TAMPA, Fla. – So Ryan Brewer’s too small, eh?The diminutive South Carolina running back and former Ohio Mr. Football may have been one of the smallest players on the field yesterday, but he played like a man twice his size, torching Ohio State for 219 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Gamecocks’ 24-7 domination of Ohio State at the Outback Bowl.The stellar performance was sweet revenge for the Troy, Ohio native, who was virtually ignored by John Cooper and the Ohio State coaching staff during the recruiting process in high school because he was deemed too small for major college football. Brewer’s got the last laugh now, though.”It was a dream game for me and a dream come true,” Brewer said. “I’ve always wanted to play against Ohio State. Once I knew we were playing them, I couldn’t sleep or anything. I’m not sure if I realize yet what happened out there.”Brewer did it all for the Gamecocks. Not only did the 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore rush for a game- and career-high 109 yards, he also caught three passes for 92 yards and returned two punts for 18 yards. Brewer’s three touchdowns and 18 points each tied Outback Bowl records. After Brewer’s big performance, Cooper congratulated him on the field.”He (Cooper) said we all make mistakes,” Brewer said. “He was just being gracious and respectful. That meant a lot to me because we never really exchanged many words. All I heard were negative things, but I never really took them to heart. I respect the man and I respect Ohio State.””He played a great ballgame,” Cooper said of Brewer. “I told him that on the field after the game. I can imagine how happy he is right now. I told him that I had the same thing happen to me in high school. I wasn’t offered a scholarship by anybody, so I had to go away to play college football. I had a decent career, but I didn’t have that kind of game.”Brewer rushed for an Ohio single-season record 2,864 yards during his senior season in 1998, capping off a 7,656-yard rushing career at Troy High School. Despite his sparkling numbers, Ohio State wanted nothing to do with him and made no effort to recruit him. With Ohio State out of the picture, Brewer picked South Carolina and head coach Lou Holtz over Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.”What can I say about the performance of Ryan Brewer,” Holtz said. “In our pregame warmup, Ryan dropped a ball and I grabbed him by the throat – I wasn’t trying to harm him of course. I told him he didn’t need to prove anything to anybody or to Ohio State. You’re here to help your team win and the longer the game went, the better he played.”After the pre-game joking from his coach, Brewer went off in the second half, scoring all three of the Gamecock touchdowns – one receiving and two rushing. His third touchdown was a two-yard run closing a 12-play, 45-yard drive which ate 7:10 off the clock and gave South Carolina a commanding 24-7 lead with 6:11 remaining in the contest, adding to the Buckeyes’ misery.”Being from Ohio, I’m sure he went out there with something to prove,” said Ohio State linebacker Joe Cooper. “He was on today, period. We knew they would come out and try to make him a star. They did it and we just didn’t respond to it.”Brewer led South Carolina to 218 yards on the ground, by far the most allowed by the stingy Ohio State defense this season. The Buckeyes came into the contest with the Big Ten’s top-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 91.6 yards per game on the ground. They were rocked by Brewer and the Gamecock rushing attack despite the fact that starting running back Derek Watson was suspended last week for a violation of team rules.”They didn’t make any new plays for him (Brewer),” said Ohio State defensive end Brent Johnson. “We just didn’t stop him when we had to. He played a great game.”