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One of the more underrated bowl games this year may be the Independence Bowl between the Miami Hurricanes and South Carolina Gamecocks. Both teams entered the season with high expectations and both fell well short of those expectations, as the two sides enter bowl season with identical 6-6 records. Both the Hurricanes and Gamecocks are dreading the idea of a losing record in 2014, so there should be no shortage of motivation to win for either side.
Despite a formidable group of offensive skill players, including a 1,500-yard season from running back Duke Johnson, the Hurricanes were erratic on offense this year due to the growing pains of true freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya. Kaaya seemed to hit a wall late in the season and had trouble getting over it, as Miami lost the final three games of the season. The extra practice time leading up to the bowl game should benefit Kaaya and the Miami offense, as should facing a South Carolina defense that gave up over 30 points per game this year. The Gamecocks struggled to replace several key players on that side of the ball, most notably Jadeveon Clowney.
On the other side of the ball, the South Carolina offense somewhat quietly put together a solid season behind senior quarterback Dylan Thompson, who received a lot of help from running back Mike Davis and the emergence of receiver Pharoh Cooper. The Gamecocks struggled some in November against the quality defenses of Florida and Clemson, but the South Carolina offense should be able to move the ball against the Hurricanes. The Miami defense has underperformed this season, giving up 24 points per game despite having a fair amount of talent and experience. The Hurricanes struggled to stop average offensive teams late in the season and could struggle against South Carolina if they don’t get things straightened out.
Historically, bowl games are difficult to predict, especially when they involve two teams that have had disappointing seasons. But the desire to avoid a losing record should have both teams ready to play. This game should be close and offer up plenty of offense, but ultimately Miami will not be able to execute as well as South Carolina, and the Gamecocks will escape with a close win.
Prediction: South Carolina 35, Miami 31
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
