January 2, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
The Tennessee Volunteers will be heading to Jacksonville, Florida for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which will be played at TIAA Bank Field on Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. Central Standard Time.
The Volunteers will take on Big Ten foe Indiana in the 75th edition of the Gator Bowl.
WJLE will have LIVE coverage on the Vol Network starting with the kick-off call in show at 4:30 p.m. The game kicks off at 6 p.m.
“I want to thank TaxSlayer Gator Bowl President and CEO Rick Catlett and chairman Rich Thompson, and the committee and volunteers that work so hard to make the Gator Bowl so special each year,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “The University of Tennessee is proud to be a part of its rich history, and we are very excited to bring this passionate fanbase and hungry football team to Jacksonville.”
The Volunteers will be making their 53rd bowl game appearance in program history, which ranks sixth among all college football programs. UT holds a 28-24 all-time record in bowl games.
The Big Orange enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in college football after winning six of their last seven games, including their final five games of the regular season.
“We are extremely excited to be headed to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “This is a credit to our players, our coaching staff, our support staff, our administration and our fans.
“The Gator Bowl has a rich history and we are honored to be a part of the 75th edition of the game. Jacksonville is a fantastic city and I know our fans will travel and support us. We’ve had a great second-half of the season, winning five straight, but we are not done yet.”
Tennessee’s most recent bowl appearance came in 2016 as the Vols defeated Nebraska, 38-24, in the Music City Bowl.
This will be UT’s seventh time playing in the Gator Bowl. The Vols are 4-2 in the previous six appearances, including a 45-28 victory over Iowa in 2015. That bowl appearance snapped a four-year postseason drought for the Vols and was the first of three straight bowl wins in consecutive seasons.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs earned MVP honors after passing for 129 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another 76 yards and two scores to help lead the Vols to their first postseason victory since the 2008 Outback Bowl.
Tennessee’s other Gator Bowl trips came in 1994 (win vs. Virginia Tech), 1973 (loss vs. Texas Tech), 1969 (loss vs. Florida), 1966 (win vs. Syracuse) and 1957 (win vs. Texas A&M).