Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs South Carolina Gamecocks Match Player Stats On Dec 27, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 27, 2014

South Carolina 24, Miami (Fla.) 21: Dylan Thompson ended his Gamecocks career with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in an Independence Bowl victory over the Hurricanes in Shreveport, La.

Thompson was 22-of-34 for 284 yards with a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes, including a 78-yarder to Pharoh Cooper (nine catches, 170 yards), as South Carolina (7-6) won its fourth straight bowl appearance for the first time in school history. Meanwhile, Miami (6-7) remained winless in postseason play since 2006 (0-5) despite 183 total yards (132 rushing) from junior running back Duke Johnson, the school's all-time rushing leader who likely was playing his last game for the Hurricanes.

Miami freshman Brad Kaaya was 19-of-33 for 236 yards with an 11-yard TD pass to Phillip Dorsett with 2:16 remaining, but the Hurricanes chose to kick it deep and use their three timeouts and the Gamecocks ended up running out the clock. Mike Davis chipped in a receiving score for South Carolina and added a team-high 55 rushing yards.

The Hurricanes began to show signs of life late in the third quarter as Gus Edwards ran for a 3-yard TD and Kaaya hooked up with Malcolm Lewis on the two-point conversion to get Miami within 17-14, but their next two possessions ended with a missed field goal and a fumble by Johnson, who lost the ball while suffering an ankle injury. Cooper made a highlight-reel catch on the ensuing possession for South Carolina, setting things up at the 2 before Thompson did the rest on a quarterback keeper, making it 24-14 with 4:13 to play.

Both teams started slowly offensively as South Carolina scored the game's first touchdown with 7:56 left in the second quarter - a 78-yard pass from Thompson to Cooper that put the Gamecocks ahead 7-6. The Hurricanes quickly punted back to South Carolina, which capitalized six plays later on Thompson's 15-yard TD pass to Davis before a late interception by Kaaya set up Elliott Fry’s 32-yard field goal for a 17-6 halftime advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami stopped RB Brandon Wilds on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth but was unable to capitalize as K Michael Badgley hooked a 51-yard field goal to keep the score 17-14. ... Cooper, who had an X-ray taken on his left foot at halftime, posted his second-highest receiving output of the season, trailing only his 233-yard effort against Tennessee on Nov. 1. ... Miami outgained South Carolina 422-344 and held a 21-16 advantage in first downs.