Despite sitting at 4-6 and facing an NC State team with eight wins and a top 25 ranking, UK found itself as a small favorite in the Gator Bowl. For most of the ballgame in Jacksonville, the Wildcats were the better team. UK had a yards per play, got points on the board in each of their red zone opportunities, and most importantly had a plus-3 advantage in the turnover column.
NC State had a higher success rate and was much more efficient on third and fourth down (7-of-14), but UK had more explosive plays while creating one more scoring opportunity.