Manny Diaz's first season with the Blue Devils will conclude in Jacksonville, Fla.
Duke football was selected to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which will take plan Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The team will take on Ole Miss, according to Brent McMurphy with Action Network.
This is the third straight bowl appearance for the squad from Durham, who has won its past two. Last year, interim head coach Trooper Taylor led his team to a 17-10 defeat of Troy in the Birmingham Bowl, and Duke took down UCF 30-13 in the 2022 Military Bowl.
"We are thrilled to accept an invitation to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl," Director of Athletics Nina King said. "Coach Diaz, our coaches and staff and, most importantly, our student-athletes have earned the opportunity to play in this prestigious bowl game ... Congratulations to Coach Kiffin and the Ole Miss program for a terrific regular season, and we look forward to competing on January 2 at EverBank Stadium."
The Blue Devils are coming off of three consecutive wins to close out their impressive 9-3 season. Duke started the year 5-0, capped off by a comeback victory against North Carolina for the Victory Bell. Then, Diaz's team lost three of its next four, including a heartbreaking one-point loss at home against SMU and a 53-31 rout at Miami.
However, the Blue Devils finished strong, playing a complete game on the road against N.C. State, and then winning two last-second games versus Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Duke's defense has been the strength of the bunch, nearing the top of the country all season in both tackles for loss and sacks. In addition, the back end has been especially stout, leading the ACC in passing yards allowed per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Texas transfer Maalik Murphy set a single-season school record for passing touchdowns thrown (26). Graduates Eli Pancol and Jordan Moore have paced the receiver room, each with more than 700 yards.
The Blue Devils will take on the Rebels, who finished the season 9-3. Lane Kiffin's team is led by senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has thrown for 3,875 yards this season. The Gator Bowl will be the first matchup in history between the two sides.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.