We Speak College Football

South Carolina-Michigan: Recap from the Outback Bowl (January 1, 2018)

Published

9 years ago

January 1, 2018

South Carolina scored the final 23 points of the Outback Bowl and rallied to beat Michigan, 26-19, on New Year’s Day.

Jake Bentley threw for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns and Rico Dowdle added a 17-yard touchdown run in the victory. South Carolina improved to 9-4 overall and Michigan finished the season 8-5.

2018 Outback Bowl recap for the South Carolina-Michigan game

FOURTH QUARTER

Final: South Carolina 26, Michigan 19: After White missed a field goal with less than 2 minutes, South Carolina’s Steven Montac picked off a Wolverines pass and it’s ballgame.

South Carolina 26, Michigan 19 (3:47, 4Q): Parker White connects from 22 yards to stretch the lead.

South Carolina 23, Michigan 19 (11:33, 4Q): Jake Bentley hit Shi Smith on a 53-yard touchdown pass, to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the day.

THIRD QUARTER

Michigan 19, South Carolina 16 (0:51, 3Q): Jake Bentley hits Bryan Edwards on a 21-yard touchdown pass, following a Steven Montac fumble recovery.

Michigan 19, South Carolina 9 (2:25, 3Q): Rico Dowdle scores on a 17-yard touchdown run, but the 2-point conversion attempt (pass) was failed.

Michigan 19, South Carolina 3 (5:42, 3Q): Field goal No. 4 of the day for Quinn Nordin was made from 48-yards.

2:28 p.m. D.J. Smith ejected for targeting

Michigan 16, South Carolina 3 (9:56, 3Q): A 1-yard touchdown run by Ben Mason capped a 7-play, 72-yard drive by the Wolverines.

SECOND QUARTER

Michigan 9, South Carolina 3 (0:00, 2Q): Quinn Nordin converted on his third field goal attempt of the half. The 45-yard kick was the final play of the first half.

Michigan 6, South Carolina 3 (8:45, 2Q): The Gamecocks 5-play, 45-yard drive resulted in a 44-yard field goal by Parker White, to give South Carolina its first points in 2018.

Lots of plays from guys on the defensive side of the ball for the Gamecocks.

FIRST QUARTER

Michigan 6, South Carolina 0 (0:09, 1Q): Following another turnover, this time a fumble by Jake Bentley, Michigan has tacked on three more points with a 26-yard field goal by Quinn Nordin. The 6-play, 23-yard drive took 2:26.

Michigan 3, South Carolina 0 (3:42, 1Q): A 35-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin gives Michigan an early lead, following a muffed punt by Chris Lammons, though the punt may have deflected off of Javon Charleston. The drive lasted 8 plays and went 35 yards.

11:29 a.m. A lot of maize and blue milling around the building.

11:20 a.m. Pre-game injury news and notes

11:10 a.m. Both teams are on the field, going through warmups. Field’s holding up so far, but it could get sloppy this afternoon.

10:16 a.m. South Carolina has arrived to Raymond James Stadium for the Outback Bowl. That video, plus a few notable items on the Gamecocks depth chart: LINK

What time is the 2018 Outback Bowl for the South Carolina-Michigan game

The 2018 Outback bowl between South Carolina and Michigan will start at 12 p.m. The game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. This is the first time the two teams have played since the 2013 Outback Bowl, which the Gamecocks won, 33-28.

What TV channel is the 2018 Outback Bowl for the South Carolina-Michigan football game on?

The 2018 Outback Bowl between South Carolina and Michigan will be televised on ESPN2.

How can I watch the 2018 Outback Bowl game for South Carolina-Michigan online

The 2018 Outback Bowl game between South Carolina and Michigan can be live streamed on the WatchESPN app, provided you have a subscription.

2018 Outback Bowl injury updates for South Carolina-Michigan

On Thursday, South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp updated the status of several Gamecocks, including running back Rico Dowdle and offensive lineman Donell Stanley.

Dowdle “probably won’t play” against Michigan.

Stanley didn’t practice on Wednesday, but returned to the field on Thursday. Linebacker Sherrod Greene “was back on the field” on Thursday.

Running back A.J. Turner is also expected to be available to play.

“I feel real good about A.J. He’ll return kicks for us and be involved in all special teams,” Muschamp said.

What Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said about South Carolina

On Thursday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said that he’s “very impressed” with the length and athleticism possessed by South Carolina’s defense.

“Long arms, tall, athletic players and they play athletic and they play fast. Next thing is, defensively, they really run to the football,” Harbaugh said. “They pursue to the football. Tough schemes, multiple schemes, play a 4-down front, a 3-down front. Linebackers in multiple gaps in their alignment. Defensive linemen standing up, moving around.

“Man coverage in the secondary, zone coverage in the secondary, quarters coverage, three-deep coverage, single-high, man-free coverage. They do a lot, schematically. And they do it well. The front seven, you can call it the front eight. They like to get an extra hat in the box. The defensive linemen play very athletically, especially on third down. A lot of movement up front. … Just moves with the defensive line.

“A lot of their length shows up there. Length, long arms, restrict gaps, because they’re so long and athletic. Very impressed. That’s just the defensive side.”

Harbaugh was extremely complimentary of South Carolina sophomore quarterback Jake Bentley.

“He does a great job. He gives his receivers a chance to make plays. I think that’s the thing that stands out the most, and get the ball to all different parts of the field,” Harbaugh said. “Does a real nice job with the deep ball. He’s a composed guy. He doesn’t rattle or get flinched, so we’re going to have to do our best to make things speed up for him. He’s a cool customer, does a good job.”

We Speak College Football

HBCU Roundup: Delaware State’s Stunning Comeback, Magic City Classic Thriller Tighten Celebration Bowl Race

Published

1 day ago

November 1, 2026

We Speak Media

North Carolina Central quarterback Joshua Jones, number 10, runs with the ball against Howard defenders during the MEAC game at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium

Delaware State scored the final 20 points and won on a field goal as time expired, Alabama A&M claimed the Magic City Classic by three points and Arkansas-Pine Bluff hung 63 points on Bethune-Cookman on a Saturday that tightened every race in HBCU football, with the Celebration Bowl picture in Atlanta coming into focus.

In the MEAC, Delaware State rallied from 17 points down to stun Norfolk State 36-33 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the second straight year the Hornets have beaten the Spartans at the home of the Eagles in the Battle of the Legends between head coaches DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick. Philadelphia native Marqui Adams, making his first start of the season, threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 69 more, tying the game at 33 on a 20-yard strike to Kyree Benton with 7:47 left. After Ryan Brown recovered a fumble at the Norfolk State 15 with 57 seconds remaining, freshman Matteo Bracalenti drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Da’Jean Golmond threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns for Norfolk State (4-5, 0-2 MEAC). Delaware State improved to 5-4 and 1-1 in the MEAC in front of a paid crowd of 32,567.

North Carolina Central shut out Howard 34-0 in Durham, holding the Bison to 114 total yards. Quarterback Joshua Jones entered in the second half and accounted for three touchdowns, throwing for 189 yards with scoring passes of 88 yards to Mehki Wall, who finished with 145 receiving yards, and 3 yards to RJ Landcaster, plus a 22-yard touchdown run. The Eagles (4-5, 2-0 MEAC) have forced 20 turnovers this season, the most in the FCS. With South Carolina State’s 51-10 rout of Morgan State on Thursday behind four touchdown passes from Keely Watson, the Bulldogs and Eagles are tied atop the MEAC at 2-0, and they meet head-to-head on November 14 at South Carolina State in the game that will likely send one of them to the Celebration Bowl on December 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

In the SWAC, Alabama A&M beat Alabama State 31-28 in the 85th Magic City Classic at Legion Field in Birmingham. Cornelius Brown IV threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns and Kolton Nero ran for 81 yards and a score for the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 SWAC), who strengthened their hold on the SWAC East and remain the conference’s Celebration Bowl projection leader. Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored the game’s first 56 points and led 49-0 at halftime in a 63-21 rout of Bethune-Cookman, forcing five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns and rushing for 333 yards, with Jaylen Jennings running for 103 yards and two scores. Southern beat Florida A&M 42-14 in Tallahassee behind 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Trey Holly, Alcorn State piled up 585 yards in a 52-17 win over Mississippi Valley State as Jaylon Tolbert threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and Texas Southern beat Grambling State 23-20 in overtime in Houston, erasing a 17-3 deficit on Athean Renfro touchdown runs of 75 and 86 yards in the fourth quarter before Cam’Ron McCoy’s 6-yard touchdown run won it in overtime. Renfro finished with more than 230 rushing yards. In other Division I HBCU action, North Carolina A&T beat Elon 13-10, Towson beat Hampton 44-13 and Lindenwood shut out Tennessee State 27-0.

In the CIAA, Johnson C. Smith beat Virginia State 39-33 in the conference game of the week, with Fabian Duncan rushing for 203 yards and two touchdowns and Damien Mazil throwing three touchdown passes, overcoming 476 passing yards and three touchdowns from Virginia State’s Rahsaan Matthews Jr. Virginia Union routed Lincoln (Pa.) 62-0, Elizabeth City State edged Winston-Salem State 5-0 in a game with no touchdowns, Bluefield State outlasted Shaw 45-42 behind six total touchdowns from Rishon Holmes, Fayetteville State beat Bowie State 21-17 and Livingstone beat Virginia University of Lynchburg 37-14.

In the SIAC, Benedict shut out Savannah State 23-0 to improve to 8-1, and Central State held off Edward Waters 35-28 behind three touchdown passes from Jackson Wasik and 154 rushing yards from Isaiah Thompson. Benedict, Central State and Kentucky State are all 6-1 in the conference, and Benedict hosts Central State next Saturday with the winner advancing to the SIAC championship game. Allen edged Morehouse 26-23, Tuskegee beat Lane 27-14 and Albany State beat Clark Atlanta 21-17 on Cameran Loyd’s second touchdown catch, a one-handed game-winner. Miles beat Fort Valley State 35-28 on Thursday.