FRIDAY
No. 19 South Carolina (9-4) vs. No. 23 Florida State (9-4), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: South Carolina by 3.
Series Record: Florida State leads 15-3.
Last Meeting: Florida State won 38-10 in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 9, 1991.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
South Carolina is looking for only the second 10-win season in the school history and the first since 1984. The Gamecocks, playing their second straight game in the Georgia Dome, will try to make up for a lopsided 56-17 loss to Auburn in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Florida State is playing for its first 10-win season since 2003 and is trying to give first-year coach Jimbo Fisher his first bowl victory.
KEY MATCHUP
Seminoles RBs Chris Thompson, Ty Jones and Jermaine Thomas vs. Gamecocks run defense. Florida State topped 200 yards rushing in four straight wins this season, and the trio combined for 11 rushing touchdowns. South Carolina ranks first in the SEC and ninth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 104.3 yards on the ground per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Carolina: Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore has 1,198 yards rushing and a school-record 19 touchdowns. He emerged as the Gamecocks’ workhorse running back and yet did not have a fumble all season. Lattimore showed how he can dominate a game when he had 40 carries for 212 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a win over Florida. George Rogers is the only South Carolina back to rush for more yards in a season.
Florida State: Sophomore DE Brandon Jenkins has 13 sacks to help Florida State lead the nation with 46. Jenkins, in his first year as a starter, is tied for third in the nation in sacks and leads the Seminoles with 19.5 tackles for losses.
FACTS & FIGURES
Florida State has six straight wins in the series. … South Carolina has lost its last two bowl games under Spurrier, leaving the coach 7-9 in bowl games. … FSU QB Christian Ponder has 16 touchdown passes and only one interception in the red zone this season. …The Chick-fil-A Bowl always matches ACC and SEC teams, but this is the first time the bowl has had the loser of each conference’s championship game. … This is the 14th consecutive sellout for the bowl. … Spurrier is 5-8-1 all-time against Florida State, all as Florida’s coach.
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