Phil Mafah’s record day lifts Clemson to wild Gator Bowl win،
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Clemson finished the Gator Bowl on Friday, just like the season: with a bang.
Phil Mafah passed for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 17 seconds left, and the Tigers rallied to beat Kentucky 38-35 in one of the wildest Gator Bowls to date, ending the year with a five-fight winning streak.
Mafah scored three times in a final quarter that included five turnovers, four touchdowns and five lead changes. Clemson (9-4) outscored Kentucky 28-14 over the final 15 minutes.
“You saw who we are tonight,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “These guys, they’re done.”
Cade Klubnik made the play of the game when he connected with Troy Stellato for 16 yards on third-and-18 to set up Mafah's fourth down that moved the chains. Mafah scored three plays later to put the Tigers back for good.
Kentucky (7-6) had one last chance, but Devin Leary's first pass was intercepted by Justin Mascoll.
“A very tough loss,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. Great football game. We faced a lot of adversity and we overcame it. Mistakes, turnovers, penalties, there's a lot of things you're not very proud of.”
Mafah finished with 71 yards on 11 carries. His four rushing touchdowns set a Gator Bowl record. Klubnik completed 30 of 41 passes for 264 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He completed 8 of 9 passes on the winning drive.
Clemson trailed 21-10 after Kentucky's Barion Brown, who scored three touchdowns in three different ways, returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards. He is the first SEC player with a rushing TD, receiving TD and kickoff return in any game since Ole Miss' Deuce McAllister did it against Texas Tech in the Independence 1998 Bowl, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Wildcats looked poised to pull out the win after Brown's kickoff return, but they turned the ball over on three straight possessions in the fourth.
Clemson took advantage and took a 27-21 lead on Mafah's third TD.
Brown responded with a 60-yard touchdown run that put UK back in front 28-27. It was short-lived as Will Shipley returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to set up Jonathan Weitz's field goal – a 52-yard shot that hit the crossbar and bounced away.
“He went 52 yards and an inch,” Swinney said.
The Wildcats responded, however. Leary connected with Jordan Dingle for 72 yards on the next play, setting up Ray Davis' 1-yard run.
“I'm proud to have played that match,” said Davis, who played despite his time as a professional. “The rest of my life I will be able to look back on it and know that I was part of a very historic game in a sense of back and forth, ups and downs, ups and downs and knowing every time adversity hits. When hit, we stepped up to the plate.”
Clemson rallied again at the end and ended up celebrating on the field afterward.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of this in a quarter before,” Swinney said. “It was special, and these guys know it.”
SHIPLEY INJURED
Shipley teetered head over heels out of bounds on his long return. He grabbed his knee and had to be helped to the bench, then carried to the locker room with a towel over his head. He finished what could have been his final game at Clemson with 132 all-purpose yards, including 94 on returns.
“Early reports seem encouraging,” Swinney said. “But you never know until you have an MRI.”
GREAT ENTRANCE
Clemson fans didn't have much to cheer about in the third quarter until former Tigers stars and current Jacksonville Jaguars stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. hit the sidelines.
Lawrence and Etienne received two of the loudest ovations on the Clemson side when they were shown on the video boards shaking hands with players and coaches during a timeout with 6:31 left in the third. The duo led the Tigers to the 2018 national championship and two other College Football Playoff appearances. Later Friday, it was announced that Lawrence would miss his first career game with a pitching shoulder injury.
TAKEAWAYS
Clemson: The Tigers played without star linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (88 tackles) and standout cornerback Nate Wiggins (nine TDs). Both opted not to begin preparing for the NFL Draft and were clearly missed as Kentucky had three plays of 40+ yards.
Kentucky: Davis played well in a game he could have easily skipped. He had a 43-yard run in the first half that resulted in a touchdown and finished with 63 yards rushing.
FOLLOWING
Clemson: The Tigers have plenty of young guys to build around, starting with Klubnik and receivers Tyler Brown and Antonio Williams.
Kentucky: The Wildcats need to replace Davis, who has 1,383 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
