Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Birds l Lead; I Backs Supply Punch Needed For Victory By Jerry Sanders Sports Editor Once again the Gamecocks proved to their ACC opponents that they are to be considered heavily in the "run for the orange blossoms." The Birds put on a great defen sive effort in lowering Ben Martin's Virginia Cavaliers, 27-13, in the eighth annual Tobacco Festival game at Richmond last Saturday. The Cavaliers could amass only 117 yards rushing and 49 yards passing against the South Caro lina team. And, the Carolina defense had been well versed in "Operation Bakhtiar" as the Iranian fullback gained only 53 yards in 20 attempts. Possession Pays The Gamecocks played their usual possession-type ball to the limit in the first half, and after South Carolina had kicked off to Virginia, the Cavaliers failed to dent the Gamecock territory. The Birds took the ball on their own 27 and in successive plays crossed the goal line. Seventy-three yards were con sumed in 15 plays from scrim mage. Hawkins plunged over from the three and then added the extra point to make the score 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. After the ball changed hands a few times in the second quarter the Gamecocks began rolling again. On successive rushes by Hawkins, Dixon, Johnson and Prickett, the ball was moved from South Caro lina's 33 to the Cavalier 16. Then. quarterback Prickett dropped a pass into the waiting arms of Julius Derrick, who had gotten behind the Virginia defender, and the score stood, 13-0. The at tempted conversion by Hawkins was partially blocked. Second Half Action in the second half a rejuvenated Virginia squad took the field and began closing some of the gaps in their defensive line. They openedi a few holes for themselves, but not without an inspired Game cock squad putting up great goal line stands after a series of penalties and fumbles had set the South 'Carolinians back into their own backyard. Then, before the third quarter had ended the score stood knotted at 13-13. D)ixon Streaks HIowever, the Gamecocks refused to be countedl out as Alex Hawkins and King Dixon added the power and speedi that resulted in Caro lina's third score. Dixon culmi natedi the inspiredl drive by speed Prickett Co In Football Mae)<ie Prickett, amateur ex jockey, student leader andl finally football player, has at least come of age in quarterbacking circles. Mackie's opening varsity show Ging back in 1953 was a meteor *butrst-a stunning, breathtaking leadership that steered the South Carolina Gamecocks to an upset victory over Army. His star glimmered, turned alternately dim and brilliant dur ing that year, and his daring skill --bootleg runs, keeps, sneaks and stabbing passes into the opponents' secondlary stamped him as thrill ing, a renegade from accepted quarterback principles. ACC Offense Leader in 1954 He led the Atlantic Coast Con e rence in total offense In that ophomore year and was named to the league's all-star second team. The dirums boomed Mackie for All-America honors before the geason began in his junior year. Misfortune struck freakishly andi South Carolina's hopes for a short-cut to football poll fame were dousedi when he suffered a broken middle finger before the opening game. Yet he passed and ran his way to 575 more yards of total offense, and with 1,400 yards for two years established himself as a contender for a record as one of Carolina's all-time top yardage makers. When Warren Giese took over as head coach of the Gamecocks early this year he considered Mackie and all USC. starters as equals where naming the first team was cneerned.. His practice Ilailntai )efense Hawkins-DixC Sparks USC i South Carolina's sophomore half. back combination of King Dixor and Alex Hawkins could well gc on to the gridiron heights of an other outstanding Gamecock duo Steve Wadiak and Bishop Strick land of the 1949-'50 era. As rushing artists, Wadiak and Strickland have had no peers at South Carolina. Wadiak averaged 120 yards a season for four years and Strickland 655 for three Wadiak was a Northerner, from Chicago; Strickland, a Southerner from Mullins. Comparison With Greats Another North-South pair is the Dixon-Hawkins team. Dixon, from Laurens, is lighter than eithet Wadiak or Strickland, but hi: tiell-for-leather running is remind ful of both. Hawkins, from West Virginia, strikes with abandon on defense, and his attack, like Dixon's, is three-pronged. He runs, passes and kicks. In this respect, Dixon and Hawkins are unlike Wadiak and Strickland, who were almost ex clusively ball carriers. But rushing alone seemed to be enough for Steve and his friend Wadiak's 2,899 yards of total ol fer se, all but 21 of which was gained on the ground, and Strick land's 1,965 yards rushing are easily the best any other Garie cocks have amassed. Careers Began Together Dixon and Hawkins have the advantage, however, of starting their careers together. And while they are playing not in a system that seeks the long touchdowi they still are grinding off yards, Dixon's total offense for the first three games of his varsity career was 183 yards, most of it gained on short, stabbing punches. Hawkins has passed and run for 124 yards chiefly along the same route. While both are fine break-away runners, neither has been able tc ing 49 yards for the score after key blocks were thrown by Hawkins and fullback Don John. son. Hawkins' point after touch down was good and the score was 20-13. As the game-ending horn sounded, a pass from Mackie Prickett to Alex Hawkins in the end zone brought an end to the scoring for the afternoon. The c-onversion was p)erfect and final score readl 27-13. In addlition to the offensive power displayed by the Gatmecocks, mention must h,e given to the defensive play of men like Tony Byers, Buddy Frick, Sanm Deluca, Lawvton Rogers andl the entire for ward wall. mes Of Age Circles. was to let an athlete seek his own level. New System Mackie, arbitrarily placed on the third team, moved steadily and surely to his niche in the starting lineup. He was named co-captain. Now a senior, Mackie was to learn a new systemn-new tacties, new strategy. Tatum's Praise Under Giese, Prickett has played five games. He led his team te victories over- Wofford, Duke, North Carolina and Virginia. His was an exceptional performance against a victorious Miami. Hie has drawn his coaches' commenda tions In each game, and Saturday before last, after having piloted South Carolina to a 14-0 victory over Giese's former boss, Jim Tatum, and the Tar Heels, he got the praise of Tatum himself: "Outside of Oklahoma's quarter back (Jim Harris), I think Prickett is the best split-T quarterback4 I've ever seen." Against North Carolina, Mackie looked something akin to the pros as he rolled out of the pocket, shot q1uick passes, sneaked short gains But hIs forte was generalship and therein lies his coming of age His team had not lost a fumble in the first two games; It has sel dom lost yardage and only once Irl five games and 27 passes has ii had an Interception. Though perhaps not as spectac ular as the take-a-chance Pricketi of his sophomore days, he has the firm look of a young man whosE mettle has been proved-a veterari now who hints of grreatness. ACC Shines n Combo 9ffense shake lgose on a sizable run. But the law of averages will prevail. It's a good bet that Dixon will reel off some fine oroken-field R1ins before the s,ason is long under way. And Hawkins will certainly find yardage in his running passing skill. It's very early to predict any thing like a Wadiak-Strickland career for these sophomores, but if they continue to show improve ment-well, no one can say he wasn't warned. Injury Puts Floyd Out For Season; Barrett Returns Preparations for the annual "Big Thursday" game got under way at the "flying saucer" last Tuesday with team strength at near capacity. The only member of the squad missing from practice was second-string guard Bill c !oyd of Greenville. F'loyd, a senior, underwent an operation Monday morning to re pair torn knee ligaments. 1 wa:s I injured in the 14-; loss to Miami and has been out since. T.e cast was removed last week and the need for surgery was noted. Thus, Floyd became the second member of the Gamecock squad to undergo the knife this year and be side lined for the season. Carroll Mc Clain was put out of action at the beginning of the season for a similar ailment. Jimmy Merck, a sophomore guard from Liberty, moved up to the second team from the fourth unit, to fill the gap left by the loss of Floyd. Returning to the Bird fold after an absence from the Virginia game was fullback Bobby Barrett who was injured in the North Carolina tilt after a series of first half rushing plays. However, Barrett is at present running behind Don Johnson, the junior fullback who has been doing a masterful job of adding offensive power to the Carolina victories. The squad was given a day off Monday and then practice began Tuesday for the forthcoming Clemson battle. Sessions involved acquainting the players with the typ)e of game played by the Tigers and the familiarization of the per sonnel from Clemson. Ralph Floyd, assistant coach at USC wvho has been scouting the Tigers, reports that Howard pos sesses a fine team and the game on Thursday is going to be a very close battle. Chldlenige Issued Commander WV. J. Sloan and the other instructors in the department of naval science announce that they are eager to take on any group which would like to "tackle" their volleyball Iteam. The announcement states that they will oppose either student, facult'., or combination teams. All the students and/or profes sors have to do in order to answer the challenge is to go over to the NRIOTC armory any day between 12 noon and 1 p.m. PATRI THECAMPV and DRY-CLE Next Door to I In the Ru, 1&Z2Da On Both Li Clea DI) LAUNDRY & DR ~x. RIACK 'EM UP . . . Charles rectly %hile deriving the nmost I the " Faither of Intercollegiate pnyeh around the conntry. Dui in addition to inKtructing inmer Publication (Continued from page 7) place names, but hopes to do t same for family names late Neuffer said. Increasing int..-rest in the ma; azine is evidenced by the nume ous libraries in the United Stat requesting subscriptions. Mar letters expressing interest "Names in South Carolina" ha' been received, the editor said. The next issue of the magazir will be published in November. Law Student (Continued from page 7) And Bob? Now in his third yet of Law School, he manages teach a Business Law class in t under-graduate school and keel in close touch with South Carolir politics. At the moment he claims r political ambitions, preferring build a private practice aft( graduation. "A JOY!...A SCREAM!" Crowtl-er, N. Y. Times FE RNANDEL 'TlE $IjEEP iSma V :rici TUESDAY Feat: 1:35-3:30-5:30--7:25-9:20 Matinee 50c Night 60c )NIZE S LAUNDRY ANIN6 STORE lhe Post Of fice sell House y Service iundry and nng (D E Y CLEANING Co. -nIjoymn f14I romn it, visited thet Caroimu Billiards," is currently making his 27t -ing his 'i,it here the champ perform ested studenlts in the art (of hilliards. r J4fasuri n re Y.1 Inj%met fom t, isied thee Caolina Biliads, icuretlymingt over 271 -nhi%iiheeteampu Terogs eytd sudnts in hearo hlardR. ie r r 1e marwlapa K n S . tdIor of how toi pla% the~ g.am c or hi annual tour to ii the, collge, een Amn.. unhrlie val le. trick -hiot ( l'hoto by Ken. Sturigeolli ) rfor/ HERE'S THE AUTHENTI by entic Ivy suits, and you'll reco mpromise versions. Tailored v ...with 3-button coat, high bulk-free fit. See them here. . nback of pleat less trousers Idistinguish the pure Ivy ety 3ruysoz 1347 MAIN ST. CMIAm S. C. Page Nine Gamecocks Lead ACC On Defense > The Gamecocks are leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in total defense as they have limited their opponeits to approximately 221.8 yards per game in five games, according to figures just released by the ACC Service Bureau. South Carolina is third in the conference in total offense with an average of 263.8 yards in each of its five encounters. Duke's lue Devils are currently in the lead in total offense department with :2:.h yards per game. In passing offense, Virginia, paced by Nelson Yarborough, lead- with :2 completions in 73 attempt for a total of 391 yards m1 four games. Duke is second in this category with N. C. State holding down the third spot. In individual statistics, Bill Barnes of Wake Forest is the leader with 4.7 yards garnered in 58 plays. Jim Bakhtiar of the ( aliers is second with 398 yards iin S5 plays. South Carolina's King Dixon is the third ranking total offensive threat in the ACC with 37 yards compliiledl in 70 plays, r dand Alex Hawkins, the right half back of the Hirds is in fourth position with %s2 yards gained in plays. I' 2feasu re gnize their sup ,ith exactness by midget notch on now! (LU 55.00 & 59.50 Is