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Outback Bowl: South Car. 31, Ohio St. 28

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Daniel Weaver, having seen his team let a 28-point lead slip away, kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired Tuesday to give 14th-ranked South Carolina its second Outback Bowl triumph over No. 23 Ohio State in as many years, 31-28.

Weaver's kick brought an end to a bizarre final two minutes, which included Ohio State completing its improbable comeback as well as interceptions by both teams.

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"You always wonder what it would be like to make the game winning kick, especially in a hugh bowl like the Outback Bowl," Weaver said. "I can't think of anything better."

With 1:54 remaining, Ohio State's Steve Bellisari hit Darnell Sanders with a nine-yard touchdown pass that tied the game. Bellisari, who did not start, was seeing his first action since his arrest on a drunk driving charge in mid-November.

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Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, South Carolina's Phil Petty was intercepted by linebacker Cie Grant at the Ohio State 33, giving the Buckeyes a chance for what would have been the biggest comeback ever in a New Year's Day bowl game.

But on the interception, the Buckeyes were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration, forcing them to start at their own 18. Ohio State at first appeared content to play for overtime, but after one running play, Bellisari lofted an ill-advised pass into traffic that was picked off by Sheldon Brown and returned 39 yards to the Buckeyes' 30.

That gave South Carolina the ball with 32 seconds to play and after three plays gained five yards, Weaver came on to make his game-winning kick.

Petty completed 19 of 37 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in helping the Gamecocks open its 28-0 advantage with 5:38 to play in the third quarter.

Andrew Pinnock scored on a two-yard run and Petty hit Brian Scott with a seven-yard touchdown pass to account for a 14-0 halftime lead.

On South Carolina's first possession of the third quarter, Andrea Gause outfought two defenders to haul in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Petty and Pinnock scored again on a 10-yard run to make it 28-0.

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Bellisari started Ohio State's rally by scoring on a one-yard plunge with one second left in the third period, then hit Sanders with a 16-yard throw five minutes deep in the final quarter. Jonathan Wells cut the Buckeyes' deficit to seven points on a one-yard run by Jonathan Wells with 5:02 to play.

Bellisari was 21 of 35 for 323 yards.

South Carolina (9-3) reached nine wins for the first time since going 10-2 in 1994 under Joe Morrison. Lou Holtz, who went 0-11 in his first season at South Carolina in 1999, became the first Gamecocks coach to win consecutive bowl games.

Prior to his arrival, South Carolina had won only one of its previous nine bowl appearances, a 24-21 victory over West Virginia in the 1995 Carquest Bowl.

"I think our seniors have set a record for the most wins in a two-year period," Holtz said. "They also had the record for the most losses in a two-year period. That wasn't their fault. But they did it in the proper order. The seniors have given great leadership."

Ohio State (7-5), which parlayed a 26-20 victory over rival Michigan into a berth in this bowl, was making its first bowl appearance under Jim Tressel.

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For the Buckeyes, their performance in the first three quarters was all too familiar to last year's 24-7 loss to the Gamecocks. Coach John Cooper lost for the eighth time in 11 bowl games and was fired the next day.

"I was proud of the way he (Bellisari) handled this whole season," Tressel said. "I thought he came along very well as a quarterback, and then made a personal mistake. I thought he handled the effect of that. He came back and wanted to do whatever the team needed him to do."

"It's been up and down for me," Bellisari said of his career at Ohio State. "I've been through the gamut. But it's been a good career for me at Ohio State. I had a real good time."

The biggest comeback in New Year's Bowl history occured two years ago in the Outback Bowl, when Georgia rallied from a 25-point deficit to defeat Purdue, 28-25, in overtime.

Marshall erased a 30-point halftime to defeat East Carolina, 64-61, in double overtime in this year's GMAC Bowl.

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