Birmingham Bowl Guide: USC vs. USF TV details, depth chart and more

South Carolina plays South Florida on Thursday in the Birmingham Bowl. Here’s what you need to know about the game.

Game info

Who: South Carolina (6-6, 3-5 SEC) vs. South Florida (10-2, 7-1 AAC)

When: 2 p.m. Thursday

Where: Legion Field (70,459), Birmingham Ala.

Series history: South Carolina won the only previous meeting, 34-3, in 2004

TV: ESPN (Eamon McAnaney, play-by-play; John Congemi, analysis; Kevin Weidl, sideline)

Local Radio: 107.5 FM (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analysis; Langston Moore, sideline)

Satellite radio: Sirius 80/XM 80

Line: South Florida by 10

Weather: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 55.

Last chance

South Carolina closed the regular season on a 4-2 run, with the only losses coming to talent-laden Clemson and Florida on the road. Against the Bulls, they’ll have the chance to cap Will Muschamp’s first season and spring into the offseason off a win. USC won four bowls in a row across the 2011-14 seasons, and hasn’t taken a bowl loss since the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl against Florida State.

Corralling the Bulls

South Florida has a case as the most explosive offense in the country. The Bulls rank first nationally in yards per carry and fifth in yards per play. Quarterback Quinton Flowers is tough for a defense to get a handle on (nearly 4,000 total yards), along with a 1,100-yard runner in Marlon Mack and a three receivers averaging at least 17 yards a catch. The Gamecocks will counter with a defense that’s been geared to prevent the big play and force patience from opponents.

Run it back

Gamecocks fans should get used to the set of faces they’ll be watching in the bowl. Ten of 11 offensive starters are set to return, and most are freshmen or sophomores. The defense is a little older, but six first-teamers on the team’s latest depth chart should be back.

Old friends

These teams share a few ties. Former USC offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach David Reaves has held four different jobs in four seasons on USF’s staff. He was associate head coach and tight ends coach this season, and added play-calling/co-offensive coordinator titles after Willie Taggart left for Oregon. Gamecocks linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Coleman Hutzler coached with Taggart under Jim Harbaugh, and former USC assistant Skip Holtz was one of only four coaches in USF history.

The teams, by the numbers

South Carolina players to watch

1. Quarterback Jake Bentley: He didn’t wrap up the regular season on a high note against Clemson, but the freshman will get a chance to improve his performances away from Williams-Brice. He threw for 1,030 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions with a 132.9 rating.

2. Running back Rico Dowdle: The true freshman topped 125 yards three times in four games during the second half of the season. He posted 714 rushing yards and six touchdowns in seven games, coming off a groin injury that sidelined him early.

3. Linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams: The Gamecocks’ biggest challenge will be trying to slow Flowers, and Allen-Williams could factor there. He’s the team’s most versatile defender and finished second on the team in tackles (73) and tackles for loss (8 1/2)

South Florida players to watch

1. Quarterback Quinton Flowers: The dynamic junior was one of the best dual-threat signal callers in the country. He threw for 2,551 yards, 22 touchdowns and six picks, and ran for 1,425 yards and 15 touchdowns on 8.1 yards per carry.

2. Running back Marlon Mack: He posted his third 1,000-yard season, with 1,137 yards, 7.1 yards a carry and 15 scores. He also second on the team with 26 catches for 215 yards.

3. Wide receiver Rodney Adams: The bell cow of the Bulls’ passing game, Adams has been targeted more than twice as much as any other USF receiver. He has 61 receptions, catching 70 percent of the balls thrown his way, for 767 yards and five touchdowns.

South Carolina depth chart

WR – SAMUEL (Dawkins)

WR – EDWARDS (Googer)

WR – DAWKINS (Smith)

LT – ZANDI (Park)

LG – BAILEY (Pellage)

C – KNOTT (Helms)

RG – HELMS (Stanley)

RT – YOUNG (Camper)

TE – HURST (Pollard)

TE – CROSBY (August)

QB – BENTLEY (McIlwain, Orth)

RB – DOWDLE (Turner, Williams)

DE – LEWIS (Sawyer)

DT – STALLWORTH (Thomas)

DT – JONES (Griffin)

DE – ENGLISH (Wonnum)

MLB – WALTON (Pittman)

SLB – HOLLOMAN (Bryant)

WLB – ALLEN-WILLIAMS (Brunson)

CB – LAMMONS (Fenton)

S – SMITH (Elder)

S – MOODY (Montac)

CB – KING (Montac)

NICK – LAMMONS (Wilder)

PK – FRY (Woznick)

P – KELLY (Charlton)

LS – DR. WILLIAMS (McGriff)

KR – SAMUEL (Turner)

PR – LAMMONS (Fenton)

H – KELLY

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Birmingham Bowl Guide: USC vs. USF TV details, depth chart and more."