Chris Thompson rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown and the No. 23 Florida State defense forced five turnovers en route to a 26-17 victory over No. 20 South Carolina on Friday in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

E.J. Manuel came in for an injured Christian Ponder in the second half and completed 11-of-15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown for the Seminoles (10-4), who were playing in the school’s 29th consecutive bowl game - the longest streak in the nation. They improved to 24-14-2 all-time in bowl games.

Florida State forced turnovers on two of the Gamecocks' first three possessions, and turned each into a field goal to take a 6-0 lead after the first quarter. Thompson picked up the game’s first touchdown in late in the second when he broke free for a 27-yard score with 1:08 to go before the half.

South Carolina (9-5) got on the board with a field goal right before the half, and scored its first touchdown in the third quarter when wide receiver Ace Sanders tossed a 3-yard pass to quarterback Stephen Garcia to make it 16-10.

The Gamecocks got back within a score early in the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles put it away when Manuel hooked up with Taiwan Easterling on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:42 remaining.