2022 Gator Bowl
{{short description|Postseason college football bowl game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA football yearly game
| game_name = Gator Bowl
| subheader = 78th Gator Bowl
| title_sponsor = TaxSlayer
| image =
| caption =
| date_game_played = December 30
| year_game_played = 2022
| football_season = 2022
| stadium = TIAA Bank Field
| city = Jacksonville, Florida
| visitor_school = University of Notre Dame
| visitor_name_short = Notre Dame
| visitor_nickname = Fighting Irish
| visitor_record = 8–4
| visitor_conference = Independent
| visitor_rank_AP = 19
| visitor_rank_coaches = 20
| visitor_rank_CFP = 21
| visitor_coach = Marcus Freeman
| visitor_1q = 7
| visitor_2q = 10
| visitor_3q = 14
| visitor_4q = 14
| home_school = University of South Carolina
| home_name_short = South Carolina
| home_nickname = Gamecocks
| home_record = 8–4
| home_conference = SEC
| home_rank_AP = 20
| home_rank_coaches = 19
| home_rank_CFP = 19
| home_coach = Shane Beamer
| home_1q = 21
| home_2q = 3
| home_3q = 7
| home_4q = 7
| MVP = Tyler Buchner (QB, Notre Dame){{cite tweet |user=PFF_College |number=1608984752534720513 |title=The Tyler Buchner experience tonight was WILD: |date=December 30, 2022 |accessdate=December 30, 2022}}
| odds = Notre Dame by 5.5
| anthem =
| halftime =
| referee = Mike Cannon (Big Ten){{cite web|url=https://www.footballzebras.com/2022/12/2022-23-bowl-officiating-assignments/|title=2022–23 bowl officiating assignments|website=footballzebras.com|first=Ben|last=Austro|date=December 4, 2022|accessdate=December 16, 2022}}
| attendance = 67,383
| payout = 5,350,000{{cite web |title=2022 Bowl Schedule |url=https://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl-schedule/2022/ |website=College Football Poll |access-date=December 26, 2022}}
| us_network = ESPN
| us_announcers =Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
| ratings =
| intl_network = ESPN Deportes
| intl_announcers =
| different_previous = 2021 (Dec.)
}}
The 2022 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2022, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 78th annual Gator Bowl, the game featured Notre Dame, an FBS Independent, and South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game began at 3:40 p.m. EST and was aired on ESPN.{{cite web |title=2022 College Football Bowl Schedule |url=https://fbschedules.com/college-football-bowl-schedule/ |website=FBSchedules.com |access-date=November 1, 2022}} It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Sponsored by financial technology company TaxSlayer, the game was officially known as the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Notre Dame defeated South Carolina with a final score of 45–38.
With 5.766 million viewers, the 2022 Gator Bowl was the highest rated non-New Year’s Six bowl game of the 2022–23 season.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-19 |title=South Carolina 2022 Football Season Highlights |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2023/01/19/south-carolina-2022-football-season-highlights/ |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=University of South Carolina Athletics |language=en-US}} It was also the highest-scoring Gator Bowl in history, with a combined 83 points.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-31 |title=Irish top S.C. in historic Gator Bowl barnburner |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35350270/notre-dame-tops-south-carolina-highest-scoring-gator-bowl |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}
Teams
Based on conference tie-ins, the game was expected to feature teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten Conference, or the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Selected to the bowl were South Carolina of the SEC and Notre Dame, who compete as an FBS Independent.
This was the fifth meeting between Notre Dame and South Carolina; the Fighting Irish lead the all-time series, 3–1.{{cite web |title=Winsipedia – Notre Dame vs. South Carolina |url=http://www.winsipedia.com/notre-dame/vs/south-carolina |website=Winsipedia.com |access-date=December 4, 2022}}
=Notre Dame=
{{main|2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team}}
Notre Dame compiled an 8–4 record during their regular season. They opened their season with two losses, then won eight of their next nine games, before closing with a loss at USC. The Fighting Irish faced five ranked opponents, defeating BYU, Syracuse, and Clemson while losing to Ohio State and USC. Notre Dame entered the bowl 21st in the College Football Playoff (CFP) ranking.
=South Carolina=
{{main|2022 South Carolina Gamecocks football team}}
South Carolina went 8–4 during the regular season, 4–4 in conference play. They also faced five ranked opponents, defeating Kentucky, Tennessee, and Clemson while losing to Arkansas and Georgia. The Gamecocks entered the bowl 19th in the CFP ranking.
Game summary
{{Americanfootballbox
|titlestyle= background:#2a3439; color:#FFFFFF; border: 2px solid #E2223B; text-align:center;
|state=autocollapse
|bg=#fff
|bg2=#eee
|title=2022 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
|date=Friday, December 30, 2022
|time=3:30 p.m. EST
|road=No. 21 Notre Dame
|R1=7|R2=10|R3=14|R4=14
|home=No. 19 South Carolina
|H1=21|H2=3|H3=7|H4=7
|stadium= TIAA Bank Field • Jacksonville, Florida
|attendance=67,383
|weather=Sunny • Temperature: {{convert|75|F|C}} • Wind: {{convert|20|mph|kph|abbr=on}} south
|referee=Mike Cannon
|TV=ESPN
|TVAnnouncers=Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
|reference=[https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401442036 Box score]
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=Notre Dame |HomeName=South Carolina |state=}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd |Visitor=|Home=}}
Statistics
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
| class="wikitable"
|+Team statistical comparison{{cite web |title=2022 Gator Bowl Final Stats |url=http://archive.statbroadcast.com/436998.pdf |website=Statbroadcast |access-date=December 30, 2022 |date=December 30, 2022}} | ||
| Statistic
!style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Notre Dame Fighting Irish}}"|Notre Dame !style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|South Carolina Gamecocks}}"|South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 27 | 20 |
| First downs rushing | 14 | 5 |
| First downs passing | 13 | 13 |
| First downs penalty | 0 | 2 |
| Third down efficiency | 11–19 | 5–15 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Total plays–net yards | 80–558 | 72–352 |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 46–264 | 22–65 |
| Yards per rush | 5.7 | 3.0 |
| Yards passing | 294 | 287 |
| Pass completions–attempts | 19–34 | 31–50 |
| Interceptions thrown | 3 | 1 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1–7 | 2–7 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 1–18 | 2–64 |
| Punts–average yardage | 4–50.0 | 6–40.0 |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 4–40 | 8–68 |
| Time of possession | 36:39 | 23:21 |
{{col-break}}
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" | |||
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Notre Dame Fighting Irish}}"|Fighting Irish passing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|C–A|Completions–Attempts}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD–INT|Passing touchdowns–Interceptions thrown}} | |||
| Tyler Buchner | 18–33 | 274 | 3–3 |
| Davis Sherwood | 1–1 | 20 | 0–0 |
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Notre Dame Fighting Irish}}"|Fighting Irish rushing | |||
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Car|Carries}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | |||
| Audric Estimé | 14 | 95 | 0 |
| Logan Diggs | 13 | 89 | 1 |
| Tyler Buchner | 12 | 61 | 2 |
| Chris Tyree | 5 | 21 | 0 |
| TEAM | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Notre Dame Fighting Irish}}"|Fighting Irish receiving | |||
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} | |||
| Braden Lenzy | 4 | 89 | 1 |
| Logan Diggs | 2 | 81 | 1 |
| Jayden Thomas | 5 | 67 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | 3 | 39 | 1 |
| Chris Tyree | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Audric Estimé | 1 | 8 | 0 |
{{col-break}}
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" | |||
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|South Carolina Gamecocks}}"|Gamecocks passing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|C–A|Completions–Attempts}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD–INT|Passing touchdowns–Interceptions thrown}} | |||
| Spencer Rattler | 29–46 | 246 | 2–1 |
| Kai Kroeger | 1–1 | 23 | 1–0 |
| Dakereon Joyner | 1–1 | 18 | 0–0 |
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|South Carolina Gamecocks}}"|Gamecocks rushing | |||
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Car|Carries}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | |||
| Juju McDowell | 6 | 28 | 0 |
| Spencer Rattler | 7 | 27 | 0 |
| Dakereon Joyner | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Christian Beal-Smith | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Ahmarean Brown | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Rashad Amos | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Antwane Wells Jr. | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | 2 | −4 | 0 |
| colspan="6" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|South Carolina Gamecocks}}"|Gamecocks receiving | |||
| scope="col"|
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} !scope="col"|{{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} | |||
| Xavier Legette | 7 | 78 | 2 |
| Nate Adkins | 5 | 78 | 0 |
| Dakereon Joyner | 3 | 35 | 0 |
| Antwane Wells Jr. | 5 | 30 | 0 |
| Hunter Rogers | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Ahmarean Brown | 4 | 22 | 0 |
| Juju McDowell | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| Christian Beal-Smith | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| O'Mega Blake | 1 | 1 | 0 |
{{col-end}}
{{clear}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{2022 bowl game navbox}}
{{Gator Bowl navbox}}
{{Notre Dame Fighting Irish bowl game navbox}}
{{South Carolina Gamecocks bowl game navbox}}
Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football bowl games