Miami vs. South Carolina: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2014 Independence Bowl
The South Carolina Gamecocks (7-6) finished off a tough season Saturday with a 24-21 win over the Miami Hurricanes (6-7) in the 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
South Carolina sophomore wideout Pharoh Cooper was the standout player in the game, reeling in nine catches for 170 yards and picking up another 12 on the ground.
Miami running back Duke Johnson also played well, carrying the ball 24 times for 132 yards in a losing effort.
The contest, which could've been called the Don't Finish Below .500 Bowl, did little to stoke the imagination of college football fans tuning in and filling the stands through three quarters, although the final frame had a few noteworthy twists.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here is a look at the quarter-by-quarter score from the Independence Bowl:
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Miami | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 21 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said prior to the game that he understood if fans of both teams found the Independence Bowl tough to swallow after difficult seasons for both esteemed programs, per Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald:
"It’s tough for both schools. We’ve been 11-2 the last three years. I don’t know if you knew that or not. But this year, we’re 6-6. Miami used to play for national championships. They’re 6-6. This is where life is. Fans, once you’ve been up there and your team is having sort of an average year, it’s hard to sell tickets.
"
Indeed, the start of the game probably had fans who stayed at home thankful they didn't make a financial investment in this contest.
The Gamecocks struggled to gain any traction on offense in the first quarter, punting once and having another drive end in a missed field goal by Elliott Fry. Miami put together two long drives to start out the game, but it managed to convert 23 plays and 134 yards of offense into just six points from the swinging boot of kicker Michael Badgley.
The second quarter would be all Gamecocks, however, as quarterback Dylan Thompson got into a fine rhythm against Miami's fierce pass defense. Thompson found Cooper wide open for the game's first real highlight, a 78-yard catch-and-run that gave South Carolina a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter.
ESPN College Football provided a look at the play:
The State's Josh Kendall noted Cooper topped 1,000 yards receiving on the season on that play:
Brad Kaaya struggled mightily to keep the 'Canes moving in the second quarter and had UpstateToday.com's Robbie Tinsley questioning his credentials:
South Carolina would extend the lead to 14-6 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to running back Mike Davis. SEC video director Justin King noted it was a beautiful throw and provided a look at the play:
Linebacker Jonathan Walton then picked off Kaaya on Miami's ensuing drive, setting up a short field for the Gamecocks. They cashed in with a 32-yard field goal from Fry.
The Gamecocks had to be feeling pretty good about the 11-point halftime lead, which could've been 14 had Fry not missed a 58-yard field goal just before time expired in the second quarter. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal's Matt Connolly noted Thompson had acquitted himself well against the 'Canes defense:
"Miami was allowing 184 passing yards per game entering this afternoon. Dylan Thompson has 207 at the half.
— Matt Connolly (@MattConnollySHJ) December 27, 2014"
Miami and South Carolina traded punts to start off the third quarter, and it looked like the Hurricanes would have little chance of getting back into this contest without more efficient play from Kaaya. Johnson was putting in a workmanlike performance on the ground, but it hadn't been enough to put points on the board. ESPN Stats & Info noted the school record he tied by passing the century mark in this game:
However, the Hurricanes put together a huge drive late in the third quarter to cut the Gamecocks' lead to three. Miami dialed up the run game nine times on the 10-play touchdown drive.
The renewed commitment to the run worked, although it was a short pass from Kaaya that proved to be the key play on the drive. Malcolm Lewis took the ball and made a wicked spin move en route to a 48-yard gain that set up a short-yardage scoring plunge from Gus Edwards to make the score 17-12.
Miami made it a three-point game with a nifty two-point conversion on a pass from Kaaya to Lewis.
With the start of the fourth quarter came the real intrigue in the game. The Miami defense got a huge stop on a 4th-and-1, but Badgley missed a 51-yard field goal on the ensuing possession.
Thompson, who was hugely reliant on Cooper's brilliance throughout the game, couldn't keep the Gamecocks' next drive alive, as Miami's Tyriq McCord came up with a huge sack on 3rd-and-15 to force a punt.
Disaster struck the Hurricanes, however, as Johnson would fumble on his own 29-yard line on the second play of the drive with just over five minutes left. South Carolina recovered and had a chance to essentially put the game away with great field position.
Cooper made a stunning 25-yard catch that set up a two-yard scoring run from Thompson and extended South Carolina's advantage to 24-14 with just four minutes left in the game. ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff found humor in the scoring play:
Kaaya finally came alive on the next drive and gave Miami a fighting chance. He completed five of six passes, including an 11-yard strike to Phillip Dorsett that cut the Gamecocks' lead back to three points.
There would be no last chance for Miami, however, as South Carolina would mix in runs from Thompson and Davis to run down the clock and hold on for the win.
Finishing with a losing record—the worst of head coach Al Golden's tenure—is a disappointing for a Miami program steeped in history. The team's level of talent is nowhere close to the squads of the 1990s and early 2000s. Kaaya's freshman status makes him a bright spot for the squad, but Golden will have plenty of work to do if his team is to work its way back to the top of the ACC.
South Carolina struggled to keep up in a deep SEC this season. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press heading into the season and started off 3-1, but they eventually went 3-5 against conference opponents and were afterthoughts by early October.
Spurrier is an excellent head coach, but there is little margin for error in this conference with resurgent programs such as Ole Miss and Mississippi State to go along with the usual powerhouses like Alabama and Auburn.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
