Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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USc defn se throttles Tech By DOUG WILLIAMS Sports Editor Sports Information Director Tom Price may have summed it up aptly when he said, "This is the University of South Carolina's greatest win since I've been here."' Head coach Paul Dietzel was a little more restrained. "We've had smoother looking games, but never as good a game against as good a team." 'Tech mentor Bud Carson was dejected. "We obviously made too many mistakes. We kept giving things away, and you can't do that against a good team. And South Carolina Is a good team."' Judging from the enthusiasm, you would have thought that Carolina had just clinched the national championship. The Gamecock defense played with a stunning brilliance that was complemented by the trickery of Dick Harris and the punting of sophomore Robbie Reynolds en route to a convincing 24-7 victory over highly rated Georgia Tech Saturday night in rejuvenated Carolina Stadium. A fired up defense held the strong Tech running game to a mere 94 yards on the ground, intercepted three Eddie McAshan passes, and failed to allow the powerful Yellow Jacket offense a single point. But it was largely the efforts of H?irris that made the game the spectacle that it turned out to be. The senior defensive back blocked a punt that Jimmy Nash took into the end zone for a score that erased a 7-2 Tech lead, and returned a punt 77 yards for another score that virtually put the game out of reach. A scoreless tie was broken late in the first quarter, when Jacket center Charlie Cheney snaped the ball over the head of punter Bob Jobson, into the end zone for an automatic safety. However, midway through the second stanza, cor nerback Rick Lewis stole a Jackie Young aerial and returned it 33 yards into the Gamecock end zone. Then Harris took over. With a fourth and four situation at the Tech own 26, Jobson's punt was blocked by Harris, . and Nash ram bled eleven yards for the score that gave Caroina a led that it never relinquished. On the first series of downs in the third period, Jobson got the punt off, to Harris at the Carolina 23. Using a crucial block from Greg Crabb, he broke loose for a daz zling 77 yard jaunt that left Tech stunned and apparently unable to recover. Cheney again snapped the ball over Jobson's head on the following series of downs, making the score 17-7 before the offense finally got its opportunity to penetrate the Yellow Jacket defense. After Harris returned a punt to the Jacket 47, Carlton Haywood, who just over a week ago was a linebacker, carried the ba!! eight times in twelve plays, plunging over from the one for USC's final score. This scoring drive was done behind the second offensive team. "You can't ever have a good football team without a good defense," Dietzel said after the game. "Tonight it looked like it shouldm The defense and the kicking game were outstanding. This is the way it should be played. It was the way we've wanted it for five years. "The defense was better because of the people up front," the Carolina mentor continued. "Last year, the secondary had to work harder. This time, the front line was better, so the secondary played as it should." But Dietzel refused to degrade this season's first victim. "Georgia Tech is a real fine football team. They may have been overlooking us as a tune up for Michigan State. We had them in a perfect psychological position." He then singled out the players who were largely a part of the victory. "I know Greg Crabb hit a lot of people, but so did Rich Brown and John LeHeup. "And if there is better punt and kickoff return man than, Dick Harris in America, I'd like to see him. And it also looks like we have found a punter in Robbie Reynolds." Reynolds averaged 42.8 yards on nine punts, grounding three inside the Tech ten yard line. "The thing that makes Robbie so effective is that his father is a coach, so we just tell him to kick it down the middle of the field or to the sidelines." Tech 's Bob Johnson pre 6 ?' 441 Jimmy Nash recove -Uto courtey NoW-K pares to punt... Photo courtesy State-Record locks attempt .. . rs and scores.