Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ct' Tommy Suggs Quarterback Billy DuPre Place Kicker 1970 S Sept. 12-Georgia' Tech at Sept. 19-WAKE FOREST IN Sept. 26-N. C. State a Ra Oct. 3-VIRGINIA TECH 11 Oct. 10-North Carolina at Oct. 17-Moryland at Colle Oct. 24-FLORIDA STATE IW Oct. 31-Georgia at Atheni Nov. 7-TENNESSEE IN CA --Now 4-DUKE IN CAROMI Nov.... CIenson at Clme Al Usher Linebacker Chris Bank Off. Guard 6 -S t fotbaVchampionship with a voter squad, numbering 36 ht with a monogram ed as the starter at all 22 on the pre-season depth Upwever, this doesn't mean that Ih./Gamecocks don't have some Obstion marks or that there are no rising sophomores capable of breaking into the starting lineup. It es mean that Coach Paul Dietzel his staff have more depth and oiience than they have been hUa"dl with in recent years. "Wi have a big football team and *e have more experienced teaum' says Dietzel. "We think we wl; a good football team, but whefi you look at our highlight film of last year it looks like a Muir, gegler, Holloman, Suggs highlight and only Suggs is returning from that four this fall." All-American fullback Warren Mkir, who rushed 969 yards last ,19r and 2,182 in three years with 20 touchdowns; all-time ACC pass receiving champion Fred Zeigler, who caught 146 for 1,876 yards in three seasons; and versatile tailback Rudy Holloman, who rushed 1,010 yards and caught 55 passes, were among the 11 seniors who graduated from the 1969 squad. There were some mighty good football players among the other seven also, including All ACC defensive halfback Pat Watson who along with middle guard Don Buckner was 1969 co captain. Heading the list of returnees are chedule A0anta, Ga., 2 P.M. CAROLINA STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. leigh, N. C., 1:30 P.M. 4 CAROLINA STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. Chapel Hill, N. C., 1:30 ge Park, Md., 1:30 P.M. I CAROLINA STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. . Go., 2 P.M. ROUNA STADIUM, 2 P.M. 4A STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. on, 3, C., 1:30 P.M. three All-ACC stars including co captains Jimmy Poston and Dave DeCamilla, and pint-sized s&cer style kicking specialist Billy DuPre. Poston is a 6-4, 270 pound defensive tackle with All-America capabilities and DeCamilla is a 6-2, 244-pound offensive tackle who won the South Carolina Jacobs Blocking Trophy last year in ad dition to making all-conference. Safetyman Tyler Hellams and linebacker Al Usher, both pre season All-ACC picks last year, were knocked out of action by injuries-Hellams with a fractured leg and Usher with torn ankle ligaments. Both, along with 1968 letterman split end Eddie Bolton who sat out 1969 with a fractured ankle, are back at full speed after sitting on the sidelines in the championship year. They \join 33 lettermen from last year to total Dick Harris Def. Halfback Rusty Ganas Def T-acl three dozen mongram winners. QUARTERBACK STRONG Quarterback Tommy Suggs, who in two seasons has rewritten the Gamecock records for passing and total offense, heads a strong cast of signal callers. Two-year letter winer Randy Yoakum appears in John Bridger Passing game danger of losing his backup role to either Tommy Rhodes or Glenn Morris - both redshirt sophmores - while brilliant prospect Jackie Young appears headed for a redshirt year. Billy Ray Rice at tailback and Head Tommy Simmons at fullback, who rushed 130 and 107 yards as sophomore reserves, are the listed starters at the two running back spots, but sophomores Russ Kuritz and Chuck Mimms will mount strong challengers as will non letterman Junior Bob Miranda, one of the heroes of "Cockfight '70," the annual spring intra-squad game, when he rushed 87 yards and scored two touchdowns. Jim Mitchell, a junior who caught seven passes for 125 yards in the spring game, and Mike Haggard, a rising sophomore who caught five for 131 including a 95 yard touchdown paly, are the chief candidates to succeed Zei.gler as the top wide receiver. Mitchell doubled as a punt return specialist las.t year and helped beat N.C. State with a 72 yeard touchdown return. Pride Ratterree Def. tackles and ends Benny Padgett BIG LINEMEN Doug Hamrick, who caught 30 passes in two seasons as the starting tight end, is in danger of losing his job to junior Billy Freeman, who had a great spring practice. The interior linemen are big, with co-captain Dave Dick Weldon Off. Backfield DeCamilla (244) and Rick Hipkins (254), both seniors, at the tackles; senior Chris Bank (232) at one guard and juniors Richie Moye (214) and Ken Wheat (242 battling for the other, and massive Danny Dyches (270) at center. Coach Paul I Defensively, the line is huge, the line-backers are experienced and the secondary is relatively small, although not as small as last year when the 151-pound senior class president and co-captain Pat Watson was an all-conference performer. The Gamecocks lost two fine defensive ends in Dave Lucas and Lynn Hodge, but have two-yeaar lettermen, Jimmy Pope (220) and Joe Wingard (224), returning. However, Pope had post-season knee surgery and skipped all rough work in the spring. Red shirt sophomore Dean Hall and non letterman senior Don Brant figure to back up Pope and Wingard. Co-captain Poston (270) and Rusty Ganas (257) give the Gamecocks two defensive tackles who have started since their sophomore seasons and are John Menger Def. perimeter Doug Hamrick Tight endl ootb talented performers. Jake Wright (232 lettered as a sophomQre but missed spring practice with a broken foot. Sophomore John LeHup (240) is a bright prospect. The return of Usher (214) gives the Gamecocks five lettermen at the three middle positions - William Shalosky., Off. Line . strong and weak line-backer and middle guard - and the coaches frequently switch positions around with several seeing action at more than one position, depending upon the game situation. Pat Kohout (225) started )ietzel most of last year at middle guard as a sophomore; Benny Padgett (195) has been a linebacking regular for two years while Mack Lee Tharpe (227), seldom a starter, has logged as much playing time as any. Gregg Crabb (200), won a starting linebacker spot as a sophomore after Usher was injured last year. DEIEP SECOND)ARY Three are six lettermen for four positions in the secondary with Candler Boyd the only senior. Lightly regarded after lettering in 1967 but missing '68 with a knee injury, he came forward to per form will late in the season when others were injured last year and was ACC defensive back of the week for his play against Wake Forest. Jimmy Nash, who was ticketed for redshirt duty until Bill Rowe Defensive middle guard and linebackers Danny Dyches Off. Center Hellams was injured last year, wound up as the starter at safety and has a year's experience. He may be alternated at safety and at halfback with Hellams, who Nash calls "the best defensive back in the ACC" fully recovered from his fractured leg. Dick Harris, the ACC 440-yard dash champion who also ran on two conference winning relay teams last spring, runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and is the Gamecocks' deep man on kickoff returns in addition to holding down the defensive left halfback post. Small at 157 pounds, he is nevertheless a hard and sure tackler. Don Bailey, two-year letterman as a swingman at both halfback spots, was the starter on the right side in spring practice Def. tackle and is an experienced performer. Two sophomores should 'also make the travel squad in the secondary. Neville Files is listed as the backup man for Harris at left halfback, and Lee Andrews - a local boy who came to Carolina without a scholarship and im pressed the coaching staff with his work on the freshman team and in spring practice-is on the depth chart at right halfback. Bo Davies started at the rover position as a sophomore and did a fine job. With a year's experience, he should be even better and with Boyd backing him up, this im protant position is in good hands. The kicking game is strong with the same regulars back for the third year. In the placekicking department, Billy DuPre set school records last year with 10 field goals and 21 points-after touchdown in 21 attempts, and was the All-ACC kicking specialist. He also handles kickoffs. Billy Parker punted 72 times, a school record, N( last season for a 38.9 average. All-in-all, the Gamecocks appear to have another strong squad, missing the brilliance of Muir, Zeigler and Holloman, but deeper and much more experienced. The nonconference schedule, however, is as usual a killer with in-. dependent power Georgia Tech coming on the schedule as the recently approved 11th game. The Yellowjackets join Southeastern Conference powers Georgia and Tennessee and strong in dependents Florida State and Virginia Tech. ' As to style of play, the Gamecocks will still be a multiple offense and defense team. The basic defense will be the so-called 5-4 of "50" defense but in given situations other alignments will be used, perhaps even more than in past years due to the versatility and experience of the middle guards and linebackers, Of fensively, the Gamecocks will use a number of formations but the "pro - set," appears the most popular, with two wide receivers A . and two running backs. The ad Jition of passing expert John Bridgers to the coaching staff ndicates a possibility of even more :hrowing - there were 55 passes :hrown in the spring game with 36 :ompleted - although the Jamecocks weren't exactly a grint-it-out team last year when hey put the ball in the air 245 times Def.opletec133 Bo Davies Rover Don Bailey Def. halfback Tommy Simmons Off. Fullback Jim Mitchell Flanker Billy Ray Rice