TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL: CLEMSON VS KENTUCKY

December 29, 2023

Ray Davis

TIAA Bank Field

Kentucky Wildcats

Press Conference

Clemson-38, Kentucky-35

Q. Ray, what were the emotions on the sideline like during that fourth quarter when things -- it looked like they were spiraling out of control, but you all kept rallying there to take the lead?

RAY DAVIS: It was just about keeping our composure and staying poised and understanding it's a game of inches. It's one play at a time. Just always having that next play mentality. Just kind of telling the guys on the sideline just keep their head up, keep fighting. Anything can happen.

You saw within the next play Dingle ended up getting that touchdown -- I mean ended up getting us down the field, and I was able to get the touchdown, and just shifted the momentum of the game.

Just kind of keep guys' heads up and stay within the moment.

Q. Ray, how do you process what just happened in your final game?

RAY DAVIS: Helluva game. You know? It's a game that we love to be a part of. It's a game as a fan you love to watch. We had a really good defense. We had some good opportunities to get in the end zone, and they played their butt off. Offensively we stepped up to the plate when needed to be.

Football is football. You know, you win some, you lose some. There's not much to it. I'm proud to be a part of this team. I'm proud to have played that game. The rest of my life I'm going to be able to remember that and be able to know that I was part of a very historical game in a sense of just back and forth and ups and downs, highs and lows and knowing whenever adversity struck, we stepped up to the plate.

Again, that's what Coach Stoops has always preached to us, is when adversity strikes, do you step up to the plate? I think everybody on this team stepped up, took a swing. Unfortunately, we didn't get the result we wanted, but I can tell you now these guys are war-ready at any time.

Q. We saw you in a boot earlier. There was some talk that maybe you had tweaked your ankle. Were you 100% for this game? How important was it to you to want to play in this game?

RAY DAVIS: I was 1000% healthy. I was fine. It was important. Like I said earlier in the week, it was important to be able to rally behind the guys and be able to finish this journey with my brothers.

These guys are family to me. I couldn't just walk away and not be a part of a season and finish it. It was a helluva ride. I'm proud to have come to Kentucky. I'm proud to have been able to represent this program and this institution to the best that I could be. I hope that someday when I come back people know that I left it all on the line.

And I want to thank Coach Stoops. I want to thank Mitch. I want to thank everybody that helped me and was a part of this journey. I'm not a big crier, so I won't shed any tears. It was a long season, a lot of ups and downs.

At the end of the day, I'm just proud. One, I'm an alumni now. I'm proud to be able to say that. But, two, I'm proud to be a goddamn Wildcat, and I'm going to love it forever.