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Sports Fumbles, penah Frr< MM By Willie T. Smith III Special to the Gamecock On a night, when in the words of USC quarterback Garry Harper "we stunk," the Gamecocks defeated the Duke Blue Devils 20-7 before a capacity crowa ai Williams Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks were hampered by four fumbles and one interception against the scrappy Duke defense. "I'm trying to think of a place where we played well tonight," Harper said. "I think you have to credit this ?,> ? Tu win iu uui ucitrnsc. 1 ncy ill c exceptional at coming up with the big play. They saved us again. "As far as the offense goes, we didn't execute, we just played terrible all around. We gained a lot of yards, but what good is that if you don't score points. ALTHOUGH GKOKGK Rogers broke the 1(K) yard barrier for the 16th straight game, he was slowed by four r. ...i_:..i," iuiiiuic:s, iwu ui WHICH WtTt' recovered by the Blue Devils. Rogers ended up with 224 yards on 36 carries and one touchdown. The bright spot of the game for Carolina had to be fullback Johnnie Wright. The Fort Meyers, Fla. native carried the ball 13 times for 162 yards. Although he looked to be running like his old self, Wright was quick to give all the credit to his offensive line. "It was iust a team ef fort," Wright said. "On my long run the tight end blocked the defensive end right out of the play. All I had to do was run. That's the easy part." The game started out like a typical 1080 USC game. Duke received the opening kickoff and were forced to punt after three plays. Afterone first down Rogers ir i w ! Clem son s Tom Gibbon Sunday's USC-C/emson so O. (Photo by Dan Langendo ties plague Gam 3r-pro fumbled on the Gamecock 46. The defense again held after giving up only one first down. This time Carolina went all the way for a touchdown with Rogers going the final 42. With the addition of Eddie Leopard's extra point the Gamecocks went ahead 7-0. The next time Carolina got the ball one of the strangest plays of the season took place. Rogers fumbled forward on his own 13, where Johnnie Wright recovered the ball and ran it to the Blue Devil 14. The offense bogged down and Eddie Leopard kicked his first field goal of the game from 26 yards out to give Carolina a 10-0 lead. THE NEXT BIG play of the game belonged to Duke. On second and ei^ht quar terback Ben Bennett faded back and hit wide receiver Chris Castor for a 63 yard touchdown. After the PAT the score was 10-7. "I think the long bomb was the only play that really hurt the defense all night," Gamecock head coach Jim Carlen said. "Other than that I think they played a pretty solid game." The Gamecocks started the second half slowly as neither team scored until Eddie Leopard hit his second field goal of the night to put the Gamecocks up 13-7 with 1:41 to go in the third quarter. The defense continued to play well with a Pat Bowen interception ending Duke's last big drive of the game. "I didn't really do anything exceDtional " Rowon said "T was just standing there and the ball came right at me. There was really no way I could have dropped it." The Gamecock's last touchdown came on what was probably their best iir 7'I?"<:& jj^ s and USC's Tom Reilly i 'CCGr game. The Tigers deft rf) ecocks ne LJSC 01 : flBS&fe* ^flH^^^H|^H|9H^^^H|M|^l USC defensive back Robert Per/otte (24) Bridges (20) and Chuck Finney (27) look on. drive of the night, as they football team. Oi went 80 yards behind the deserve a lot mor rugged running of Rogers, than they're getting Wright, and Percy Reeves. these days we're j Harper went the final yard come up with one ir for the score to make the column." final 20-7. Carlen tried to a insight on Roger ALTHOUGH DISAP- fumbles. "Peopl< POINTED by the loss, Duke realize the shots 1 head coach Red Wilson every game. He ; seemed pleased with his very sore hands, team's DlaV. "I feel We rWcn't talk nhnnt it played our hearts out from that's the kind of p beginning to end," Wilson is. said. "We just played a great "I think he was Clem IIP^I a no t consecutive timp t decision. The Tiger's season while IJSC fell to 5-4-1 "It was a tough soccer coach Mar worked real hard fo had some tough lucl credit our players wi We just didn't win th< THE TWO tean scoring opportunities The game was hi momentum. Carolin; minutes of play, firir only two for the Tigej ------ Clemson regroupe< H of the half to outshoot Both teams wen goals in the second ? , , . - ? . cellent goal play of 19) fight for the ball in and Carolina's Gary ] ated the Gamecocks 1 - For the game, US( an 18-16 margin. Des ? shots on goal, Clems A.% .<?, 1 ULlclSLS J BP- -iv * breaks up a pass intended for L (Photo by Barry Newman) ur kids tight tonight," Carlen sai< e credit "He was pressing, trying I One of live up to everyone's e going to pectation, which puts a lot i i the win pressure on him, but he'll 1 all right." dd some Although some thougl s three Rogers didn't have one of h ? don't better games, coach Wilsc le takes was not one of ther also has "George Rogers i but he everything everyone said 1 because would be. He gets my vo erson he for the Heisman and I ho) ne wins it," Wilsc a little remarked. i son 1 Car her heartl ard Meyers thought the sport. Editor statistics mi Jwokocha booted in a "The gam lit with less than threp "Thev didn /e the Clemson Tigers a portunities. Carolina soccer team any, but we 3,000 fans at the count the m on each side marked the fourth time "We had le Gamecocks have lost should ha^ Tigers and the third added. "Sou hey have lost a 1-0 It haDDens They just ge record jumped to 7-2-1, THE GAP 5. time until is one to lose," Carolina Clemson wil k Berson said. "We only'2:19rer r this game, but we've "It was a i all year. You have to "The ball 1 th a good performance. Luckily som ; ballgame." able to put is missed numerous "I knew t > throughout the match. would have ghlighted by changing hard." i dominated the first 30 "To beat ig eight shots on goal to portant in c \s. would still b \ in the final 15 minutes "This on< : the Gamecocks 5-2. had," Berso 2 consistently denied always be tl half, thanks to the ex- doubt in an Clemson's Sean Burke chance to wi Durkin. "It'sfrust I outshot the Tigers by was killed o pile Carolina's edge in another da> on coach I.M. Ibrahim they'll respc Duke f ' ! . '* '' "' ::.;-: .v' ' ^ ' - - V ' )uke's Cedric Jones. Mark d. As far as next week's to homecoming game with x- Cincinnati, Carlen cautioned of any over-optimism. "Now )e that we're probably in the top fifteen everyone will ht come in here ready to play is us a good football game. >n Duke proved that tonight." n. Garry Harper seemed to is sum up the team's feelings le best. "We'll havo a PnnH te week of practice and we've >e just got to get better and I >11 think we will. We've just got to!" ntinn f)0 weaker match was not as close as the ght indicate. e was one sided," Ibrahim said, 't have very many scoring opI'm not saying they didn't have ! had much more. You have to Limber of scoring opportunities several chances to score. We ve scored earlier," Ibrahim th Carolina got tired of running, to everyone we play against, t tired of running." HE seemed destined for overIwokocha sealed the match for to his 17th score of the year with nrf iiaiuiii5? perfect shot," Nwokocha said, was heading towards the net. lebody deflected it and 1 was it inside the net hat was the last opportunity we I >. I was concentrating really South Carolina is always imvery season. If we were 11-0 it eimportant," Ibrahim said. ?'s the toughest loss we ever in said. "I guess the last one will tie toughest, because there is no j lybody's mind that we had the in. rating,but I don't think anybody r wounded and we'll live to play / and our kids are tough and >nd to it in a positive way." j