By Mike Bonts, FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE
JACKSONVILLE – Mizzou will play in its 38th bowl game when it meets Virginia in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Saturday, December 27. No. 20/19 Virginia (10-3) will play No. 25 Missouri (8-3) from the Southeastern Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ABC.
The meeting on the gridiron between Mizzou (8-4) and Virginia (10-3) will mark the second meeting between the two schools and the first since 1973 when Mizzou defeated UVA, 31-7, in Columbia.
“We’re proud to be the Atlantic Coast Conference’s representative in the Gator Bowl,” UVA director of athletics Carla Williams said. “What Coach Elliott, the football staff and the student-athletes have accomplished this year has been historic on many levels. This gives us yet another opportunity to showcase Virginia football on a national stage and I’m excited to have our fans join us in Florida to support the Hoos.”
Mizzou Football season ticket holders and Mizzou Athletics Fund donors will receive an email with a link to purchase tickets in the Mizzou section for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. General tickets for the Gator Bowl are available at TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to be part of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and look forward to playing an outstanding Virginia team on ABC,” Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Jacksonville is the perfect bowl game for our team to finish the season against one of the best teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. I want to challenge our fans and alumni to come and support us in Florida as we try to become the first team in Mizzou history to win nine games in three straight seasons. This is a special team that has worked very hard to put themselves in this position and we look forward to ending the season on a high note.”
Mizzou was led by Doak Walker Award finalist Ahmad Hardy whose 130.0 YPG leads the nation and is just 68 yards from breaking the Tigers’ school record. Defensively, the Tigers rank 10th in total defense (274.8 YPG) and 11th in sacks (2.92 PG) while allowing just 19.4 PPG.
“There is nothing better than college football on a Saturday in primetime! We are honored to celebrate the 81st playing of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” said Gator Bowl Chairman Sara Pomposo. “This game carries tremendous pride and reverence for our membership and our community. The opportunity to host two top-tier teams in Virginia and Missouri as well as their players, coaches and fans to our city for a great week of activities celebrating both programs’ successful seasons.”
Virginia is coming off an overtime loss to Duke in the ACC Championship game. Head coach Tony Elliott’s team finished 7-1 in league play and are led by RB J’Mari Taylor and QB Chandler Morris. Taylor led the Cavaliers with 1,062 rushing yards while Morris averaged 236.2 yards of total offense per game.
Mizzou holds a program record of 17-20 in bowl games and is coming off a 27-24 victory over Iowa in the Music City Bowl at the end of last season. Virginia will square off against Missouri for only the second time in program history. The only other meeting took place in 1973 in Columbia, Mo. Virginia will play an SEC opponent for the first time since the 2023 season opener against Tennessee.
It will mark the Tigers’ fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl and first since beating Alabama, 35-10, in the 1968 iteration. Mizzou also appeared in the Gator Bowl following the 1948 and 1949 seasons. MU has a 1-2 record in its three previous Gator Bowl Appearances.
Virginia will play in its 22nd bowl game and make its third appearance in the Gator Bowl (1991, 2008, 2025). After winning six of the first seven games of the 2025 season, the Cavaliers became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021 and will play in its first bowl game since the 2019 Orange Bowl. The 2021 Fenway Bowl was canceled due to COVID issues.
“We’re grateful for another opportunity to finish what has been such a special season for this program, the players, staff, alumni, donors and UVA fans,” Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott said. “We want to send off our seniors, who have given everything to this program, the right way and that will be our focus going into this final game.”
The Cavaliers reached 10 wins for only the second time in program history, matching the 1989 team for the school record. UVA finished alone atop the ACC regular season standings for the first time ever and clinched a berth into the ACC Championship game for the second time since game’s inception in 2005. Going into bowl season, Virginia is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 19 in the week 16 College Football Playoff rankings.
