Setting the table for No. 21 Notre Dame and No. 19 South Carolina in the 78th Annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 30.
No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) vs. No. 19 South Carolina (8-4)
What: 78th Annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
When: Friday, Dec. 30 at 3:30 p.m. EST
Where: TIAA Bank Field (67,164), Jacksonville, Fla.
WATCH LIVE - NCAA FOOTBALL BOWLS
TV/Radio: ESPN, WSBT Radio (960 AM), WNSN (101.5 FM)
Line: Notre Dame opens as a 4.5 -point favorite
Series: Notre Dame leads 3-1
Last meeting: South Carolina won 36-32 in South Bend in 1984.
Friday will be the fifth meeting between Notre Dame and South Carolina and first since a 36-32 Gamecocks win in 1984 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish lead the series 3-1.
The 2022 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will mark Notre Dame’s 41st bowl appearance and sixth straight. The Irish are 19-21 all-time in bowl games and 6-15 since 1995. Notre Dame’s longest bowl winning streak is five games (1973-79) while its longest losing streak is nine (1995-2007).
South Carolina will be the sixth Southeastern Conference opponent Notre Dame has faced in a bowl game this century. The Irish are 2-3 in those games, losing to Alabama twice and LSU once. Both Notre Dame wins came against the Tigers in the Music City Bowl and Citrus Bowl, respectively.
Notre Dame will be without quarterback Drew Pyne (transfer portal) who started 10 games, consensus All-American tight end Michael Mayer (NFL Draft) who owns every major program record at the position, and all-time sack leader Isaiah Foskey (NFL Draft) who is also a consensus All-American.
Notre Dame running back Logan Diggs (3) is tackled by Boston College linebacker Bryce Steele during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won 44-0. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
In all eight of their wins, the Irish have possessed the ball for mor than 30 minutes. They lost all four games they failed to hit that mark.
All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison leads the Irish with five interceptions, which is tied for second in the nation and first among freshman. It’s also the most for a Notre Dame defender since Manti Te'o picked off seven in 2012.
More:Ben Morrison knows South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler from back home
South Carolina and Notre Dame have one common opponent in 2022, handing Clemson its only two losses of the season. The Irish beat the Tigers 35-14 in South Bend Nov. 5 while the Gamecocks bested their in-state rival 31-30 in the annual Palmetto Bowl to close the regular season.
The two team also share a common former coach. Lou Holtz led Notre Dame to its most recent national championship in 1988 while accumulating a 100-30-2 record from 1986-96. Holtz left retirement in 1999 to coach the Gamecocks. Including a winless first season Holtz compiled a 33-37 record in Columbia through 2004 and earned National Coach of the Year honors for an 8-4 campaign in 2000 that ended with an Outback Bowl win over Ohio State.