Gerry Melendez - gmelendez@thestate.com
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gets a Gatorade bath after the Gamecocks' 30-13 Capital One Bowl win.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- On the field, it wasn't always pretty. In the record book, it will look beautiful forever.
South Carolina made history with its 11th win on Monday, beating No. 21 Nebraska 30-13 in a Capital One Bowl that made up for a lack of style with a dash of drama.
The No. 10 Gamecocks started slow, turned the momentum with a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery on the final play of the first half and dominated the second half on the way to their first victory against Nebraska.
"We go down in history as the best team to play at Carolina," safety D.J. Swearinger said. "We take pride in that."
South Carolina finished 11-2 and probably will finish in the nation's top 10 for the first time. A crowd of 61,351 fans in Florida Citrus Sports Stadium watched it snap a three-game bowl losing streak and win its fifth bowl game.
The Gamecocks players will receive rings to commemorate the season, coach Steve Spurrier said.
"It will have a big ol' 11 on it, and it is neat for this group of seniors to say, 'Hey, I played on the best team ever from South Carolina,' " Spurrier said.
"The record speaks for itself as the best team ever."
During the trophy presentation on the field, Spurrier told the South Carolina fans in the stands that the game was as big as any he had ever won.
"He has done things for this program that nobody else has been able to do, and I'm sure it makes him proud," said defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, whose unit held Nebraska to 253 yards, its lowest output this season.
The Cornhuskers scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and led 13-9 after Ameer Abdullah scored from one yard out with 3:33 left in the first quarter. Nebraska gained 147 yards on 51 plays after that, while the Gamecocks ran off 21 points.
The game turned late in the second quarter when Stephon Gilmore intercepted a Taylor Martinez pass at the South Carolina 35-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Connor Shaw heaved a ball from the 49-yard line that Jeffery caught on the 5 before diving in the end zone.
Shaw finished 11-of-17 for 230 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Gamecocks, who were led by Kenny Miles' 67 rushing yards, gained 351 yards overall.
"I told our guys, next year's team, they'll try to win 12," Spurrier said, "because 11 has already happened."
