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GAME SCHEDULE WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. Tuesday MEN’S SOCCER vs. Furman, 7 p.m. Wednesday VOLLEYBALL vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Friday WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Friday FOOTBALL vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. Saturday I BY KENT BABB THE GAMECOCK : South Carolina knew it had some changes to make after falling behind 23-10 at halftime against Alabama on Saturday. Alabama quarterback Tyler Watts had already run for more than 100 yards, and USC had forced the Crimson Tide to punt just once. v So after assigning spur safety Rashad Faison to keep an eye on Watts, USC coach Lou Holtz let the Gamecocks offense go to work. After outscoring Alabama 27-13 in the second half off a stellar per formance by quarterback Phil Pet ty, USC defeated Alabama 37-36 Saturday, Carolina’s first win over the Crimson Tide. “We had to change some things after the first half,” Holtz said. “(Offensive coordinator) Skip (Holtz) and I just decided to let the offense make some plays we had steered away from this year.” Watts scored two touchdowns while running for 162 yards. Holtz said after the game that he called on his defense at half time to regroup after allowing 308 yards in the first half. USC had entered the game al lowing 305 yards per game while giving up an average of only 12 points. The big plays came when South Carolina went to a defensive pack age in the second half that includ ed three down linemen, two line backers and six defensive backs. That allowed the Gamecocks to de fend the option with outside sec ondary players. “ The last two drives, we were able to get it [the defense] under control,” Holtz said. But Holtz said the win had a lot to do with luck, citing other lucky wins that teams had on the way to big seasons. “Whenever you play a team like Alabama, you have to be lucky to win,” he said. “We were lucky to day.” Alabama’s success wasn’t lim ited to the first half, though, as Watts continued to confound USC’s defensive front for big gains. He"ran the option for a 9 yard touchdown with 9:01 left to give the Crimson Tide a 36-24 lead. After the Gamecock defense forced Alabama to go three-and out for only the second time that day, the offense came in and scored on a 2-yard touchdown by Derek Watson to make the score 36-30. What had once seemed to be a normal defensive stand by the Gamecocks was a big deal, and de fensive coordinator Charlie Strong knew it. “We didn’t play well,” Strong said. “We never quit, though. We kept telling them somebody had to make a play. At the end, we finally did.” Linebacker Kenny Harney and defensive tackle Langston Moore dropped Alabama tailback Ah maad Galloway for a 3-yard run on first down just before Antione Ne smith popped Galloway for a 3 yard loss. “When it came down to the end, we were tired, but we couldn't let the team down,” Deandre Eiland said. Safety Jonathan Martin echoed that statement. y “We never got down on our selves,” Martin said. “We kept fight ing and telling each other it was crunch time and we had to step up.” Following the punt, Petty led USC 44 yards downfield and capped it off with a seven-yard touchdown to tight end Rod Traf ford with 2:18 remaining. "Really, there wasn't much thinking involved,” Trafford said of the catch. "I think that's when the best things turn out." Trafford’s game-winner culmi nated the series that not only gave USC the lead, but also took nearly nine minutes off the clock. That was only three minutes more than fans took to tear down the goal posts in the north endzone for the third time in two years. “They’re ranked, we’re not. They’re undefeated, we’re not. We come into their place, they beat us and they tear down the goal posts,” Alabama coach Dennis Franchione said. “What does that tell you? It tells you we’re Alaba >» ma. Holtz just joked about tearing down the posts. “Do you realize how many pieces of that thing I’m going to have to sign?” he asked. USC continues Southeastern Conference play at 1 p.m. Satur day when Kentucky visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated the Wildcats last year 27-17. For more about Saturday’s games, go to www.dailygamecock.com Gamecock defensive end Jonathan Alston makes quick work of Alabama quarterback Tyler Watts, resulting in a fumble. PHOTO BY TRAVIS LYNN Men continue winning streak Gamecocks end 3-game stand at Graveyard with 2-0 victory over Cougars BY KYLE ALMOND THE GAMECOCK The USC men's soccer team won its fifth straight game Sun day, defeating the College of Charleston 2-0 at the Graveyard. Jordan Quinn and Ray Fisch er scored goals for the No. 17 Gamecocks (6-1), who have only lost once to Charleston in 18 meet ings. “They have excellent person nel, so to get a shutout against them is an important accom plishment,” USC head coach Mark Berson said about the vis iting team, who dropped to 1-4-1 with the loss. USC dominated play for most of the match and rarely looked to be in danger. The Gamecocks out shot the Cougars 16-5 and held a 9-3 advantage in comer kicks. “I thought defensively we were very sound,” Berson said. “There really weren't too many break downs. A couple of times we did n't press out on their shooters, but I thought defensively we were well-organized.” Quinn scored an opportunistic goal at the 37:54 mark to open the scoring. Sophomore defender Jordan Smith ripped a shot from 25 feet that beat Charleston goalkeeper Wes Martino but hit the left post. Quinn was there to punch in the rebound and give Carolina a 1-0 lead. Fischer came in as a substitute for Quinn late in the game and scored his first goal as a Gamecock in the 74th minute. Smith and midfielder Chris Her ron were credited with the assist. Including Fischer and Herron, Berson put seven substitutes in the game. Also seeing playing time were Ryan Barber, Tony Vitagliano and freshmen Antho ny Stovall, Jacob Cavanaugh and Kolby Runager. “We got to have a lot of guys get on the field that have worked hard, and I was really pleased to see them come in and make a dif ference,” Berson said. “I thought they really made a difference to ward the end of the game, keep ing pressure on the College of Charleston, and that was impor tant for our win.” Michael Bachmeyer recorded his third shutout of the season Sunday. He had two saves in the match. Since the team's first two games, Bachmeyer has only sur rendered two goals. Sunday's game concluded a three-game homestand, and now the Gamecocks hit the road to face two more in state rivals. USC will take on No. 22 Furman Wednesday and then Clemson on Sunday. After the team's long layoff be cause of the Sept. 11 tragedies, USC has shown a renewed sense of focus. “We told the team (after the tragedies) that this stretch of six games is very important in defin ing our season,” Berson said. “Now, we’re 4-0 and have two very important games next week. Both are on the road, so those will be big challenges.” USC holds a 16-5-3 lead in the overall series with Furman, but it hasn’t beat Clemson since 1995. The Tigers also have a 17-10-1 ad vantage in the overall series. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Gamecock midfielder Jack Cummings keeps the ball away from a College of Charleston defender during their game Sunday. PHOTO BY AARON HARK Gamecock offense steps up in victory BY KENT BABB THE GAMECOCK For the first three games of the season, it has been the Gamecock’s defense that has wowed crowds and stymied op ponents. Just look at their last two games. The Gamecocks defeated Georgia 14-9 and didn’t allow a touchdown. And last week, USC topped Mississippi State 16-14, al lowing scoring drives on only the first and last series. But in Saturday’s thrilling 37 36 win over Alabama, it was the offense that turned heads while the defense struggled to get things going. “I said all week I was a little worried defensively,” USC head coach Lou Holtz said. “They had tremendous success running the option. The last two drives, we were able to get it under control.” Alabama’s offensive line blew USC’s defensive front off the ball, allowing quarterback Tyler Watts to run for nearly 100 yards before halftime. But at the half, Holtz called a defensive change that included removing the second linebacker and placing spur safety Rashad Faison to watch Watts. Watts was still able to find holes in the second half, but for the most part, Carolina halted the charge that had put a scare into the 84,100 in attendance. Senior linebacker Kalimba Ed wards wasn't surprised the move worked. “Everything coach Holtz does works,” Edwards sqid. “We stopped the run and the pass with one defense. Coach Holtz's knowl edge on football borders on ge nius.” The Crimson Tide had 16 plays of 10 yards or more until the final nine minutes of the game. Alaba ma fumbled seven times but only lost two. “We forced them to put the ball on the ground, but we couldn’t get to it,” Strong said. The Gamecocks scored on a two-yard run by Derek Watson to cut Alabama’s lead to 36-30, and the USC defense stopped the Crimson Tide the rest of the way. Watts looked like a Heisman Trophy contender in the first three and a half quarters. He com pleted 20-of-25 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. But his running ability in the option was what gave USC the most trouble. He ran for a game high 162 yards and two touch downs. He's the first Crimson Tide quarterback to run for 100 yards since 1982. Strong said the Gamecocks’ main problem was with the play ers covering their zones. “You have to stay with your re sponsibilities with the option,” Strong said. “Sometimes, guys tried to overplay or take someone else's responsibilities.” Even though the defense that allowed only two touchdowns al lowed five Saturday, defensive tackle Langston Moore summed things up best. “They should’ve put us away, but we have a great will to win,” he said. 1