USC, Michigan crowds hit the beach for the annual Outback Bowl pep rally
{module Clearwater Beach Day}
TAMPA, FLA. - The Outback Bowl hosted its annual Clearwater Beach Day Sunday, where Gamecock and Wolverine fans mingled and were treated to live music, refreshments, marching bands and fun competition. USC freshman defensive end Ashton Holmes brought home the key lime pie-eating contest trophy, downing eight mini pies in two minutes. The Gamecock cheerleaders were bested by the Michigan squad in a spirited tug-of-war battle.
Fans from near and far were getting geared up for Tuesday's game. Cheers of "Game! Cocks!" were met with the Wolverine fans' shouts of "Go Blue!" Seventeen-year-old Annemarie Kidd, a Gamecock fan currently living in Tampa with her family, said the USC crowd is like a family to her.
"No matter where you go, everybody's high-fiving. It's like, 'Hey, brother!'...It's just the spirit," Kidd said.