Final matchup for 2024 Ole Miss team arrives vs. Duke in Gator Bowl with 10-win season in sight
An Ole Miss win in Thursday’s Gator Bowl would give head coach Lane Kiffin his third 10-win season and the first consecutive ones for the Rebels since 1959-60. Standing in the way at 7:05 p.m. CT on ESPN is the Duke Blue Devils.
Dating back to when the bowl game was announced, Kiffin was excited about the game in part because of the focus of his team to finish strong. Some of the biggest names for Ole Miss are set to play, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, defensive lineman Walter Nolen and others.
“Our players are excited. It’s a while until we play but it seems like our players that maybe were in question of playing and opting out for the (NFL) draft, as of right now, all have said they’re playing,” Kiffin said on Dec. 10 previewing the matchup. “That’s exciting and I think that says a lot about this team, in an age where that isn’t the case a lot of times.”
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Meanwhile, Duke has seen departures like quarterback Maalik Murphy, running back Star Thomas and other key contributors. That’s helped push the Rebels to be 17.5-point favorites on FanDuel.
Duke head coach Manny Diaz led the program in his first season to a magical start. Duke enters the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl 9-3 overall and finished 5-3 in ACC play. The Blue Devils began the season 5-0 before losing to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 24-14.
“Manny’s done an unbelievable job in only one year there,” Kiffin said of the Blue Devils and Diaz. “On defense Top 5 in a number of categories and create a lot of chaos by the way they play up front. Typical for wherever Manny’s been. They do a great job on defense to create a lot of problems. Our players are excited. We’re excited to get down there. Initial reaction from our players was great about it.”
Backup quarterback Henry Belin IV will lead the Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl. Belin has appeared in three games this year and started one game in 2023 for Duke. He’s set to face one of the nation’s top defensive units on Thursday.
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“They’re a talented group, both up front and in the secondary,” Belin said of Ole Miss. “They’ve got some great players, but we’re a talented group, too. We’re here to compete, and we’re going to do what we do.”
Receivers Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol are both threats on the outside for the Blue Devils, as the duo has combined for over 1500 receiving yards and 16 TDs on the season.
“It’s been great. I’ve been throwing with them since I first got here in the summer of 2022. To finally go out there and play with them again, our chemistry has been building for a long time,” Belin said ahead of the game. “It’s definitely a confidence boost. Sahmir, Eli, JoMo, Harv (Javon Harvey), all the guys—it’s great to go out there with that talent around me.
“It’s definitely been a long journey, but we’re here now. I was talking to Coach Diaz, and he reminded me that God works in mysterious ways. This is a great opportunity, and I feel a whole lot better than I did back then. I’m ready to show what we can do as a team.”
Ole Miss ended No. 14 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, its fifth appearance in the final CFP top-15. The Rebels are 38-13 under Lane Kiffin since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span. Ole Miss leads the SEC in 17 stats and tops the FBS in four, including school records in TFL (116) and sacks (52).
