The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 13, 1980, Page Page 16, Image 16
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