1987 Gator Bowl

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
South Carolina	3	3	0	7	13
LSU	14	6	7	3	30

Seventh-ranked Louisiana State struck early and never looked back in posting a 30-13 victory over ninth-ranked South Carolina before a Mazda Gator Bowl crowd of 82,119 on New Year’s Eve afternoon in Jacksonville.

The Gamecocks’ “50” defense designed by defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn was unsuccessful in stopping LSU’s quarterback-wide receiver combination of Tom Hodson and Wendell Davis. Hodson completed 20 of 32 attempts for 224 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the first six minutes of play. Davis, the Gator Bowl Most Valuable Player for the Bengal Tigers, had nine receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

Offensively for the Gamecocks, the “Run and Shoot” led by quarterback Todd Ellis, was ineffective against LSU’s defense. Ellis was still able to pass for over 300 yards on 28-of-47 attempts. However, Ellis was intercepted four times. Louisiana State was able to return the interceptions for 132 yards total.

South Carolina running back Harold Green was named the Gator Bowl Most Valuable Player for the Gamecocks as he rushed 15 times for 72 yards and South Carolina’s only touchdown.

Freshman placekicker Collin Mackie was good on field goals from 44 and 39 yards, both of which came in the first half.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
LSU Davis 39-yard pass from Hodson (Browndyke kick); 13:31
LSU Davis 12-yard pass from Hodson (Browndyke kick); 9:59
USC Mackie 49-yard field goal; 3:04

2nd Quarter
LSU Browndyke 29-yard field goal; 14:03
USC Mackie 39-yard field goal; 7:59
LSU Browndyke 18-yard field goal; 0:01

3rd Quarter
LSU Davis 25-yard pass from Hodson (Browndyke kick); 12:34

4th Quarter
USC Green 10-yard run (Mackie kick); 14:47
LSU Browndyke 23-yard field goal; 8:17

Game Statistics

	USC	LSU
First Downs	21	17
Net Yards Rushing	25	122
Rushing Attempts	33	39
Net Passing Yards	304	224
Cmp.-Att.-Int.	28-47-4	20-32-0
Total Offense Yards	329	346
Total Offense Plays	80	71
Fumbles: No.-Lost	2-1	5-3
Penalties: No.-Yards	6-49	10-107
Punts: No.-Yards	2-81	3-113
Punt Average	40.5	37.6
Possession Time	30:58	29:02
Sacks By: No.-Yards	0-0	7-63