The South Carolina Gamecocks started slow then scored 23 unanswered points in the second half as they rallied for a 26-19 comeback victory over the Michigan Wolverines to win the Outback Bowl.
South Carolina's defense was the catalyst for the comeback, stepping up to force five turnovers in the second half to turn the tide.
With the score 9-3 at halftime, Michigan scored the game's first touchdown a short run early in the third quarter.
Ben Mason! The fullback! #GoBlue #OutbackBowl pic.twitter.com/fUibmRZ31X
— Michigan Football by Chat Sports (@ChatWolverines) January 1, 2018
The Wolverines added a field goal on their next drive, but that is all the scoring they would do for the rest of the game.
Thanks to the momentum gained by the defense, quarterback Jake Bentley threw a pair of perfect touchdown passes to Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith to give the Gamecocks the lead.
WHAT. A. THROW.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 1, 2018
WHAT. A. CATCH.@GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/ggGTNV8WRM
The Big Ten is trying to finish 8-0 in bowls.
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2018
South Carolina? Not interested. 20 straight points against Michigan ... pic.twitter.com/KcPsg1kJO5
Bentley finished with 239 passing yards and those two touchdowns with an interception, while Edwards led SC's receivers with five catches for 88 yards and that score.
On the flip side, South Carolina held Michigan to just 277 total yards, including 74 on the ground. The Wolverines came into the game averaging 186.3 rushing yards per game, the strength of their offense.
Quarterback Brandon Peters struggled, completing just 20/44 passes for 186 yards with two interceptions. Karan Higdon was Michigan's leading rusher with 17 carries for 65 yards.
Michigan drops to 8-5 with the loss and becomes the first Big Ten team to lose a bowl game this postseason. South Carolina finishes the year with a 9-4 mark, their best record since they won 11 games in three consecutive seasons (2011-13).
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