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The Independence Bowl has to be considered a battle of two teams who severely underperformed this season as the Miami Hurricanes and South Carolina Gamecocks both finished with 6-6 records overall and 3-5 records in conference play. It will be interesting to see which team will rise to the occasion and silence its critics with a win.
South Carolina had the much higher of expectations between these two teams as it was ranked in the top 10 to begin the season, but Steve Spurrier‘s squad faltered in the heart of the season. Senior quarterback Dylan Thompson did, however, have a solid year passing the ball, leading the Gamecocks to the 21st-ranked pass offense with 3,280 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 60 percent completion rate. Pharoh Cooper was his favorite target, catching 60 passes for 966 yards and eight touchdowns — no other wide out came close to those numbers. Mike Davis didn’t exactly live up to expectations in the run game, though, finishing the regular season with just 927 yards and nine rushing scores.
Miami was led by the dynamic pass-run duo of freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya and junior running back Duke Johnson — both have a chance to be great talents at the next level. Kaaya had a solid first year as a collegiate QB, passing for 2,962 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while Johnson had his third straight solid season, finally remaining healthy. Johnson racked up 1,520 yards and 10 touchdowns on an impressive 7.0 yards per carry while catching 33 passes out of the backfield for 370 yards and three scores. Senior wide out Phillip Dorsett led the team in receiving with 826 yards and nine touchdowns on just 31 receptions. Clive Walford is another receiver to keep an eye on as he led the team with 44 catches for 676 yards and seven scores.
Defensively, Miami has been impressive in 2014, ranking 45th in points allowed and 14th in total yards allowed per game. South Carolina’s defense has been a source for many problems this season, ranking 93rd in points allowed and 92nd in total yards surrendered each week.
When: 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 27
Where: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
TV: ABC
PREDICTION: Miami 34, South Carolina 37
Want to see Miami take on South Carolina in the Independence Bowl? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
