Texas A&M to play NC State in TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The destination for the first bowl game of the Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M will be the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., where the No. 19-ranked Aggies will face off against North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference on New Year’s Eve. Kickoff for the game is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by ESPN.

“We are very excited to be facing a very good North Carolina State team in a New Year’s Eve bowl game,” Texas A&M Head Football Coach Jimbo Fisher said. “The Gator Bowl is a first-class event run by a first-class organization and the city is a great destination. I’m certain the 12th Man will enjoy its time in Florida.”

It will be the first-ever meeting between Texas A&M and NC State on the gridiron. It will be Texas A&M’s second appearance in the Gator Bowl. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s final game as the Aggies’ head coach was a 3-0 loss to Tennessee in the 1957 Gator Bowl on Dec. 28, 1957.

“North Carolina State has a very good team and we are looking forward to the challenge. We will have our work cut out for us,” Fisher said.

Texas A&M Season Notables:

  • Texas A&M finished the 2018 regular season with an 8-4 overall record and as the runner-up in the rugged SEC West with a 5-3 conference record.
  • It was the Aggies’ highest conference finish since joining the elite league in 2012.
  • Texas A&M enters the bowl game with a three-game winning streak.
  • The Aggies faced nine bowl-eligible teams in 2018 and posted a 5-4 record in those matchups.
  • Texas A&M was 2-2 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 with wins over then-No. 13 Kentucky and then-No. 8 LSU.
  • The Aggies also had a win over UAB, which was ranked No. 25 in the Amway Coaches Poll at the time and went on to win the Conference USA Championship Game.

Texas A&M Bowl Game Notables:

  • Texas A&M’s invitation to the 2018 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl marks the 40thbowl game in program history.
  • The Aggies’ 40 bowl game appearances rank as the 18th-most among college football programs.
  • Texas A&M’s 17 bowl victories rank as the 21st-most among FBS programs.
  • It is the 10th straight season with a bowl game appearance for the Aggies, which is a school record (Next longest streak is five seasons – 1989-93 and 1997-2001).
  • The Aggies’ 10-year streak of bowl appearances is the 10th-longest among FBS programs.
  • The 10-year streak is the longest of any FBS school in the state of Texas (Next longest is the University of Houston with six straight).
  • Jimbo Fisher’s postseason record as a head coach is 5-2 (all at Florida State).

For general and ticket information, go to Texas A&M’s “Bowl Central” site at: 12thMan.com/gatorbowl.

 

 

 

 

 

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher

 

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

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