Miami running back Duke Johnson ranked seventh in the country this season with 1,890 all-purpose yards (1,520 rushing yards). He ranked second in the ACC in rushing, and his worst game of the season was an 88-yard performance on the road against Virginia.
Johnson will be the unquestioned most dangerous weapon on the field when Miami and South Carolina meet in the Independence Bowl.
When it comes to stopping the run, South Carolina left a lot to be desired in 2014.
The Gamecocks didn't hold one single opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing as a team, and ranked 13th in the SEC after giving up 2,573 rushing yards. Auburn ran for 395 yards as a team, while Cameron Artis-Payne and Ricardo Louis each went over the century mark. Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd each passed the 100-yard mark too when Tennessee pasted 344 rushing yards on South Carolina.
Miami might not have two rushers than can go off, but Johnson has enough to win this game by himself. He'll be the key to victory.
While all Miami eyes will be on Johnson, the Gamecocks ranked 60th in the country against the run. It will be important for South Carolina to put points on the board to keep up with the Hurricanes.
That means Dylan Thompson, Mike Davis and Pharoh Cooper must work together to move the football with ease.
Look for South Carolina to attempt to establish the run early with Davis so Miami has to bring its defense up into the box. If that happens, Cooper finished second in the SEC in receiving yards and can get behind any defense.
If Cooper is open -- and there's a good chance he will be on a regular basis -- Thompson has to connect.
50: Fifty percent of Cooper's eight touchdown catches came in two games: Auburn and Tennessee. Thompson hit Cooper in the end zone more frequently during times of need, and that just might be the case versus Miami. Cooper churned 37.3 percent of his receiving yards in those two games as well.
2: South Carolina held just two teams to fewer than 20 points this season: Furman and South Alabama. The Gamecocks ranked 93rd in the country iin points against (31.2 ppg).
3: Miami went from 6-3 on Nov. 1 to 6-6 at the end of the regular season. Dropping their last three games is not the way the Hurricanes wanted to enter bowl season.
36.2: The Hurricanes had trouble extending drives this season. Miami ranked 12th in the ACC, and 100th in the country, with an undesirable 36.2 percent conversion rate on third down.
With apologies to Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya, who finished second in the ACC at 246.8 passing yards per game, if Johnson catches fire and the Hurricanes run well, that's all Miami needs to win this football game.
The Hurricanes averaged 256.8 yards per game on the ground in their six wins, but only 103 in their three losses.
It doesn't seem likely that South Carolina will be able to shut down Miami's ground attack. The Gamecocks' only hope for coming away with a victory is to turn the Independence Bowl into a track meet.
