The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 13, 1977, Page Page 16, Image 16
I sports
Irreaular n
9 r
I hurts OleA
gjj By VINCK MOOItK
jg|| Asst. Spurts I'Mitor
Ilf you're an Ole Miss football fan, you pri
time taking nostalgic journeys into the R
Those were the days when the likes of A
terrorizing the Southeastern Conference
Mississippi Io a bevy of bowl appearances
1971. the Rebels never missed post-seasor
BIT TIMES have changed for Ole Miss,
will get a first-hand look when they hi
Mississippi Saturday.
I.using seasons and inexperienced tean
Mississippi How l bids became as rare as ,
And I he Archie Mannings had different nam
schools
At least for the past two seasons, incons
the Rebel teams Last year. Ole Miss manaf
and hand SEC champion Georgia their c
losses Rut thi? r;.iioiwwJ
iiiioiivu ? 11II tl MU*aiO<
their last three names by a eombined score <
As far as I lie H)77 campaign is concerned, <
Ken Cuoper says it's the snnie old story.
"It's been a disappointing season so far." <
just been up and down. We've played soni
some poor football."
The Ifehels have played well enough to be
season, hut came back the next weekei
unheralded Southern Mississippi. Their se>
.. - ? -
....... mi tI record.
< \ltoi l\ \ CO \('ll Jim Carlcn. howevei
the (>lc Miss linchacking corps. But Cooper
and injuries have hurt the team there,
linebackers have had lo miss practice di
Cooper doesn't expect them to he 100 per c<
\\ rcks
If things weren't had enough, the Rebels
the rain three straight weekends, someth
iwisii i ik'I|H'(1 any "The rain limits what y
>aid "I( li'iuls to make you rely on defense
more eonservative on offense."
Hul that doesn't mean the wet weather d<
Cooper slid the team was so used to it that
would rain again (his weekend.
If the rain makes you rely more on your pi
nothing to worry about Rebel punter .Jim
times against (ieorgia last week, averaging
The l?are footed punter has averaged 46.2 yar
HI T (iooi) |?l'\TK?S have seldom been
kdl games. So Cooper is understandably w
things One is the Rebels' secondary, a relat
since rainstorms usually discourage passin
Gamecock
WL IF *
H JBBA Br
Spoils Kriitor
,,
Just inside Carolina's football lockerroon
ikk.r? displaying, among other things, p;
which contain the name and picture of play
made "hig plays" in each game.
As a female, the extent of my view of the
that bullet in board when the door swings o
reporters. However. I can make a few cducal
to which players made those esteemed footl
It It ITT IWKKISII. who kicked the game
goal against Kast Carolina, probably sits o
football along with Spencer Clark, who rushe
and scored two touchdowns against Appalac
Hill lii/ilinn K?w>l# ' * "
.........>p> ./am t?ii i i*r ViUlllt'l'OCKS 4-2 rCC<
season, it would be nice if a few more names c
to those "big play" footballs. Like a runn
runningback. who could have pushed the ball c
to score against (Jeorgia. Or a defensive linen
have sacked quarterback Mike Dunn for a fe\
in the second half against Duke.
Those big plays don't always materialize th<
ss
feriMW
ibably spend a lot of
L'bels* past.
rehie Manning were
(SEC) and leading ^jMMk
. From 1957 through
and the Gamecocks
I the road to play
is came to Oxford, jfrfPI^PPPI
i southern snowfall. KJC11i~IpllgBij^
es and went to other
istency has marked ^^^BB||i|
>pH Inhoal AlaK.,.^.. jj?
nly regular season |||
re 5-6 record, losing 1|1
f 105-ie.
Die Miss head coach
^ooper said. "We've
e good football and
at Notre Dame this
id with a loss to
p-saw play iias left
. is impressed with 1S|||
said inconsistencies felllp^" ., <1B
too. Some of the gjg^pli ??P? *M.
in injuries, and V
?nt for two or three SssP
I
have had to play in ^,1 . ?>. ' I
ing Cooper admits 1 >v,v M
ou can do," Cooper m
and punting and be ,,Jr fl
>esn't grow on you. W
ho kinH ImrmH ;? f
mting, Ole Miss has '
Miller punted nine
49 yards per punt. I
ds for the year.
I'SC coach Jim C;
known for winning the field at William!
orried about other i?c r
mo nir \idlll(M
ively untested area series Saturday aga
g
s need const
sad part about losing games
Gamecocks had played the t>
^ capable, a big plav to win iY
necessary. In their two lossi
USC's play was inconsistent
II.SON Hiding on victories 01
| Georgia Tech <17-0) and Mia
the Georgia game with what 1
Carlen's three seasons to de
y home crowd, an experience
loss of outstanding offensive
i is ;i hnlloiin
howi leam added to Carolin,
iper f<x?tballs
ers who have llOWKVKK. the game, wl
hack shuddering memories ol
lockerrom is Forest, when Carolina's offei
ipen for male jn dose range of the endzoi
led guesses as another Carolina defeat that 1
balls. "if only..." disappointment.
Against Kast Carolina, USC
winning field many regional television vieu
n part of one jn jhe first half. Behind 16-3 i
d for 89 yards ? * *
..?vv..hvj uacii uy laning a
;hian State. resulted in a 19-16 win.
ird so far this The momentum of that f<
ould be added defensive determination carr
lingback, any Duke Carolina game. To say
>ne more yard would l>e an understatement,
tan who could
v more losses (WKOI.INA looked like it w?
everybody had waited for. Thi
ough. But the fr0m 71 and 68-vard drives, pt
IF
Byn g>n
^jp HP Hi
n. 'jtfK2lff^^S8gCMK^?^
arlen won't be running out on *
s-Brice Stadium the next four 1
i-oeks begin a four-game road
inst Mississippi. Carolina, 4-2 $
istency in <
like Georgia and Duke is if the I'SC
/pe of football of which they're half
le game would have been un- Bn
es and against East Carolina, durii
degr
/er Appalachian State (32-17), Wl
mi (42-19), Carolina went into half,
ooked like the best situation of time
feat the Bulldogs. A soldout DSC
1 niinrfnrhafb
uiiu vjcurgia s I'a
players from their 1976 Sugar Dukt
a's confidence. offen
scort
lich USC lost 15-13, brought align
last year's 10-7 loss to Wake Ho1
ise had difficulty swallowing supei
ie. The Georgia game was migh
eft fans and players with that incon
1 couldn't ?l
? ..M*v inipl CdSCU lOO way >
'ers with (heir lackluster play hand!
in the third quarter, Carolina they'i
in offensive initiative which f;,r
the fi
Hirth quarter offensive and score
ied into the first half of the earo
USC played well in that half oppoi
35 to:
is playing the kind of football XII
ree touchdowns, two resulting
it Carolina well in the lead as
^j|jj '^fe.
BUI MMW-THI O AMI COCK
jfter a loss to Duke last week, will play the
Rebels, 2-4, in Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss defeated
Motre Danie earlier in the season but then lost to
Southern Mississippi.
QWCV serine
- M
's defense limited Duke to three points. Carlen said the
was the best he's seen the Gamecocks play.
it a lot of people wonder what Carlen said to his team
ig halftime to make USC's momentum take a 180
ee turn.
lile Carolina couldn't do anything wrong in the first
the team couldn't Hr? = *
j > . ? i igui in me second. This
it was memories of last year's Baylor game, where
led 17-0 after three quarters and lost 18-17.
rlen said Carolina's defense played "lousy" in the
1 second half, giving up 22 points. USC's second-half
sive play, which Carlen descrived as average, never
?d a point although Duke didn't change its defensive
ment.
w can you explain a team whose play ranges from
b to pathetic in a 60-minute game? A psychiatrist
t call it schizophrenia. A more simple term might be
sistency.
ri
i? jurti as soon do sweating it out at halftime than be
ahead," Carlen said. "We're not mature enough to
le positive things. If we get ahead it's an indication
re going to come back and get ahead of us."
olina, while outscoring its opponents 37-10 and r>6-2f> in
rst and second quarters, respectively, hits been outd
in the third and fourth quarters of its first six games,
lina has scored 17 points in the third nnar??r
>vi ill US
iv-ihn -21, and in the fourth quarter has been outscored
34 points, 16 of the :i4 against Kast Carolina.
K (iAMKCOCKS should l>e f>0 at this point in their
See (iAMKCOCKS. page 17