The play in question even sparked arguments as to whether the players should have even been tossed.



"They said they both threw punches, and they have to throw them out," said Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, who probably didn't mind seeing Jeffery leave the field.



Asked to comment on Jeffery, Pelini said, "He's a good player."



The 51-yard TD catch of the Shaw-thrown Hail Mary to end the first half gave the Gamecocks a spike of momentum Nebraska could never overcome, but it wasn't exactly how it was drawn up.



It was supposed to be a "tip-drill" sort of pass that Jeffery was supposed to knock in the direction of teammate Ace Sanders, but the ball just came at Jeffery far too perfectly for him to bat it away.



"We practice that play all the time in practice and I'm supposed to tip it to Ace or Deangelo (Smith) but I just caught the ball and tried to score," Jeffery said.



Which he did, to give Carolina a 16-13 halftime. Nebraska never really threatened after a stalled drive at the beginning of the second half, and the Gamecocks' defense got more and more fired up with each stop.



Jeffery caught four passes in the first half for 148 yards and the touchdown, the 12th 100-yard game of his career, breaking the South Carolina record set by Sidney Rice, with whom he also tied for the record of career touchdowns at 23.



chays@tribune.com