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Orlando, Fla. • South Carolina and Nebraska had hoped to wind up somewhere else besides the Capital One Bowl.
But whichever team walks off the field Monday with a victory will be celebrating a milestone for its program.
The No. 10 Gamecocks can post 11 victories for the first time in school history and put a positive stamp on a season full of controversy.
The No. 21 Cornhuskers can end their first season playing Big Ten football by reaching 10 wins for the third consecutive year.
Both teams have mobile quarterbacks in South Carolina's Connor Shaw and Nebraska's Taylor Martinez, and players and coaches on both sides say that containing their ability to run could decide the game. Capital One Bowl preview
P No. 10 South Carolina (10-2) vs. No. 21 Nebraska (9-3), 1 p.m. (ESPN).
Line• South Carolina by 2
Series Record• Nebraska leads 3-0.
What's at stake • Both programs are trying to put a positive spin on season's that began with a lot bigger hopes. South Carolina had its sights on returning to the Southeastern Conference championship game for the second straight year, but was tripped by an early-season loss to Auburn and late-season setback to Arkansas. Nebraska struggled at times during its first year in the Big Ten, with losses to Wisconsin, Northwestern and Michigan. South Carolina is making its fourth straight bowl appearance, but hasn't won one since beating Houston in the 2006 Liberty Bowl. Nebraska is also making its fourth straight bowl appearance, with its last win coming in the 2009 Holiday over Arizona.
Key matchup •Both defenses will have to deal with quarterbacks that have the ability to run the football. Gamecocks sophomore Connor Shaw ran for nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns in just nine games this season. The Cornhuskers' Taylor Martinez amassed more than 800 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2011.
Players to watch • South Carolina: WR Alshon Jeffrey has 45 receptions for 614 yards and seven scores, while DE Melvin Ingram leads the defense with 8.5 sacks. Nebraska: Martinez is also dangerous through the air having completed 152 of 272 passes for 1,973 yards and 12 TDs. RB Rex Burkhead has rushed for 1,268 yards and 15 TDs.
Facts & figures • Nebraska is 12-5 all-time against SEC opponents in bowl games, including a 7-4 record against Top 10-ranked SEC teams. ... The Cornhuskers committed eight turnovers in their three losses this season and only nine in their other nine games combined. ... South Carolina is just 4-12 all-time in bowl games.