Nebraska will appear in a New Year’s Day bowl game for the third straight season, as the Huskers were selectedon Sunday to participate in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Nebraska will take on Georgia in theJan. 1 game at EverBank Field. The game will kick off at Noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with ESPN2 providing television coverage of the matchup.
The Huskers go into the bowl game with an 8-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Nebraska will enter the Gator Bowl looking to pick up its ninth win of the 2013 season and extend its streak of nine-win seasons to six straight years.
“The Gator Bowl gives our football team the opportunity to play in a New Year’s Day bowl for a third straight season, and we look forward to the trip to Jacksonville,” Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini said. “We had a great experience at the Gator Bowl when we played there in my first year here. We have some familiarity with Georgia having played them last year in the bowl game, but these are two different football teams. This will be a great challenge for our football team, and we look forward to the opportunity.”
Nebraska’s appearance in the Gator Bowl will be the Huskers’ 50th all-time bowl game. Nebraska will join Alabama and Texas the only schools with 50 or more bowl appearances. The 2013 season marks Nebraska’s sixth straight season with a bowl trip.
Nebraska will be making its second trip to the Gator Bowl, both under Pelini. Nebraska defeated Clemson 26-21 in the 2009 Gator Bowl to conclude Pelini’s first season as head coach with a 9-4 record.
“We are proud to celebrate our 50th bowl appearance with a trip to Jacksonville for the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl,” University of Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said. “The Gator Bowl has been a wonderful partner for the Big Ten for several years, and our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans will have a great experience in Jacksonville. The University of Georgia is an exceptional institution, has an outstanding football program and will be a great matchup for our team.”
The matchup with Georgia marks the second straight year the Huskers and Bulldogs have squared off on New Year’s Day. Last season, Georgia defeated Nebraska, 45-31, in the Capital One Bowl. It will mark the third all-time meeting between the schools with the other matchup occurring in the 1969 Sun Bowl, a 45-6 Husker victory.
The rematch with Georgia marks the first time Nebraska has faced the same opponent in a bowl in back-to-back years since taking on Florida State in the Orange Bowl following the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
Georgia enters the contest with an 8-4 record, including a 5-3 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs have won four of their past five games after dropping consecutive contests in October to Missouri and Vanderbilt. Georgia capped its season with a 41-34 double-overtime victory over Georgia Tech on Nov. 30.
Tickets for the Gator Bowl will go on sale Monday morning beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at Huskers.com, or through the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-800-8-BIG RED. Fans can purchase tickets by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.
Gator Bowl tickets available for sale are priced at $60, $80 and $125. Nebraska will receive an allotment of 12,750 tickets for the game.