JACKSONVILLE – The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl turned into an absolute thriller in the second half as the Clemson Tigers dug back from an 11-point deficit before it became a heavyweight war, which ended in 38-35 victory over Kentucky.

While the Wildcats had the lead in the final two minutes, Clemson delivered a heroic drive to cap off the season in Jacksonville. Here’s the 411 on an instant classic in EverBank Stadium.

-Second half momentum was wicked as Barion Brown took the second half’s opening kickoff back for a 100-yard touchdown. That made it a 21-10 game, and the Clemson offense never had an answer. That was the longest return in Gator Bowl history, and the Tigers were on the wrong end of it. Little did we know it would have some say in history later.

-Nonetheless, Clemson swung back with a 14-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that bled into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cade Klubnik made multiple throws with anticipation and opened it with a 14-yard run. The drive was capped off by running back Phil Mafah’s second touchdown.

-Kentucky was led by the Brown show. He had the aforementioned 100-yard return, a 22-yard touchdown rush and a 60-yard touchdown catch. That was a hat-trick masterpiece from the Wildcats hero that just fell short.

-Wes Goodwin’s defense forced the turnover when necessary as Xavier Thomas leveled Devin Leary for a forced fumble, recovered by Justin Mascoll. The problem was tight end Banks Pope got walked by and Klubnik was hit as he threw, which made an open touchdown to tight end Jake Briningstool become a momentum-flipping interception.

-The response came from the Clemson defense twice. A Barrett Carter interception and Khalil Barnes forced fumble completely took over the game and led to 10-straight from the Tigers. Goodwin’s group went on to finish with four takeaways, including an interception by freshman cornerback Shelton Lewis with nine seconds left that sealed the win.

-Clemson and Kentucky combined for 42 points in the fourth quarter, a Gator Bowl record. The Tigers broke the record on its own with 28. This game became a rollercoaster the longer it went and it ended in possibly the greatest Gator Bowl ever.

TURNING POINT + TELLING STAT: Four rushing touchdowns

This is rare air when both are combined. Mafah just refused to be denied and broke the record for rushing touchdowns in Gator Bowl history with four. His final came with 17 seconds in the game, where he was hit far before the goal line but didn’t care.

This was a heroic performance from Mafah, who also had to step up after what looked like a tough injury for Will Shipley. Mafah was the exclamation point on the key drives, and he won it for the Tigers in the end.