Game Name: | Outback Bowl |
Subheader: | 32nd Outback Bowl |
Date Game Played: | January 1 |
Year Game Played: | 2018 |
Football Season: | 2017 |
Stadium: | Raymond James Stadium |
City: | Tampa, Florida |
State: | Florida |
Visitor School: | Michigan Wolverines |
Visitor Name Short: | Michigan |
Visitor Nickname: | Wolverines |
Visitor Record: | 8–4 |
Visitor Conference: | Big Ten |
Visitor Coach: | Jim Harbaugh |
Visitor 1Q: | 6 |
Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
Visitor 3Q: | 10 |
Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
Home School: | South Carolina Gamecocks |
Home Name Short: | South Carolina |
Home Nickname: | Gamecocks |
Home Record: | 8–4 |
Home Conference: | SEC |
Home Coach: | Will Muschamp |
Home 1Q: | 0 |
Home 2Q: | 3 |
Home 3Q: | 13 |
Home 4Q: | 10 |
Odds: | Michigan by 9 |
Mvp: | Jake Bentley (QB, South Carolina)[1] |
Referee: | Stuart Mullins (ACC) |
Attendance: | 45,687[2] |
Payout: | $6,308,560[3] |
Us Network: | ESPN2 |
Us Announcers: | Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath |
The 2018 Outback Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 1, 2018, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 32nd annual Outback Bowl was one of the 2017–18 NCAA football bowl games concluding the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was nationally televised on ESPN2, and its title sponsor is the Outback Steakhouse restaurant franchise.
The game featured the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference, and the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference in their fourth meeting against each other, and second meeting in the Outback Bowl.[4]
See main article: 2017 Michigan Wolverines football team. After finishing their regular season with an 8–4 record, the Wolverines were selected to their sixth Outback Bowl appearance, the most Outback Bowl appearances by any team. This was their 46th bowl game appearance, the 11th-highest total all-time among FBS schools.[5]
See main article: 2017 South Carolina Gamecocks football team. After finishing their regular season with an 8–4 record, the Gamecocks were selected to their fifth Outback Bowl appearance, tying them with four other teams for the second-most Outback Bowl appearances. This was their 22nd bowl game appearance. South Carolina won the previous meeting against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2013 Outback Bowl, by a score of 33–28.[6]
Statistics | MICH | SCAR |
---|---|---|
First downs | 17 | 13 |
Plays–yards | 78–277 | 58–302 |
Rushes–yards | 33–74 | 26–61 |
Passing yards | 203 | 239 |
Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–45–2 | 19–32–1 |
Time of possession | 34:17 | 25:43 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
MICH | Passing | 20/44, 186 yds, 2 INT | |
Rushing | 17 car, 65 yds | ||
Receiving | Kekoa Crawford | 5 rec, 61 yds | |
SCAR | Passing | 19/32, 239 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT | |
Rushing | Rico Dowdle | 6 car, 45 yds, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Bryan Edwards | 5 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD |
The 2018 Outback Bowl marked the first appearance of SB Nation sportswriter and mixed martial artist Ryan Nanni as the Bloomin' Onion mascot.[7] [8]