This isn’t a Kentucky team built to get into firefights. NC State won’t come up with anything special offensively, but UK is 1-4 when allowing more than 230 passing yards, and the one win came against a Mississippi State team that couldn’t do anything else.
Hockman has thrown for 230 or more in four of the last five games.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Kentucky vs NC State Prediction, TaxSlayer Gator Bowl History
What’s Going To Happen in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
It’s not the normal high-end Gator Bowl matchup, but these two are at just the right level to keep this tight and interesting the entire way.
Kentucky might not be pretty, but it’s able to bog things down and make most teams play at its level. However, the offense has been way too sad against the decent-to-great teams ever since the 34-7 win over Tennessee back in mid-October.
NC State might not have the star power, but it has the veterans around QB Bailey Hockman to set a good pace. The defense isn’t going to let Kentucky get into any sort of a groove.
As long as NC State doesn’t get rolled in the turnover battle, and as long as the run defense holds up, it’ll be a strong win for head coach Dave Doeren to close out a quietly nice year.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs NC State Prediction, Line
NC State 27, Kentucky 23
Bet on Kentucky vs NC State with BetMGM
Kentucky -2.5, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
– CFN Experts Picks: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Must See Rating: 3
5: New Year’s Day on the couch
1: New Year’s Eve going out
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl History
Jan. 2, 2019 Tennessee 23, Indiana 22
Dec. 31, 2018 Texas A&M 52, NC State 13
Dec. 30, 2017 Mississippi State 31, Louisville 27
Dec. 31, 2016 Georgia Tech 33, Kentucky 18
Jan. 2, 2016 Georgia 24 Penn State 17
Jan. 2, 2015 Tennessee 45 Iowa 28
Jan. 1, 2014 Nebraska 24 Georgia 19
Jan. 1, 2013 Northwestern 34 Mississippi State 20
Jan. 2, 2012 Florida 24 Ohio State 17
Jan. 1, 2011 Mississippi State 52 Michigan 14
Jan. 1, 2010 Florida State 33 West Virginia 21
Jan. 1, 2009 Nebraska 26 Clemson 21
Jan. 1, 2008 Texas Tech 31 Virginia 28
Jan. 1, 2007 West Virginia 38 Georgia Tech 35
Jan. 2, 2006 Virginia Tech 35 Louisville 24
Jan. 1, 2005 Florida State 30 West Virginia 18
Jan. 1, 2004 Maryland 41 West Virginia 7
Jan. 1, 2003 N.C. State 28 Notre Dame 6
Jan. 1, 2002 Florida State 30 Virginia Tech 17
Jan. 1, 2001 Virginia Tech 41 Clemson 20
Jan. 1, 2000 Miami 28 Georgia Tech 13
Jan. 1, 1999 Georgia Tech 35 Notre Dame 28
Jan. 1, 1998 North Carolina 42 Virginia Tech 3
Jan. 1, 1997 North Carolina 20 West Virginia 13
Jan. 1, 1996 Syracuse 41 Clemson 0
Dec. 30, 1994 Tennessee 45 Virginia Tech 23
Dec. 31, 1993 Alabama 24 North Carolina 10
Dec. 31, 1992 Florida 27 N.C. State 10
Dec. 29, 1991 Oklahoma 48 Virginia 14
Jan. 1, 1991 Michigan 35 Mississippi 3
Dec. 30, 1989 Clemson 27 West Virginia 7
Jan. 1, 1989 Georgia 34 Michigan State 27
Dec. 31, 1987 LSU 30 South Carolina 13
Dec. 27, 1986 Clemson 27 Stanford 21
Dec. 30, 1985 Florida State 34 Oklahoma 23
Dec. 28, 1984 Oklahoma State 21 South Carolina 14
Dec. 30, 1983 Florida 14 Iowa 6
Dec. 30, 1982 Florida State 31 West Virginia 12
Dec. 28, 1981 North Carolina 31 Arkansas 27
Dec. 29, 1980 Pittsburgh 37 South Carolina 9
Dec. 28, 1979 North Carolina 17 Michigan 15
Dec. 29, 1978 Clemson 17 Ohio State 15
Dec. 30, 1977 Pittsburgh 34 Clemson 3
Dec. 27, 1976 Notre Dame 20 Penn State 9
Dec. 29, 1975 Maryland 13 Florida 0
Dec. 30, 1974 Auburn 27 Texas 3
Dec. 29, 1973 Texas Tech 28 Tennessee 19
Dec. 30, 1972 Auburn 24 Colorado 3
Dec. 31, 1971 Georgia 7 North Carolina 3
Jan. 2, 1971 Auburn 35 Mississippi 28
Dec. 27, 1969 Florida 14 Tennessee 13
Dec. 28, 1968 Missouri 35 Alabama 10
Dec. 30, 1967 Florida State 17 Penn State 17
Dec. 31, 1966 Tennessee 18 Syracuse 12
Dec. 31, 1965 Georgia Tech 31 Texas Tech 21
Jan. 2, 1965 Florida State 36 Oklahoma 19
Dec. 28, 1963 North Carolina 35 Air Force 0
Dec. 29, 1962 Florida 17 Penn State 7
Dec. 30, 1961 Penn State 30 Georgia Tech 15
Dec. 31, 1960 Florida 13 Baylor 12
Jan. 2, 1960 Arkansas 14 Georgia Tech 7
Dec. 27, 1958 Mississippi 7 Florida 3
Dec. 28, 1957 Tennessee 3 Texas A&M 0
Dec. 29, 1956 Georgia Tech 21 Pittsburgh 14
Dec. 31, 1955 Vanderbilt 25 Auburn 13
Dec. 31, 1954 Auburn 33 Baylor 13
Jan. 1, 1954 Texas Tech 35 Auburn 13
Jan. 1, 1953 Florida 14 Tulsa 13
Jan. 1, 1952 Miami 14 Clemson 0
Jan. 1, 1951 Wyoming 20 Washington & Lee 7
Jan. 2, 1950 Maryland 20 Missouri 7
Jan. 1, 1949 Clemson 24 Missouri 23
Jan. 1, 1948 Maryland 20 Georgia 20
Jan. 1, 1947 Oklahoma 34 N.C. State 13
Jan. 1, 1946 Wake Forest 26 South Carolina 14
