History Lives At This Year’s Gator Bowl
The more things change, the more they stay the same, especially in Jacksonville this year.
Tomorrow, Wake Forest will face Rutgers in the Gator Bowl and despite being crafted in a matter of days, the matchup showcases many historical connections for both teams.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have a proud history in Jacksonville for starters. Their first Bowl appearance came in the 1946 Gator Bowl against South Carolina. That year, the Deacons went 5-3-1 under the leadership of “Peahead” Walker.
Wake’s record was better than indicated as their three losses came to teams ranked in the final AP Poll. The Deacons ground game powered them to a 26-14 victory as they ran for 368 yards. The win helped the Deacons land the #19 spot in the AP poll.
60 years later, Wake Forest would have another signature moment in Jacksonville as they defeated Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game. Sam Swank kicked three field goals, including one with 2:25 to go to send Wake Forest to the Orange Bowl. The victory gave Wake Forest only their second ACC title and first since 1970.
With Rutgers going to the Gator Bowl, the game harkens memories to the 1990s and 2000s when the bowl received the second-place team from the Big East. Rutgers is the first member of the original Big East, and second former member of the conference in general (Louisville, 2017) to play in the Gator Bowl since the Big East disbanded in 2013. In all, Big East teams went 4-8 in the Gator Bowl.
Days ago, the Gator Bowl was on life support, but now they have a matchup that bring alive golden times and conferences past this New Year’s Eve.