2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl The 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies ( UConn ) of the Big East Conference and the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) , on January 2 , 2010 at Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama . The game was the final contest of the 2009 NCAA Division I - Football Bowl Subdivision ( Division I - FBS ) football season for both teams , and it ended in a 20 – 7 victory for Connecticut . Connecticut was selected to play in the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl following a tumultuous 7 – 5 regular season that included five losses by a total of just fifteen points , a double - overtime victory at Notre Dame , and the murder of cornerback Jasper Howard . The Huskies faced South Carolina , who also had 7 – 5 regular - season , highlighted by wins over then - No . 4 Mississippi and then - No . 15 Clemson . Pregame coverage focused on the tragedy that marked the Huskies ' season , as well as on head coach es Randy Edsall of Connecticut and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina . Connecticut scored twice in the first quarter : on a one - handed 37 - yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Kashif Moore and then on a 33 - yard field goal after South Carolina failed to convert a fourth - down play at its 32 - yard line . Running back Andre Dixon scored for UConn on a 10 - yard rush early in the fourth quarter . South Carolina scored its sole touchdown after the game had effectively been decided , on a two - yard run by Brian Maddox . Dixon was named player of the game , and finished with 126 rushing yards and one touchdown . Connecticut wide receiver Marcus Easley and South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood were among four players from the teams to be selected in the subsequent 2010 National Football League ( NFL ) Draft . Team selection . In 2010 , the PapaJohns . com Bowl selection committee had a contractual arrangement with the Big East and the SEC that allowed the committee to pick one team from each conference . The Big East had had a contractual bowl bid to the game since its inception in 2006 . The SEC agreed to send its ninth bowl - eligible team to the bowl starting in 2008 , but did not have enough bowl - eligible teams in either 2008 or 2009 to take advantage of the bid . In 2010 , the SEC received $ 900 , 000 for sending a team to the game , while the Big East received $ 600 , 000 . The Big East ' s contract with the bowl committee stated that the group would make its selection in coordination with the International Bowl and the St . Petersburg Bowl after other Big East - affiliated bowl games made their selections . Conference champion Cincinnati was awarded an automatic Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) berth in the 2010 Sugar Bowl . The Gator Bowl had the first pick after the BCS , and selected West Virginia . The Meineke Car Care Bowl , which had the next selection , considered both Pittsburgh , which had the better regular - season record , and Rutgers , whose fans had a better traveling reputation ; it selected Pittsburgh . Three bowl - eligible Big East teams remained : Connecticut , Rutgers , and South Florida . The previous two years , Rutgers had played in the 2008 International Bowl and the 2008 PapaJohns . com Bowl . In the same period , South Florida played in the 2007 PapaJohns . com Bowl and the 2008 St . Petersburg Bowl . Connecticut had played in the 2009 International Bowl the previous year . In general , bowl games and conferences prefer to have different teams play in each game each year . Partly because of this , Rutgers went to the 2009 St . Petersburg Bowl , South Florida to the 2010 International Bowl , and Connecticut to the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl . For Connecticut ' s opponent , the PapaJohns . com Bowl had the right to select a SEC team , but only after all other bowls with contracts with the SEC made their selections . Conference champion Alabama finished No . 1 in the BCS standings and earned a berth to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game . Conference championship game loser Florida took the SEC champion ' s automatic slot in the 2010 Sugar Bowl , vacant since Alabama was selected to appear in the national championship game . The Capital One Bowl had the next selection and opted for Louisiana State University ( LSU ) . The Cotton Bowl and Outback Bowl selected Ole Miss and Auburn respectively . The Chick - fil - A Bowl , which had the next pick , selected Tennessee . The next selections were shared by the Liberty Bowl and Music City Bowl , which opted for Arkansas and Kentucky , respectively . The Independence Bowl , with the next - to - last selection , picked Georgia , leaving the PapaJohns . com Bowl with the last available bowl - eligible SEC team , South Carolina . The game was the first meeting between the two schools and the first PapaJohns . com Bowl appearance for each . The game was the 30th anniversary of South Carolina ' s last postseason game at Legion Field , in the December 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl , and it was the 20th anniversary of head coach Steve Spurrier ' s last Legion Field bowl game , with in the December 1989 All - American Bowl . Connecticut . The Connecticut Huskies finished 8 – 5 in 2008 , ending the season with a victory in the 2009 International Bowl . The departure of running back Donald Brown — the NCAA rushing leader in 2008 — as well as three other Huskies selected in the first two rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft , was expected to hurt the team . In the Big East preseason media poll , the Huskies were picked to finish sixth in the conference . Early season . The Huskies opened the 2009 season at Ohio University , and never trailed in the game , winning 23 – 16 . UConn ' s next game was its home opener , versus No . 19 North Carolina . Connecticut led 10 – 0 through three quarters , but North Carolina tied the game with 2 : 36 left and took the lead when UConn was called for a holding penalty in its end zone , which by rule resulted in a safety . North Carolina won the game 12 – 10 . Connecticut rebounded in its next game at Baylor , winning 30 – 22 ; they then faced Division I - Football Championship Subdivision ( Division I - FCS ) opponent Rhode Island , an historic rival of the team , and defeated them 52 – 10 . The Huskies opened Big East conference play at the Pittsburgh Panthers . UConn held a 21 – 6 lead with less than four minutes left in the third quarter , but Pittsburgh rallied to win with a field goal as time expired . Connecticut closed the first half of its season versus Big East opponent Louisville on homecoming weekend . In the third quarter , with UConn leading 21 – 13 , Louisville running back Bilal Powell ran off left tackle near the end zone . He was caught by cornerback Jasper Howard , who forced a fumble . Connecticut kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive and won the game 38 – 25 , giving the Huskies a 4 – 2 overall record , 1 – 1 within the Big East conference . Jasper Howard murder . Later that night , Howard and several other UConn football players were at a dance at the Student Union Center on the Connecticut campus . At 12 : 26 am a fire alarm sounded , forcing the evacuation of the building . As the students exited , an altercation broke out between a group of UConn football players and a group of non - students . The attackers brandished knives and stabbed Howard before fleeing . Howard was taken by ambulance to Windham Community Memorial Hospital , and then evacuated by helicopter to St . Francis Hospital in Hartford , where he was pronounced dead . Coach Randy Edsall was summoned to identify the body . Howard ' s murder was the first homicide on UConn ' s campus in more than thirty years . Connecticut ' s next game , one week after Howard ' s death , was at West Virginia . In a close - run game , Connecticut lost 28 – 24 after West Virginia responded to the Huskies ' late go - ahead score with one of its own . Two days after the game , the entire UConn team traveled to Howard ' s hometown of Miami , Florida , for his funeral . The next game , the first at Rentschler Field since Howard ' s death , was against Rutgers . Connecticut came back in the fourth quarter to take a 24 – 21 lead with 38 seconds remaining ; Rutgers completed an 81 - yard touchdown pass one play later to win 28 – 24 . UConn also lost the game that followed , 47 – 45 , at undefeated No . 5 Cincinnati . After three straight losses , the Huskies ' record dropped to 4 – 5 overall ; 1 – 4 in the Big East . The losses to this point were by a combined total of 15 points . Late season . Connecticut ' s next game was a nationally - televised appearance at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . The Irish scored two touchdowns early but the Huskies responded with a touchdown and a field goal . Notre Dame expanded its lead to 17 – 10 in the third quarter , but Todman ran back the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a game - tying touchdown . In the fourth quarter , Notre Dame once again took the lead on a 23 - yard field goal ; after two touchdown - scoring running plays were negated by holding penalties , Connecticut tied the score on a 29 - yard field goal with 1 : 10 left , sending the game into overtime . The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime , and the Huskies won the game with a touchdown in the second overtime . Edsall stated that the game was the " best win " in UConn football history . Connecticut finished the regular season by beating Syracuse and South Florida at home . The South Florida game , played as snow fell on Rentschler Field , was won on a last - second 42 - yard field goal by kicker Dave Teggart . The two wins gave UConn a final regular season record of 7 – 5 overall , 3 – 4 in the Big East . They finished in a three - way tie with Rutgers and South Florida for fourth place in the conference . South Carolina . The South Carolina Gamecocks went 7 – 6 in 2008 , losing their final three games , including the 2009 Outback Bowl against Iowa , by a combined score of 118 – 30 . Steve Spurrier was named head coach of the Gamecocks in 2005 ; in his four seasons in charge of the program , the team had a combined record of 28 – 21 and was bowl - eligible every year . Early season . South Carolina opened its 2009 season with a win against North Carolina State . Their next game , against No . 21 Georgia , featured a kickoff returned for a touchdown , an interception returned for a touchdown , a safety , a blocked extra point attempt , and 24 penalties . In the end , quarterback Stephen Garcia ' s pass on 4th - and - 4 from the 7 - yard line with 22 seconds remaining was batted down by the defense and fell incomplete , preserving a 41 – 37 win for Georgia . South Carolina proceeded to beat Florida Atlantic 38 – 16 . In their next contest , South Carolina faced No . 4 Mississippi , and came away with a 16 – 10 upset ; the Gamecocks had lost their previous 22 games against AP top 5 teams . Next up was a win against in - state Division I - FCS opponent South Carolina State With the victory , the Gamecocks earned their first Top 25 ranking of the 2009 season , appearing in the AP Poll at No . 25 . South Carolina finished the first half of their season against SEC opponent Kentucky . Defensive end Cliff Matthews knocked down Kentucky ' s pass attempt on what would have been a game - tying two - point conversion to preserve the 28 – 26 win . After six games , the Gamecocks had a record of 5 – 1 overall , 2 – 1 in the SEC , and were a consensus No . 22 in the AP , Coaches ' , and Harris poll s . Late season . After winning five of their first six games , the Gamecocks proceeded to lose four of their next five . Against No . 2 Alabama , eventual Heisman Trophy - winning running back Mark Ingram ran for a then - career record 246 yards and a touchdown ; South Carolina lost 20 – 6 . The defeat dropped the Gamecocks to No . 23 in the AP and Coaches ' polls , and out of the Harris poll altogether ; in the first BCS standings released that week , the Gamecocks were ranked 24th . South Carolina came back to beat Vanderbilt 14 – 10 ; the Gamecocks rose to No . 21 in all three polls , and No . 22 in the following week ' s BCS standings . The next game , against Tennessee , was never close ; South Carolina fell behind 21 – 0 early in the second quarter and lost 31 – 13 . The loss caused the Gamecocks to fall out of all three polls as well as the BCS standings . South Carolina then faced Arkansas , who scored 23 unanswered points on their way to delivering the Gamecocks a 33 – 16 loss . The following game was against No . 1 Florida , who was undefeated . South Carolina was within three points of Florida as the fourth quarter began , but Garcia was subsequently sacked four times and intercepted twice ; Florida won 24 – 14 . The Gamecocks ' record fell to 6 – 5 overall , 3 – 5 within the SEC . After a bye week , South Carolina closed out their regular season with a game against their fierce in - state rivals , the No . 15 Clemson Tigers , who had already clinched a berth in the 2009 ACC Championship Game that would be played the next week . Clemson star running back C . J . Spiller returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown ; he was held to 18 yards rushing the rest of the game . The Gamecocks scored 24 unanswered points to take a 24 – 7 lead through three quarters , and matched the Tigers the rest of the way to win 34 – 17 . This win gave South Carolina a final regular season record of 7 – 5 overall , 3 – 5 in the SEC . Pregame buildup . In the weeks preceding the game , media coverage focused on the tragic circumstances surrounding the Huskies ' season . On December 21 , 2010 , the team was declared the winner of the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl / FWAA Courage Award , given to a person or team who displayed courage on or off the field , overcame injury or physical handicap , prevented a disaster , or lived through hardship . The award was presented at the 2010 Orange Bowl on January 5 , 2011 , following the PapaJohns . com Bowl . Edsall was praised for coaching the Huskies to a successful season despite the off - field distractions . By appearing in the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl , UConn made its third straight bowl appearance and fourth since joining the Big East for the 2004 season . There were rumors that Edsall was a candidate for the Notre Dame head coaching position , vacated by the firing of Charlie Weis . On December 11 , Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly was given the Notre Dame job ; Edsall remained with Connecticut . Pregame coverage also discussed the performance of Steve Spurrier as head coach of South Carolina . His Gamecock teams had been competitive in the SEC , but were unable to win championships ; during his tenure to that point , they had finished no higher than second in the SEC East division . Nevertheless , analysts described him as one of " the game ' s better minds and motivators " and " still one of the craftiest coaches around " . The 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl marked Spurrier ' s return to Birmingham ; in the United States Football League he competed against the local Birmingham Stallions as head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits from 1983 to 1985 . Legion Field was also the home of the 1992 and 1993 SEC Championship Game s ; teams coached by Spurrier participated in both contests . Offensive matchups . Connecticut offense . The Connecticut offense was led by the rushing attack of running backs Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon , who were described as " one of the best running - back tandems in the nation " . The two combined for 27 touchdowns and more than 2 , 100 rushing yards during the regular season . South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood described Todman as a speedy back , with " that burst and that breakaway speed to go with it " , and compared him to Clemson running back C . J . Spiller . In contrast , Norwood described Dixon as a " taller , more downhill back , vertical guy " . In previous seasons , UConn had been largely dependent on running the ball ; the team developed more balance in 2009 , ranking 41st of 120 Division I FBS teams nationally in rushing offense and 46th in passing . Marcus Easley ' s emergence as a productive wide receiver was key to the development of the Huskies ' passing attack . A former walk - on who entered the season with only five career receptions , he led Connecticut in receiving in 2009 with 44 catches for 853 yards and eight touchdowns . Quarterback Zach Frazer was inconsistent in the early season . He was injured in the game against North Carolina , but regained his starting role after backup Cody Endres was hurt in the Rutgers game later in the season . In UConn ' s four games before the bowl , Frazer performed well ; he threw six touchdown passes against only two interception s and helped the Huskies score an average of 41 points per game . Experts felt Frazer would need to have a good performance for Connecticut to have a chance to win . South Carolina offense . The Gamecocks struggled offensively for most of 2009 , ranking only 76th in total offense and 96th in scoring . Their offense was quarterbacked by Stephen Garcia . A highly - touted prospect coming out of high school , Garcia had a breakout season in 2009 , finishing second in the SEC with 2 , 733 passing yards — more than former Heisman Trophy - winning Florida quarterback Tim Tebow — and 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions . Freshman wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was Garcia ' s most frequent passing target ; he caught 43 passes for 735 yards and six touchdowns . Although South Carolina ' s passing attack had success , its running game was the worst in the SEC and 91st nationally . The Gamecocks ' offensive line struggled , ranking 104th in sacks allowed . It did not help matters that Eric Wolford , the running game coordinator and offensive line coach , left the team before the bowl game to become head coach at Youngstown State . Defensive matchups . Connecticut defense . Connecticut had a weaker defense in 2010 than in previous seasons . The Huskies were 72nd in total defense , 60th in scoring defense , 48th against the run , and 94th against the pass . UConn ' s pass defense was hurt by the loss of Jasper Howard ; following his death , freshman cornerback Blidi - Wreh Wilson was forced into the starting lineup alongside senior Robert McClain . Top performers for the Connecticut defense included defensive end Lindsey Witten , who led the Big East with 11 . 5 sacks , and linebacker Lawrence Wilson , who led the Big East and was fourth in the nation with 136 tackles , averaging over 11 per game . South Carolina defense . South Carolina had a strong defense , especially against the pass ; the Gamecocks were 15th in the nation in total defense , 22nd in scoring defense , 46th in run defense , and 12th in passing defense . The Gamecock defense was led by linebacker Eric Norwood . Described as " one of the most disruptive defenders in the country " , Norwood was a three - time All - SEC selection and had compiled seven sacks on the season , tied for third - best in the conference . He was South Carolina ' s all - time leader in both sacks and tackles for loss . Game summary . The game started at 1 : 04 pm CST on Saturday , January 2 , 2010 , at Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama . Official attendance for the game was 45 , 254 . The Gamecocks sold 8 , 593 tickets of their 10 , 000 - ticket allotment ; South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier estimated about 30 , 000 of the fans in attendance supported the Gamecocks . UConn sold or distributed only 4 , 500 of its 10 , 000 tickets for the game . The game was telecast on ESPN , with Dave Neal and Andre Ware in the broadcasting booth and Cara Capuano reporting from the sidelines . The temperature at kickoff was around , abnormally cold for Birmingham at that time of year . Game officials were : First quarter . Connecticut kicked off to South Carolina to begin the game . The Gamecocks gained only a single yard in three plays on their first possession , forcing them to punt the ball back to the Huskies . UConn proceeded to also gain only one yard ; they punted the ball back to South Carolina . After another Gamecock punt , the Huskies took over at their 34 - yard line and earned a first down — the first of the game — after three consecutive Dixon rushing plays . Two completed passes to Marcus Easley earned Connecticut a second first down , moving them to the South Carolina 39 - yard line . After a two - yard Jordan Todman run and an incomplete pass , Zach Frazer threw a pass down the right sideline ahead of Kashif Moore . Reaching out , Moore made a one - handed running catch into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game . After the extra point conversion , Connecticut led 7 – 0 with 6 : 37 left in the quarter . South Carolina regained possession on their 26 - yard line following the kickoff , but was only able to advance the ball nine yards in three plays . Rather than punt the ball , the Gamecocks attempted to gain a first down on 4th - and - 1 at the 32 - yard line . Steven Garcia ' s quarterback sneak attempt was stopped for no gain by the UConn defense , returning the ball to Connecticut on loss of downs . The Huskies began their next drive in a favorable position due to the Gamecocks ' turnover on downs . A 16 - yard run by Todman advanced the ball to the South Carolina 16 - yard line , where Connecticut ' s offense was stymied by South Carolina ' s defense . Dave Teggart made a 33 - yard field goal , giving the Huskies a 10 – 0 lead with 3 : 35 left in the quarter . On the ensuing possession , South Carolina again went three - and - out , punting the ball to Connecticut . The Huskies began driving down the field , collecting two first downs before the first quarter ended . At the end of the first quarter , UConn held a 10 – 0 lead . Second quarter . Beginning the second quarter with a 1st - and - 10 at their 44 - yard line , Connecticut failed to make progress and punted . After the Gamecocks again went three - and - out and punted , the Huskies tried a trick pass from Todman to Easley that fell incomplete . After that , the Huskies advanced the ball off short runs by Dixon and Todman , and passes from Frazer to Easley and Moore . South Carolina stopped UConn ' s drive at the 27 - yard line ; Connecticut settled for a 44 - yard field goal that extended its lead to 13 – 0 . Garcia led the Gamecocks on their next drive , either passing or rushing himself on every play except the last . After a first - down sack by Kendall Reyes pushed South Carolina back to its 18 - yard line , the Gamecocks advanced the ball to the Connecticut 35 - yard line . On 4th - and - 10 , Stephen Flint was tackled nine yards behind the line of scrimmage , returning the ball to UConn on loss of downs . The two teams traded punts until halftime ; Connecticut still held a 13 – 0 lead . Third quarter . The Huskies received the ball to start the half , but were unable to obtain a first down after three straight running plays . UConn punted ; South Carolina was called for roughing the kicker , giving Connecticut a first down after the penalty . After two plays netted no yardage , UConn threw a pass on 3rd - and - 10 that fell incomplete . The Gamecocks were called for a personal foul , again giving the Huskies a first down . Connecticut advanced the ball to the South Carolina 26 - yard line , but Frazer fumbled ; the ball was recovered by South Carolina . The Gamecocks responded with a drive that earned two first downs . After a sack on third down by Lawrence Wilson , South Carolina punted . The Gamecocks got the ball back on their 8 - yard line after the Huskies went three - and - out . After two first downs and a 15 - yard personal foul penalty against it , South Carolina faced a 1st - and - 10 on its 26 - yard line . Garcia fumbled , and the ball was recovered by Scott Lutrus of UConn at the 35 - yard line . Four Dixon rushing plays advanced the ball to the 24 - yard line ; the quarter expired with the Huskies leading 13 – 0 and in good position to expand their margin . Fourth quarter . Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter , UConn struck again . On his fifth run of the quarter , Dixon rushed into the end zone from ten yards out , giving Connecticut a 20 – 0 lead and effectively putting the game away as South Carolina would need three scores to take the lead . The two teams exchanged three - and - outs before South Carolina began a drive that penetrated Connecticut territory ; however , South Carolina was soon pushed back to its 47 - yard - line . On 4th - and - 19 , Garcia threw a deep pass that was intercepted by safety Robert Vaughn on the UConn 7 - yard line . After three Dixon runs failed to get a first down , Connecticut punted ; the kick by Desi Cullen was partially blocked , and South Carolina recovered the ball at the UConn 40 - yard line . Garcia promptly completed his deepest pass of the game , a 38 - yard connection to wide receiver D . L . Moore . The Gamecocks scored on the next play , a two - yard run by Brian Maddox , which ended the Huskies ' bid for a shutout . South Carolina attempted an onside kick to retain possession , but Connecticut recovered the ball . Dixon drove UConn to within the Gamecock 2 - yard line ; rather than running up the score , the Huskies were content to run out the clock . Connecticut won the game 20 – 7 . Final statistics . For his performance in the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl , Connecticut running back Andre Dixon was named the player of the game . Dixon rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries , giving him 1 , 093 rushing yards on the year ; he became the 12th UConn player to rush for 1 , 000 yards in a single season . Jordan Todman carried the ball nine times for 36 yards ; his 1 , 118 rushing yards on the season made Connecticut one of three teams in Division I - FBS to have at least two players rush for over 1 , 000 yards in 2009 . Wide receiver Kashif Moore was credited with one rushing attempt for one yard , while quarterback Zach Frazer carried the ball twice for a loss of 13 yards . In the UConn passing game , Frazer completed 9 of 21 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown , with no interceptions . Todman attempted one pass that fell incomplete . Marcus Easley caught four passes for 40 yards ; Moore caught two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown . Moore had two pass receptions for 26 yards , while Todman caught one pass for a single yard . For South Carolina , quarterback Stephen Garcia completed 16 of 38 passes for 129 yards and no touchdowns . He threw one interception , to Connecticut safety Robert Vaughn ; this was the fifth consecutive game in which Garcia had thrown an interception . He turned over the ball a second time on a fumble recovered by UConn . Garcia was also the Gamecocks ' leading rusher ; he ran the ball 15 times for 56 yards . The South Carolina rushing attack was supplemented by running backs Kenny Miles , who had six carries for 24 yards ; Bryce Sherman , who had two carries for three yards ; and Brian Maddox , who had two carries for two yards and scored the Gamecocks ' only touchdown . Wide receiver Stephen Flint lost nine yards on one rushing attempt . In the receiving game , wide receiver D . L . Moore led the team in yardage , with 38 yards on one reception . The leading Gamecock receiver of the season , Alshon Jeffery , had three catches for 28 yards , all in the first half . Running back Kenny Miles had four receptions for 23 yards , while wide receiver Jason Barnes had two catches for 21 yards . Garcia ' s remaining passes were caught by wide receiver Tori Gurley , who had three catches for 14 yards ; Moe Brown , who caught one pass for 12 yards ; and tight end Weslye Saunders , who lost seven yards on two receptions . South Carolina did not gain a first down until its second drive of the second quarter , when Garcia completed a 19 - yard pass to Alshon Jeffrey on 3rd - and - 16 . Maddox ' s late touchdown allowed the Gamecocks to avoid their first shutout in three seasons . UConn did not commit a single penalty . Aftermath . With the win , Connecticut finished the season with a final record of 8 – 5 ; South Carolina fell to 7 – 6 . Financially , both teams roughly broke even on the game : the Huskies were given an expense allowance of about $ 1 . 2 million from the Big East and spent just over $ 1 million , while the Gamecocks received just under $ 1 million from the SEC and spent about $ 900 , 000 . In the postgame press conference , South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said : Throughout the offseason , Spurrier apologized for his team ' s performance , held himself accountable for the loss , and promised the team would perform significantly better the next season . Acknowledging that the team had underperformed expectations , he promised he would resign or retire rather than let the program degenerate to the point where he might be fired or forced out . Both teams made assistant coaching changes in the offseason . Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the PapaJohns . com Bowl , South Carolina announced new offensive line coach Shawn Elliott , who previously worked at Appalachian State . Two Connecticut assistants left for other jobs : defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos went to Georgia , while tight ends coach Dave McMichael departed for West Virginia . They were replaced with new defensive backs coach Darrell Perkins , who previously coached at Louisiana - Monroe , and new tight ends coach Jonathan Wholley , a member of the UConn football team between 2001 – 04 who most recently coached at Fordham . The Gamecocks performed better in 2010 . With a 36 – 14 win over Florida , South Carolina won the SEC East division and clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game for the first time in school history . South Carolina finished 2010 on a down note , however , as they lost the championship game 56 – 17 to eventual 2011 BCS National Championship Game winner Auburn and then lost the 2010 Chick - fil - A Bowl 26 – 17 to Florida State . Connecticut began the 2010 season with a 30 – 10 loss at Michigan . They dropped to 3 – 4 after seven games with losses to Temple , Rutgers , and Louisville as Zach Frazer was benched and Cody Endres was dismissed from the team . Frazer returned as the starter and the Huskies turned their season around by winning five straight games , good enough to win a share of the Big East conference championship and the right to play in a BCS bowl , even though they were not ranked in the final BCS standings . UConn played in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl , losing 48 – 20 to Oklahoma . Following the game , coach Randy Edsall left the Huskies to take the head coaching position at Maryland . Multiple players from the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl went on to play professional football ; both teams had two players selected in the 2010 National Football League ( NFL ) Draft . For UConn , wide receiver Marcus Easley was selected in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills , and cornerback Robert McClain was selected in the seventh round by the Carolina Panthers . Gamecock linebacker Eric Norwood was selected in the fourth round by the Panthers . Defensive end Clifton Geathers , selected in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns , was the other South Carolina player drafted . The 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl was the final game by that name . Although Papa John ' s had an option to renew its sponsorship for two years , it decided not to because of rising costs . The company instead opted to refocus its marketing dollars on the NFL and its sponsorship of Louisville ' s home field , Papa John ' s Cardinal Stadium . The game ' s name changed to the BBVA Compass Bowl starting with the 2011 contest . Per the bowl ' s website , the 2010 PapaJohns . com Bowl remains the game in the bowl series with the greatest economic impact , at $ 18 . 4 million .