The 2012 Capital One Bowl, the 66th edition of the game, was a post-season American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

bowl game, held on January 2,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

at the

Florida Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, located in the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, west of new sports and entertainment facilities including the Amway Center, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, an ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season. The game, which was telecast at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, featured the #9 South Carolina Gamecocks from the Southeastern Conference versus the #20 Nebraska Cornhuskers from the Big Ten Conference. In the third quarter, South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery and Nebraska corner

Alfonzo Dennard Alfonzo Dennard (born September 9, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 7th round with the 224th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played in college for the University of Nebras ...

were involved in a fight, resulting in both players being ejected. Down 13–9 at the end of the first half, South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw took the snap from the Gamecocks' own 49-yard line with 0:06 seconds remaining. With 0:02 remaining, Shaw heaved a

Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...

, which was caught at the 4-yard line by Jeffery, who dove into the endzone for a touchdown as time expired. South Carolina went on to win 30–13, and Jeffery was named MVP of the game. This game is notable Gamecocks football history for being the first 11 win season for the South Carolina football program. In turn, it ultimately led to their first top-10 final ranking in the major college football polls.

References

{{South Carolina Gamecocks bowl game navbox Capital One Bowl Citrus Bowl (game) Nebraska Cornhuskers football bowl games South Carolina Gamecocks football bowl games Capital One Bowl Capital One Bowl