Jan. 2, 2012

Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery

GENERAL NOTES

• With the win, South Carolina set a school record for victories with 11 wins this season. The previous record was 10 set in the 1984 season.
• The win gives South Carolina 20 wins over the past two seasons, extending their school record for wins in back-to-back years.
• The Capital One Bowl victory is South Carolina’s fifth bowl victory in 17 tries and snaps a three-game bowl losing streak. The previous bowl win for Carolina came in the 2006 Liberty Bowl over Houston.
• The victory is South Carolina’s first win in series history over Nebraska. Carolina had lost in three previous meetings vs. the Cornhuskers.
• South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier now owns a 55-35 record at South Carolina in seven seasons at the help. He is nine wins shy of the school record of 64 set by Rex Enright. Coach Spurrier is now 197-75-2 in his career as a head coach. He is now 8-10 in bowl games for his career as well.
• South Carolina scored its first touchdown in the first quarter in a bowl game since the 2006 Liberty Bowl on the one-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw. In the last three bowl games, the Gamecocks scored just three points in the first half – a field goal in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Already the Gamecocks all-time leader in receiving yards, junior wide receiver Alshon Jeffery set a school record for 100-yard receiving games as he caught four passes for 148 yards – his 12th career game with 100 or more receiving yards besting the previous record of 11 set by Sidney Rice (2005-06). Jeffery also tied the school record for career touchdown receptions with his 23rd of his career on a 51-yard pass play to end the second quarter. He is tied with Rice for that school record. Jeffery now has 183 career receptions for 3,042 yards, 51 yards shy of the SEC record of 3,093 set by Terrence Edwards (1999-2002) of Georgia. Jeffery was named the MVP of the 2012 Capital One Bowl as well.
• Junior running back Kenny Miles 24-yard run from scrimmage in the first quarter was his second longest run from scrimmage this season. His previous long was 28 yards on November 26, 2011 in the win vs. Clemson.
• The nine-yard touchdown reception for Kenny Miles in the fourth quarter was his first touchdown of the season and his first career receiving touchdown. He also scored on a three-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. His other career touchdown came on a run against South Carolina State in 2009.
• Connor Shaw’s 78-yard pass completion in the second quarter to Alshon Jeffery was the longest play from scrimmage this season for the Gamecocks.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• South Carolina’s defense had a tremendous second half pitching a shutout against the Cornhuskers in the final 30 minutes of the game and allowed just 64 yards to Nebraska as well in the second half.
• South Carolina totaled six sacks in the game, tying a season-high set vs. Vanderbilt in September. Jadeveon Clowney finished with two sacks, Melvin Ingram with one and a half, Antonio Allen and Devin Taylor with one and Travian Robertson with 0.5.
• Junior defensive back Stephon Gilmore’s interception late in the second quarter was his fourth of the season and the eighth of his career.
• Junior free safety D.J. Swearinger’s forced fumble in the second quarter was his first of the season and the second of his career.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• South Carolina blocked its first extra point of the season and returned it for two points with 11:58 remaining in the first quarter. Travian Robertson was credited with the block with Stephon Gilmore returning the PAT for two points.
• The last time an extra point was blocked in a bowl game was 523 bowl games ago when Andre Collins of Penn State intercepted a two-point conversion attempt pass by Ty Detmer of BYU in the 1989 Holiday Bowl on Dec. 29 and returned it 102 yards for a two-point score.