2014 Independence Bowl

South Carolina avoided its first losing season under Steve Spurrier with a 24-21 victory over Miami in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl, the Gamecocks’ fourth consecutive postseason win.

It was the first meeting between the two teams since a memorable fight during the 1987 season.

South Carolina (7-6) held on to win after recovering a Duke Johnson fumble near midfield and cashing it into points a few plays later with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Fifth-year senior quarterback Dylan Thompson tossed two touchdown passes and finished with 284 yards through the air, highlighted by Pharoh Cooper’s 78-yard catch-and-run for a score during a 17-point second quarter.

The matchup featured two early-entry junior tailbacks — Johnson and South Carolina’s Mike Davis. Johnson rushed for 132 yards on 24 carries while Davis came 18 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark with 55 yards.

Miami (6-7) ended the 2014 campaign on a four-game losing streak and hasn’t won a bowl game since 2006.