Associated Press reports

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Connecticut Huskies made a statement in the Southeastern Conference's backyard, while Steve Spurrier and South Carolina left embarrassed by what the coach described as a "sad, sad effort."

Andre Dixon rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown and resilient Connecticut ended a trying season with a 20-7 victory over the Gamecocks in the Papajohns.com Bowl on Saturday.

"I was a little worried that the season had been so long and so tough on them that I didn't see a whole lot of emotion from them," Huskies coach Randy Edsall said. "But I guess they were just saving it up for today.

"I told them in the locker room [after the game] that they're never going to be around something like this for the rest of their lives. In all my years of coaching, I have never been around a team like this. It's hard to describe unless you've been through the ride with us."

It was a choppy one. The Huskies (8-5) are 3-1 in bowl games since moving up to Division I-A (now FBS) in 2002, but this was their first win over an SEC team -- and it came in the powerhouse league's home base. They won their final three regular-season games and overcame the October stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard to reach a bowl.

"We talked about earning respect," Edsall said. "We came down here against an SEC team in the heart of one of the passionate areas in the country for college football. We wanted to be able to show what kind of program that we have, and I think we did that very well."

UConn won't get much argument from the Gamecocks (7-6). The nation's 95th-rated pass defense throttled South Carolina and quarterback Stephen Garcia while the offense relied on Dixon's 33 carries to control the ball.

The senior said he and his teammates drew motivation from Howard's memory. He was killed in a fight outside a school-sponsored dance Oct. 18.

"This is a really special team," Dixon said. "It says something about our character and how strong of a family UConn is and how tight we are. It's just amazing when 105 guys come together and commit themselves to doing something great and then they do it."

Dixon was the Most Valuable Player and joined teammate Jordan Todman as 1,000-yard rushers, the first time two UConn backs have surpassed that mark in the same season.

Garcia completed just 16 of 38 passes for 129 yards while gaining 56 yards on 15 carries. He lost a fumble, was intercepted once and didn't get much help. An emotional Garcia called the Gamecocks' performance "very disappointing."

He said they never got it going, "and it shows on the scoreboard."

It was another difficult postseason chapter for the Gamecocks, who are now 4-11 in bowl games and 1-3 under Spurrier. They have been outscored 51-17 the past two years including a loss to Iowa in last season's Outback Bowl.

This one was marred by dropped passes, a missed interception and costly penalties that kept a mostly garnet-and-black clad crowd subdued -- and steadily shrinking by the fourth quarter. Spurrier couldn't blame them for leaving early.

"The first thing I want to do is apologize to about 30,000 Gamecocks who came here to see a football game, and we couldn't put one on," he said. "I thought we were ready to play. But obviously our offense was very sad and our defense wasn't as good as it's been most of the time. We thoroughly got beat by a better team, a better disciplined team."

Leading receiver Alshon Jeffery was held to three catches for 28 yards, all in the first half. Tailback Kenny Miles had just six carries for 24 yards.

"We missed things the whole day. Passes, tackles," Spurrier said. "I'm embarrassed. Blame me. It was a sad, sad effort, especially the offense."

COTTON BOWL

Ole Miss 21, No. 21 Oklahoma St. 7

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dexter McCluster gave Mississippi fans a finale to remember, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 2-yard run on a direct snap with 4:03 left as the Rebels beat No. 21 Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

McCluster also had an 86-yard TD run in the second quarter after the senior had already become the first Southeastern Conference player with 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season.

Ole Miss (9-4) had five turnovers in the game, but Oklahoma State had six in the fourth quarter, and seven overall.

The Rebels failed to capitalize on Kendrick Lewis' two interceptions, but McCluster scored after a fumble to break a 7-7 tie. Patrick Trahan picked up another fumble and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown less than a minute later, then intercepted a deflected fourth-down pass by Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson on the next drive.

The Cowboys (9-4) missed a chance for their first 10-win season since 1988 when coach Mike Gundy was their starting quarterback. Ole Miss coach and former Oklahoma State quarterback Houston Nutt was one of their coaches then.

Nutt has led to Rebels to consecutive 9-4 seasons, both capped by Cotton Bowl victories. Ole Miss had lost all eight of its SEC games in 2007 before Nutt replaced the fired Ed Orgeron.

INTERNATIONAL BOWL

South Florida 27, Northern Illinois 3

TORONTO -- Mike Ford ran for a career-high 207 yards and scored one touchdown, and B.J. Daniels threw two scoring passes to A.J. Love.

Carlton Mitchell caught six passes for 94 yards for the Bulls, who won back-to-back bowls for the first time. South Florida beat Memphis 41-14 in last year's St. Petersburg Bowl, part of a streak of five straight bowl appearances.

South Florida scored 24 unanswered points in the second half after the teams traded field goals in a dreary first half.

Ford had just one carry in the first half but broke out in the third, rushing 12 times for 106 yards.