University of South Carolina Libraries
USC Schedule ■ Men’s basketball vs. Court Authority, Wednesday ■ Women’s soccer at SEC tournament, Thursday Monday, November 1,1999 Tennessee’s Big Plays Doom Gamecocks, 30-7 Martin and Lewis run over USC by Kyle Almond Staff Writer Knqxvlle, Tenn. - South Carolina’s in famous losing streak continued for an other week, as the Gamecocks dropped their 19th straight game to defending na tional champion Tennessee, 30-7. A crowd of 105,941 witnessed the No. 4 Volunteers coast to their sixth win of the season against a USC team that con tinued its offensive struggles. The Gamecocks (0-9,0-7 Southeast ern Conference) didn’t get on the board until their final drive, when fieshman quar terback Mikal Goodman connected with a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Ben Fleming. The previous 12 offensive drives resulted in nine punts, a missed field goal, an interception and a turnover on downs. The Vols (6-1,4-1) didn’t have any trouble scoring on a Gamecock defense ranked ninth in the nation. Quarterback Tee Martin’s screen pass to tailback On terrio Smith capped a six-play, 63-yard opening drive that put the Vols on top for good with 12:16 left in the first quarter. UT tailback Jamal Lewis extended the lead to 14-0 in the second quarter when he broke off a 70-yard touchdown run across the field. Lewis, who hurt his shoulder in the second half and didn’t re turn, finished the game with 146 rush ing yards on 14 carries, an average of 10.4 yards per carry. “Jamal Lewis really is a great back,” USC head coach Lou Holtz said after the game. “He runs very hard, very physical, and their offensive line is physical.” “They don’t have a weakness,” he said of the Tennessee offense. The Carolina defense responded af ter the Lewis touchdown, intercepting a Martin pass and keeping the Tennessee offense out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. But the USC offense was inef fective and couldn’t capitalize on its defensive efforts. Holtz mentioned that Carolina’s game plan coming in was to control the line of scrimmage and limit field position. That strategy never worked out, thanks to big plays by the Volunteer offense. In addition to Lewis’ 70-yard scam per, Martin completed two passes to wide receiver Donte Stallworth of 48 and 71 yards, the latter setting up a 1 -yard touch down run to running back Phillip Cros by “When you give up the big play and get hurt in the kicking game like we did,” Holtz said, “field position goes out the window.” For the second week in a row, the Gamecocks had fewer turnovers than their opponent. Their only turnover was an in terception from quarteiback Carlos Spikes in the fourth quarter. “We did a better job of protecting the football,” Holtz said. “We just have to control the line of scrimmage better.” Spikes, who shared time with Goodman at quarterback, finished as the Gamecocks’ leading rusher with 29 yards. Goodman played most of the series, com pleting seven-of-14 passes with 121 yards in the air. USC is off next week before facing the Florida Gators on Nov. 13 at Williams Brice Stadium. Florida is ranked fifth in the nation, is in first place in the'SEC East and defeated Tennessee earlier in the sea son. Despite the loss, Holtz was in a much better mood than he was after last week’s Vanderbilt game and was quick to point out the game’s positives. “It was a great experience for our foot ball players,” Holtz said. “They need to understand what it takes on this level against a team like Tennessee.” Sean Rayford photo eoitor Running back Derek Watson finds a hole against Ole Miss earlier this season. Watson was mostly held in check in Carolina’s loss to Tennessee on Saturday, picking up just 23 yards on 11 carries. Big plays aside, USC finds positives by Todd Money Sports Editor Knoxville, Tenn. - After a 30-7 loss, it’s usually tough for any team to find positives, things to glance at later and be en couraged by. It’s even tougher when a team’s in the midst of a 19-game losing streak. But Saturday’s loss for USC was different. Fnst, instead of wearing down the Gamecocks with tiring, time-consuming drives as they have against several other teams this season, Ten nessee won this game on big plays at crucial moments. Jamal Lewis’ 70-yard run in the second quarter provided UT’s second touchdown. Donte’ Stallworth made 71 - and 48 yard catches in the second half, one which went for a score. And another Vol score came after a 43-yard punt return brought Tennessee to the USC 33-yard line. Second, though, Carolina should have been able to find several positives in the game. “They’re not 30 points better than us,” USC comerback Sheldon Brown said afterward. “If you take some of the big plays back, the game is not 30-0.” It was that score until quarterback Mikal Goodman zipped a 24-yard pass over the middle for a touchdown to receiver Ben Fleming with less than a minute remaining." Though Carolina couldn’t do the un-doable against the Volunteers this season — rush for a touchdown — they did run for 103 yards. The Vols were holding opponents to 69.3 yards rushing on the season coming in, and the Gamecocks owned the nation’s 108th-ranked rushing offense entering the game. USC was also able to hold on to the ball during the game, something it hasn’t exactly built a reputation for in 1999. Only when a wobbly Carlos Spikes pass late in the fourth quar ter fell into the hands of Tennessee’s Dwayne Goodrich did the Gamecocks commit a turnover. Comparatively, the Vols had three. For USC, Ryan Brewer kept the Gamecocks in it by continuously returning punts for big yardage, with the biggest at 29 yards. Time of possession, though obviously not a huge factor in the game, was laigely controlled by Carolina, with the Game cocks holding the ball for 34:38 to Tennessee’s 25:22. Finally, it could be said that the Gamecocks exacted a mea sure of revenge against UT quarterback Tee Martin. Martin had the game of his life against USC last season, throwing for 315 yards, setting an NCAA record with 23 straight com pleted passes and guiding the Vols to a 49-14 blowout win in Columbia. This time, Martin found the going a little tougher. He did complete 11 of 23 passes for 216 yards, but he was pres sured all day by an improved USC defensive line. “I thought we did a good a job containing Tee Martin,” Holtz said. Martin is also known as a running threat. Coming into Sat urday, he had picked up 144 yards on the ground. Against USC, he had just seven yards on five rushes. Not that he didn’t make the plays when they counted. “You just believe when you give somebody the ball inside your 10-yard line, they aren’t going to get very many points on you by driving the ball the length of the field, and yet they did it because of big plays,” Holtz said Shackled volleyball squad shut out by Florida Sean Rayford photo editor USC’s Bema Dwyer, left, and Sam Alban, right, try to block a shot Sunday against Florida. by David Cloninger Assistant Sports Editor The Gamecock volleyball team, once again crippled by injury, lost 3-0 Sunday to the Florida Gators. The Gamecocks had beaten the Lady Gators only once in 14 matches during coach Kim Christo pher’s tenure. USC, playing without All-South eastern Conference performers Cally Plummer and Crystal Moore, had its back against the wall coming in. USC tried to combat those negative vibes with a new approach. Starting four freshmen (Julie Neiser, Sam Alban, Bema Dwyer and Megan Hosp) for the first time under Christopher, the Gamecocks managed to get the first point of the match in Game 1. But Florida’s senior trio of Jenny Manz, Jenny White head and Jennifer Sanchez quickly killed all hopes of a USC upset. Florida (21 -2,12-0 SEC) jumped to a 5-1 lead before USC tied the score. This wasn’t enough for a major offensive outburst, though, as the Gators reeled off four straight to make it 9-5. Following a Manz error, USC closed the gap to three. From there, it was all Florida, as the La dy Gators scored six of the next seven points to win, 15-7. After USC went up 2-1 in Game 2, the Gators scored seven straight points. Down 8-2, Caroli na’s Neiser knocked a kill past the Florida defense to give the Gamecocks some momentum. How ever, any added boost was quickly negated as Flori da racked up six more points, turned the ball over, then scored one more to take the game, 15-4. Game 3 saw Florida take advantage of USC’s undersized line, running to a 12-0 lead before the Gamecocks stopped the carnage mo mentarily with a Neiser kill and two Gator errors. Florida, sensing its fifth straight Eastern Division Championship, quickly ended the threat with three points and a 15-3 win. “Wfe were very young out there today,” Christo pher said afterward. “With Crystal’s back both ering her, we decided to go ahead and start Julie Neiser. We showed promise today at times, but Florida is a very good team led by seniors and ju nior Heather Wright.” Florida was helped by Manz’s 11 kills and a .556 hitting percentage from Jerilyn Hattendorf, not to mention a .342 percentage as a team. USC, coming off its negative hitting percentage last week at Florida, managed to pull even with a .000 per centage. USC’s leaders were Dwyer with 10 kills and a team-leading .250 percentage from Hosp. USC (12-9, 6-4 SEC) will play at Georgia Thursday and then play host to the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday for Senior Day. The match will be the last home match of the season and will be the fi nal home match for seniors Crystal Moore and Danika Taylor. The Slate (late game not included) National Football Conference East Division W L Home Road Div Str Washington 5 2 3-1 2-1 2-2 W-l Dallas 4 3 3-0 1-3 3-1 L-2 New York Giants 4 3 2-1 2-2 2-2 W-2 Arizona 2 5 1-3 1-2 2-2 L-2 Philadelphia 2 6 1-3 1-3 1-3 L-2 Central Division Detroit 4 2 2-1 2-1 2-0 W-2 Green Bay 4 2 3-0 1-2 2-1 W-l Minnesota 4 4 2-2 2-2 1-3 W-2 Tampa Bay 3 3 2-1 1-2 0-2 W-l Chicago 3 5 2-2 1-3 1-0 L-3 West Division St. Louis 6 1 4-0 2-1 3-0 L-l San Francisco 3 4 2-1 1-3 1-2 L-3 Carolina 2 5 1-2 1-3 1-2 L-2 Atlanta 2 6 1-3 1-3 2-2 W-l New Orleans 1 6 1-3 0-3 1-2 L-6 American Football Conference East Division W L Home Road Div Str Miami 6 1 2-1 4-0 2-1 W-4 New England 6 2 3-1 3-1 2-1 W-2 Indianapolis 5 2 4-1 1-1 2-2 W-3 Buffalo 5 3 3-1 2-2 2-1 W-l New York Jets 1 6 0-4 1-2 0-3 L-3 Central Division Tennessee 6 1 4-0 2-1 4-0 W-3 Jacksonville 6 1 2-1 4-0 3-1 W-4 Pittsburgh 4 3 1-2 3-1 3-1 W-2 Baltimore 2 5 1-3 1-2 1-2 L-4 Cincinnati 1 7 0-4 1-3 1-3 L-3 Cleveland 1 7 0-3 1-4 0-5 W-l West Division Kansas City 5 2 4-0 1-2 2-1 W-3 Seattle 4 2 2-1 2-1 1-1 W-l San Diego 4 3 2-2 2-1 2-1 L-l Oakland 4 4 2-2 2-2 0-2 L-l Denver 2 6 1-3 1-3 1-1 L-2 / Weekend’s Top News NFL Scores (Home team in CAPS) • FALCONS 27, Panthers 20 • Bills 13, RAVENS 10 • Jaguars 41, BENGALS 10 • CHIEFS 34, Chargers 0 • Browns 21, SAINTS 16 • Giants 23, EAGLES 17 • TITANS 24, Rams 21 • REDSKINS 48, Bears 22 • Dolphins 16, RAIDERS 9 • Patriots 27, CARDINALS 3 • Vikings 23 , BRONCOS 20 • COLTS 34, Cowboys 24 • Tiger Woods wins year’s biggest purse, the Tour Championship • Don Baylor accepts offer to manage Chicago Cubs next season Charlie Wallace Senior Writer Stewart’s triumph not forgotten In the world of sports, where it of ten seems that everything revolves around money and the purity of the game is lost, occasionally there is an athlete who makes us forget every thing that is corrupt about sports. On one Sunday afternoon this summer in a misty rain, the game of golf gave the world a reason to smile. In a world of corporate sponsors, tele vision contracts and inflated egos, a 42-year-old father captivated the heart of a nation on Father’s Day. This man was Payne Stewart, a remarkable human being. Tragedy struck last week, however, as his Lear jet crashed, leaving the sporting world without one of its great ambassadors. But the legacy he left will never be forgotten. Not only was Stewart a great com petitor in one of the toughest sports, he was also a great man. In fact, Stewart was always my favorite golfer. He had a certain flair about him that made you want to like the guy. Maybe it was his desire to win, or his confident attitude. Either way, he provided my all-time favorite golf mflmrvrw tnic cnmmor The 99th U.S. Open, golfs na tional championship, was played three hours away from Columbia in Pine hurst, N.C., the money-making golf capital of the world. The man who had led the tour nament, Phil Mickelson, a 29-year old father-to-be, left his wife at home for this one. With his wife expect ing a daughter on June 30, Mickel son wanted nothing less than to have a wonderful birthday present for his new child. A man who grew up in San Diego with a chipping green in his backyard and was taught by his father had a chance to win his first major tournament. Then there was Tiger Woods. The 23-year-old prodigy, already a Mas ters champion, was primed to take another step toward golf greatness. This was another chance for Woods to show why he was being called the best pure golfer since Jack Nick laus. And finally, there was perhaps the real darkhorse in this race. Stewart, father of two, a husband and a U.S. Open champion in 1991, kept hang ing around as he and Mickelson played in the last group of the day. He would have to rely on experience and learn some new tricks if his Father’s Day gift were to be delivered. Eventually, Woods faltered. After each hole, he would have to hear the cheers behind him for his two coun terparts as they played out a duel of the fates. A Mickelson bogey and a mirac ulous 30-foot putt by Stewart to save par gave Stewart a one-stroke lead. With two holes left, the drama mount ed. Flaying an ever-increasing rain fall, the two stepped up to the tee at the par-three 17th hole. Stewart’s tee shot landed four feet from the pin. Down a stroke, it looked as if Mick elson was done in. With the pressure building, Mick elson knew he would need to make a shot as perfect as Stewart’s. He did just that. However, his next putt, a 6 foot try for birdie, just missed. As Stewart made his putt to keep a one stroke lead, you could see the anguish on Mickelson’s face. He would, how ever, have one last chance. On the last tee shot of the tour nament for Stewart, he landed his ball on the right side of the rough. A birdie was out of the question. However, if Mickelson wanted to pull even, all he needed to do was stay straight. His drive went right down the middle of the fairway. Stewart was forced to lay up to the green, and his birdie shot was a chip that left him with about a 15 foot putt for par. Mickelson, who was on the green already, just missed his birdie putt. As he tapped in for par, he knew along with the majority of the spectators that it would take a mir acle for Stewart to make his par putt. Wallace see page ti