The 2016 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl was a post-season American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

played on December 31, 2016, at

EverBank Field EverBank Stadium is an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), and the headquarters of the professional wrestling promotions Al ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. The 72nd edition of the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...

featured the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

against the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

. It began at 11 a.m. EST and aired on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company

TaxSlayer.com TaxSlayer LLC (formerly known as TaxSlayer.com) is a privately held tax preparation and tax software company based in Augusta, Georgia. The company offers online tax preparation technology for American consumers and tax professionals, allowing th ...

, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.

Teams

This was the 20th overall meeting between the two teams, with Georgia Tech holding an 11–7–1 series lead coming into the game. The previous time the two teams met was in 1960, when both teams were members of the

. In that game, Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 23–13.Smits, Garry
TaxSlayer Bowl preview
Jacksonville.com. 30 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech was led by head coach Paul Johnson. The Yellow Jackets began the season 3–0, before losing three games in a row to become 3–3 halfway through the season. Georgia Tech went 5–1 the second half of the season, ending their regular season in a 28–27 victory over their

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Heading into the game, the Yellow Jackets ranked 69th in the nation in scoring (27.8) and 82nd in yards per game (388.6). Georgia Tech utilized a run-heavy offense, averaging 257.4 rushing yards per game (10th in the nation) and only 131.2 passing yards per game (123rd in the nation). The team's offense was led by redshirt senior quarterback

Justin Thomas Justin Louis Thomas (born April 29, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and is a former List of World Number One male golfers, world number one. In 2017, Thomas experienced a breakout year, winning five PGA Tour e ...

, who threw for 1,454 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 562 yards and five touchdowns.Ching, David. Fortuna, Matt
TaxSlayer Bowl: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Kentucky Wildcats
ESPN.com. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017. Georgia Tech's leading rusher of Marcus Marshall, who led the team with 624 yards.Shanker, Jared
RB Marcus Marshall says he'll transfer from Georgia Tech
ESPN.com. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017. Marshall transferred after Tech's regular season finale, however, and did not play in the TaxSlayer Bowl. On defense, Georgia Tech was ranked 47th in the nation in scoring defense (25) and 63rd in yards allowed per game (408.1). The Yellow Jacket's run defense was ranked 64th in the nation, while the pass defense was ranked 73rd. The team's defense was led by defensive back Corey Griffin, who led the team with 79 tackles. Griffin also had a sack, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky: How to watch, live stream, game time for the TaxSlayer Bowl
NCAA.com. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017. This was Georgia Tech's eighth appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl / Gator Bowl; in their prior appearances they were 3–4. This was also the Yellow Jackets' first bowl game since the 2014 Orange Bowl.

Kentucky

Kentucky was led by head coach

Mark Stoops Mark Thomas Stoops (born July 9, 1967) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Kentucky, a position he has held since 2013. Stoops is the all-time winningest head coach in the ...

. The Wildcats began the season 0–2 before going 5–1 in their next 6 games. They then lost back-to-back games against

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

before winning their final two games of the regular season, ending the regular season in a 41–38 victory over their

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. Heading into the game, Kentucky was ranked 54th in the nation in scoring (31.0) and 57th in total yards (428.3). Like Georgia Tech, the Wildcats utilized a run-heavy offense, ranking 16th in the nation in rushing offense (241.3) but only 106th in passing offense (187.0). The offense was led by running backs Stanley Williams and

Benny Snell Benjamin Snell Jr. (born February 26, 1998) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats. Snell is the great-nephew of former New York Jets running back Matt Snell. His father, Benjamin ...

, who both rushed for over 1,000 yards and combined for 20 rushing touchdowns on the season. On defense, Kentucky was ranked 87th in the nation in scoring defense (31.2) and 88th in yards allowed per game (435.9). The Wildcats' defense struggled especially against the run, possessing the 108th ranked rushing defense and allowing an average of 225 rushing yards per game. This was Kentucky's first bowl game since the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl, and was their first appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl / Gator Bowl.

Game summary

First quarter

Kentucky received the opening kickoff. On the fourth play of the game, Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson fumbled the ball after being sacked by Georgia Tech's Patrick Gamble. Another Yellow Jackets player, P.J. Davis, recovered the fumble and returned the ball 38-yards for a touchdown, giving Georgia Tech a 7–0 lead. The following Kentucky drive stalled, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball back. On the ensuing Yellow Jackets drive, head coaches Paul Johnson and Mark Stoops got in a

shouting match A scream is a loud/hard vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream i ...

over Tech's blocking tactics after Kentucky players were injured on back-to-back plays. Georgia Tech was able to drive to Kentucky's red zone, but were stopped at the 5-yard line. A 23-yard

Harrison Butker Harrison Butker (born July 14, 1995) is an American professional American football, football placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football, ...

field goal made the score 10–0. Kentucky was in possession of the ball going into the second quarter.Georgia Tech tops Kentucky 33–18 in TaxSlayer
Associated Press. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky play-by-play
ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 January 2017.Ching, David
Georgia Tech survives Kentucky comeback bid in chippy TaxSlayer Bowl
ESPN.com. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.

Second quarter

Kentucky put its first points on the board with a 37-yard field goal, making it a 10–3 game. After forcing Georgia Tech to punt, Kentucky drove down to Georgia Tech's 5-yard line. Facing a 4th and 1 situation, Kentucky decided to go for it instead of kicking a field goal. Running back Jojo Kemp was unable to get convert, however, giving the ball back to Georgia Tech at the 6-yard line. On the ensuing Yellow Jackets possession, Georgia Tech ran three consecutive running plays but were unable to get a first down. Facing a 4th and 1 situation at their own 15-yard line, Georgia Tech decided to go for it instead of punting the ball away. Georgia Tech's gamble paid off as they were able to gain a first down on a 3-yard run from Dedrick Mills.Johnson, Richard
Georgia Tech went for it on 4th down from its own 16-yard line, and it led to a TD
sbnation.com. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017. Georgia Tech went up 17–3 with 49 seconds in the half on a 21-yard touchdown run from Justin Thomas. After blocking a Kentucky punt, Georgia Tech received the ball back at Kentucky's 44-yard line with 20 seconds remaining in the half. On a 4th and 10 situation, Thomas completed a 10-yard pass to Brad Stewart to Kentucky's 34-yard line to set up a 52-yard field goal attempt. Harrison Butker was able to make the field as time expired in the half, giving Georgia Tech a 20–3 lead going into halftime.

Third quarter

Georgia Tech received the kickoff in the second half, but were unable to drive past their 42-yard line, forcing the Yellow Jackets to punt. Kentucky blocked Georgia Tech's punt, giving Kentucky the ball at Georgia Tech's 28-yard line. Kentucky was unable to capitalize on the blocked punt, as a personal foul penalty pushed Kentucky back to Georgia Tech's 43-yard line. After being unable to convert for a first down, Kentucky punted the ball back to Georgia Tech. After exchanging punts, Georgia Tech went up 23–3 on a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Butker. Kentucky was in possession of the ball going into the fourth quarter.

Fourth quarter

Kentucky scored its first touchdown of the game on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Johnson to Dorian Baker, making it a 23–10 game. Georgia Tech responded with a 12 play, 68 yard drive that took 7:27 off the clock. Georgia Tech drove to Kentucky's 5-yard line, but on a 3rd and goal situation, Georgia Tech's Qua Searcy was stopped for a 3-yard loss. Harrison Butker made a 26-yard field goal to make it a 26–10 game. Kentucky responded with a 21-yard touchdown run from Stephen Johnson, making it a 26–18 game after a successful two-point conversion with 3:57 remaining in the game. Georgia Tech recovered the ensuing onside kick at their own 42-yard line. The Yellow Jackets then ran two consecutive run plays which took only a few seconds off the clock due to Kentucky using a couple of timeouts. Facing a 3rd and 4 situation, Justin Thomas completed a 42-yard pass to Ricky Jeune, giving the Yellow Jackets a first down at Kentucky's goal line. Georgia Tech score three plays later 3-yard touchdown run from Dedrick Mills, giving Georgia Tech a 33–18 lead. The following Kentucky drive ended on downs, giving Georgia Tech the victory.

Scoring summary

Statistics

Georgia Tech B-back Dedrick Mills was named the game's

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. Mills rushed for a team-leading 169 yards on 31 carries, along with 1 rushing touchdown.Sugiura, Ken
Monster game for Dedrick Mills, game MVP
AJC.com. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017. Georgia Tech outgained Kentucky in total yardage 371–324. Kentucky committed 1 turnover while Georgia Tech committed none. The Yellow Jackets were more efficient on third down conversions, converting 5 out of 13 attempts compared to Kentucky's 6 out of 16 attempts. Georgia Tech also converted both of its fourth down attempts, while Kentucky converted 2 out of 4 attempts. Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas completed 6 out of his 14 pass attempts for 105 yards and no touchdowns. Thomas was also Tech's second leading rusher, rushing for 42 yards on 9 attempts. The Yellow Jacket's leading receiver was Ricky Jeune, catching 3 passes for 59 yards.Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky
ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017. Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson completed 19 out of his 34 pass attempts for 175 yards and 1 touchdown. Johnson also was Kentucky's leading rusher, rushing for 49 yards and 1 touchdown. Running backs Stanley Williams and Benny Snell, who had both rushed for over 1,000 yards in the regular season, were held to only 69 combined rushing yards in the game. Dorian Baker was Kentucky's leading receiver, catching 2 passes for 38 yards and 1 touchdown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (12) 2016–17 NCAA football bowl games 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl December Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football bowl games Kentucky Wildcats football bowl games 2016 in sports in Florida December 2016 sports events in the United States