A year ago, with a month to prepare for the Birmingham Bowl, South Carolina unleashed a veritable offensive explosion against South Florida.
The Gamecocks gained 489 yards, the highest total of the Will Muschamp era, and scored 39 points, albeit in a 46-39 loss to the Bulls. For quarterback Jake Bentley, the game still marks his career highs in passing yards (390), attempts (43) and completions (32).
There’s a lingering question this bowl season about whether South Carolina can repeat that type of offensive magic with more than a month to prepare for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against Michigan, jump-starting an offense that underachieved for most of the season in the final outing.