South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw helped score all five of his team's touchdowns, throwing for three, rushing for one, and receiving for one.
Ninth year head coach Steve Spurrier led the Gamecocks into the 2014 Capital One Bowl with a 10 win, 2 loss record.
From there, they won four consecutive games, including a win against Central Florida, the Knights' only loss of the regular season.
After a narrow loss to Tennessee, South Carolina closed their season winning five consecutive games before entering the bowl.
[5] Led by first-year head coach Gary Andersen, the Badgers entered the bowl with a nine win, three loss record.
[10] College football prognosticators and analysts were divided in forecasting the game, relatively evenly split between picking South Carolina and Wisconsin.
The Gamecocks only give up just over 200 passing yards per game, so should push come to shove, the Badgers may be out of luck trusting their fate to Stave."
[12] 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) sophomore Joel Stave played quarterback, and completed 199 of his 323 passes (62%) for 2414 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Senior tight end Jacob Pedersen was the team's second-leading receiver with 36 receptions, 501 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
A trio of other wide receivers – senior Jeff Duckworth, sophomore Jordan Frederick, and freshman Alex Erickson – also contributed, with each catching between 8 and 10 passes and between 100 and 200 yards.
[25][26] Two kickers contributed during the season – sophomore Jack Russell, who made 8 of 11 field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards, and junior Kyle French, who made 5 of his 8 field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards ... French kicked at the beginning of the season, but midway through, Russell replaced him.
[29] At linebacker, undersized (6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) 205 pounds (93 kg)) freshman Skai Moore started on the weak side, leading the defense with 51 total tackles.
On the strong side, also known as the "spur" position, as it is a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker,[34] junior Sharrod Golightly started and recorded 44 tackles and 6 TFL, as well as 1.5 sacks.
[32] Sophomore Marquis Roberts was also a key contributor, playing in all games, and finishing third on the defense with 46 tackles, as was freshman T. J. Holloman, who recorded three interceptions, tied for the team lead.
[35] Anchoring the secondary was fifth-year senior cornerback Jimmy Legree, who finished second on the defense with 47 tackles, including 5.5 TFL, as well as 3 interceptions, which was tied for the team lead.
For South Carolina to succeed offensively, they needed to establish a dual-threat attack with Connor Shaw, needing him to rush in addition to pass, coupling his rushing ability with Mike Davis; it would be difficult, however, for them to do so, as Wisconsin featured a veteran front seven on defense: Badgers have gone up against several dual-threat quarterbacks this season and had success, for the most part, at limiting their running ability.
Fellow senior Conor O'Neill also started on the inside, and recorded 39 tackles, including 4.5 TFL and 2 sacks.