Kornacki: Wolverines Excited, Motivated for Outback Bowl vs. Gamecocks

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan left tackle Mason Cole grew up less than a 30-minute drive from Raymond James Stadium, site of the New Year's Day Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

So, what was the first thing Cole thought about Sunday afternoon (Dec. 3) when it was announced that his Wolverines would play against South Carolina in the Outback Bowl?

"I'm probably going to have to rent out a section of the stadium for family and friends," Cole said with a chuckle. "It's going to be good. It'll be cool. I'm excited, man."

Cole attended a number of Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USF games at Raymond James. He played at East Lake High in Palm Harbor, and his parents have since moved to nearby Dunedin.

The Michigan co-captain hopes that some teammates can "come home" with him the day after the game, and he knows where he would take them.

"An ideal day would be spent at Clearwater Beach," said Cole. "My favorite spot to eat is Frenchy's on Clearwater Beach. I get the grouper sandwich and the She Crab soup."

There is a beach day scheduled for players prior to the game, but that generally is a brief activity. The focus of the week-long bowl trip will be the practices at Tampa Jesuit High, alma mater of two of the Wolverines' greatest placekickers -- Garrett Rivas and Jay Feely.

Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said practices resumed at Glick Fieldhouse last week for non-starters, adding that full-squad bowl practices will start Monday (Dec. 4).

Harbaugh noted that quarterback Brandon Peters has returned to practice after missing the Ohio State game with a concussion, and he will be the No. 1 quarterback for Outback Bowl practices. The coach added that Tarik Black, the leading receiver when injured in the fourth game, is now physically able to play. However, Harbaugh is "leaning" toward not playing him in the bowl to retain his ability to claim 2017 as a redshirt season for eligibility purposes.

Michigan finished 8-4, and Harbaugh sees this game against South Carolina, also 8-4 after a second-place finish to national semifinalist Georgia in the SEC East, as potential impetus for the 2018 season.

"We know we've got to be better," Harbaugh said in a Sunday night teleconference. "That starts today, and having a great matchup against South Carolina really helps motivate us to do that. ... It's really building and attacking at the same time -- this season and next season. We look at it right now that we're not good enough to win all of our games, and we need to get better and be good enough, and that starts now, building and attacking.

"We're as excited as heck to be coming down to the Outback Bowl. Most of us have friends, family in Florida, and we are excited about the competition against South Carolina. I've been watching them a little bit, and they're tough and really well coached. ... What I've watched most is their defense, and they're tough, fast are the things that are jumping out."

The Gamecocks' top defenders are linebacker Skai Moore (team-high 88 tackles and three interceptions) and defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum (52 tackles and a team-leading 13 tackles for losses and six sacks).

"I watched a couple of their games this year," said Wolverines tight end Zach Gentry, "and their defense has been athletic and physical."

Harbaugh said he admires how "gosh-darn hard" South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, formerly the Florida head coach, gets his teams to play, and he is looking forward to meeting him in person.

Quarterback Jake Bentley has completed 226-of-362 passes for 2,555 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A.J. Turner is the leading rusher with 517 yards and three touchdowns.

Michigan safety Tyree Kinnel said, "South Carolina's a good team, and we're excited to play them. This is our third straight year in Florida, and so the Florida guys on our team are very excited to get back down there. We're just ready to get back at it and start practicing again."

The Wolverines have 10 players from Florida, including starters in Cole, middle linebacker Devin Bush, safety Josh Metellus, tailback Karan Higdon and offensive guard Cesar Ruiz, who is from New Jersey but played at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

Michigan's last two bowl appearances were in Orlando (2015 season) and Miami (2016), and the Wolverines beat Florida two years ago before losing to Florida State last season.

TWO MEMORABLE TAMPA BOWLS FOR WOLVERINES

Michigan will be playing in its sixth Outback Bowl -- the most appearances for any Big Ten team -- and it has been on both sides of some of the game's most memorable moments.

It was still called the Hall of Fame Bowl on Jan. 2, 1988, when the Wolverines played in the second bowl game played in Tampa Stadium, nicknamed "The Big Sombrero" for its resemblance to the high-crowned hat popular in Mexico.

Michigan quarterback Demetrius Brown dropped back to pass on fourth-and-three at the Alabama 20-yard line on a do-or-die play with less than one minute remaining. He felt pressure and couldn't find the receiver on a short route, and so the left-hander double-pumped and dropped a pass into the left corner of the end zone for all the marbles.

John Kolesar came back to catch it despite tight coverage from cornerback John Mangum, who would become an All-America selection the next season. The Wolverines won, 28-24, and tailback Jamie Morris jumped into the arms of Kolesar. Morris ran for a career-high 234 yards and three touchdowns in his final college game.

Bo Schembechler, who had quadruple-bypass heart surgery 10 days earlier and was subbed for in the game by Gary Moeller, was reached on the phone afterward so he could hear his team sing "The Victors" in triumph.

Defensive lineman Warde Manuel, now Michigan's director of athletics, made three tackles in what would be his final football game. Injuries ended his promising career, and he focused on track and field after that.

The flip side of a memorable moment in the Outback Bowl came the last time the Wolverines played in the game on Jan. 1, 2013 against the same Gamecocks.

Michigan tailback Vincent Smith lost a fumble after a vicious hit by South Carolina lineman Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney, who would become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, came through unblocked and hit Smith straight-on the instant he received a handoff from quarterback Devin Gardner. Smith's helmet popped off, his long dreadlocks flew back, and the helmet rolled nine yards back from the point of impact, while Clowney scooped up the fumble.

That play from the ESPN broadcast went as viral as viral gets, and Smith said fans "most definitely" still recognize him because of it.

The Gamecocks won that game, 33-28.

Michigan is 3-2 in the Hall of Fame/Outback Bowl. They've also beaten North Carolina State (1994) and Florida (2003) while losing to Alabama (1997).

• Michigan, South Carolina to Meet in Outback Bowl on New Year's Day
• Bowl Ticket Information