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GAM ** " A IIP UANIE By TRACY HELMS Sport* Editor CHAPEL HILL, N.C.? When you're the nation's third best football team, you outscore your opponents by sizeable margins. You hold them scoreless for many quarters. You take advantage of their turnovers. You play, basically, like North Carolina had through six games. A wu uuii c CIIU JUU1 U1IVC9 uy VJUUUllllUIIg turnovers. You don't let an underdog take control of the early momentum. And most of all, you don't take any team? especially one with much to prove? without at least a little fright. You don't if you want to stay thirdranked. North Carolina did those don'ts Saturday. however, and an efficient yet energized USC squad made the Tar Heels learn a harsh lesson. THE GAMECOCKS, behind an offense that could do no wrong and a defense that would allow nothing right, or left, gunned down third-ranked UNC 31-13 with relative ease and beauty to record the biggest win as far as rankings in the school's history. And though it Mas "just a win" to USC Head Football Coach Jim Carlen, the victory was all but heavenly to the sea of garnet-clad ^Gamecock fans in voiceful ? tiiiciiuaiicc. It took just over three minutes for USC to show the Tar Heels and the 50,500 onlookers at Chapel Hill's Keenan Stadium that it meant business. Two Beckham passes to Ira Hillary, re-enforcement runs by Johnnie Wrightand Kent Ha good, and a yellow hanky falling at the right time resulted in a 7-0 Gamecock lead with 11:48 remaining in the opening period. AFTER HILLARY pulled down Beckham throws of I V and 21 yards, UNC's Stanley ruKii. uiienerea wiui norace smitn s reception attempt and {JSC advanced, with the 24-var&'penalty, to the Tar Heel 10-yard Becfcfian rw^i: LT Gordon Beckham manaxes to Ret off pa Tar Heel pressure. su? rhoto ecqc: line. Two plays later, Hagood rolled into the right side of the hosts' endzone to give the Gamecocks an early advantage. But instead of retaliating in the following nnceocqinnc TTMP HiH itcolf nn faimrc Tn their second drive, the Tar Heels had mounted an advance to the USC 39, due largely to Gamecock pass interference and personal foul penalties, but quarterback Rod Elkins hit USC back Chuck Finney in the numbers on a seven-yard interception to end any threats. UNC's defense followed by holding the Gamecocks motionless to force a punt, and took over at their own 22 after Chris Norman's 36-yard boot. Three plays later, however, after scrambling for 15 yards, Elkins fumbled from James Seawright's hit and Harry Skipper recovered to give USC possession at the UNC 45. Beckham then clicked off four passes? the longest a 22-yarder to Horace Smith at the two-yard line? before Todd Berry plunged in for USC's second TD. Mark Fleetwood kicked the second of his four point-afters and Carolina led 14-0 with 2:57 elapsed in the second period. UNC'S SCOTT Stankavage, who replaced VlUnr o miat?(arKa/ilr offor (Via otartor JUllVlliO a t ^U(4A tvi UUVIV Ul VVi VltV OWI VVI suffered a sprained ankle during his firstquarter fumble, got the Tar Heel offense in the groove by spearheading a 16-play, 93yard drive during the first half's final minutes. Stankavage completed nine passes on the march, including a 19-yard scoring strike to flanker Larry Griffin that cut the Gamecocks' lead to 14-7 with 57 seconds left in the half. South Carolina repeated its earlier s opening urive emcieiicy 111 uie second nan, marching 65 yards in five plays for a third touchdown. Faced with a third-and-three situation at the USC 42-yard line, Beckham connected with Horace Smith on a 53-yard By JIIV Awl CHAPEL HILL, N.C.? season-opening win over Chivers had a bum ankle ai H had a seat on the bench behi R Saturday's 31-13 upset of j only saw Beckham and formances at South Caroli | rebound from personal set > one of their most important f 1 BECKHAM completed 1< L *dfiB18L2 record 14 straight comp] toiichdown. Beckham als passing percentage in a Beckham aerials (six in the "It was a really good da; game. "Everything worke plain." North Carolina found it h for 114 yards first-half perf< vjJ ~/i'p~i-" I "He showed a lot of he Wilcher said of Beckham. a&.M pBaf there? he hung in. He led li " I JUST wanna thank tti super job, and I had a lot c &A : * was just fortunate to have i felt The offensive line playe ppggg* c??s, allowing 111111 LU ue ^ B|?|| ample time to find his r niiillfefeill'^ earlier in the year as ir M terbacks Beckham and T linemen with regularity. Beckham alternated wit s despite the year and won the starti ?v MCMARDvogii Georgia. The inexperienc K ^3P? 1 CTHM I Johnnie Wright squeezes through UNC defens< completion down the right sideline to set up ^ i. J - A. 1.1 Tt^T/1 ^ A fl. T"% J a nrsi aown ai me d. Aiier oerry uuiitru S for two yards, Beckham threaded a three- \ yard throw to DeWayne Chivers to up, with c Fleetwood's PAT, the Gamecocks margin to j 21-7 with 8:10 remaining in the third s quarter. i The Tar Heels ended USC's next c possession when Mike Wilcher's sack of r Beckham resulted in a fumble, and UNC s recovered at its own 43. But Pat Bowen slid r in from the side to pull Stankavage's 24-yard 1 pass attempt out of Jon Richardson's grasp 1 to allow USC to regain control at the Gamecock seven-yard line. Near-Perl 1COKBETT inconsistent and on the shoulders tfter The USC football team's rea"y b Wake Forest, tight end Wayne A"anta native g nd quarterback Gordon Beckliam _ ? . rn? ...... D- UCiV/IMIrtlTI CJ ind Terry Bishop. .that in a third third-ranked North Carolina not ?V.JTwr Chivers turn in their best perna but showed their resiliency to ? tbacks to lead the Gamecock to ^a^lay I football victories ever. ^ve F * y 5 of 17 passes, including a school- "Thev were d1 letions, for 195 yards and one do wa/ t ^ o set a school-record for best , R#Ucham game. Chivers caught seven threevfiu*dTDnj ! first half) for 36 yards and a TD. , ? y for us,"Beckham, said after the and mjssed . <1 out well for us. I s hard to ex- his back (JS? , ,ard to explain Beckham's 11 of 11 tlindlfr^Ws'p art1,""Tar Heel linebacker Mike C?"J^rt^nUJ?Pr dsteamwell3"0'?'"meSg00d?Ut hard t0 'hrow tl ie offensive line because they did a [?ac* en? >f time all day," Beckham said. "I sai" "e was ** ail the time I had." ",T WAS ha i t _ ? r> a 1 i Uonlrhnm cnirl . kj a large ruie m oecKnam s sue* omu < sacked only once and giving him can do the t eceivers. That was not the case surgery to do ai ijuries took their toll, .nd quar- do." erry Bishop had to fke pursuing Beckham's b< Chivers, who s h Bishop through the early part of day." Chivers ng job after the Sept. 26 clash with watch the films ;ed Gamecock offense had been Ill115 " ;<W, JSF ' P. SUH Photo bv K1CHAXO VOCIL USC failed to notch a first down on the eries and Norman's 48-yard punt gave the iosts possession at their own 27. After a gain >f three by Allan Burrus and two incomplete >asses, UNO was faced with a fourth-andieven punting situation. So it seemed. But Car Heel punter Jeff Hayes faked the kick, larted to the left sideline, cut back up the niddle and rambled for 70 yards and USC's J econd touchdown. An exhausted Hayes nissed the following PAT attempt and the !*ar Heels trailed 21*13 with 35 seconds left in he third period. Hayes had earlier faked a See Win page 10 I Beckham feels most or the blame should fall of both quarterbacks. een a lot of the quarterback's fault," the ;aid. "It's up to us to read the defense and cemplified what he's learned by doing just l-and-three situation on the Gamecock's 42 d quarter. With USC leading 14-7 Beckham J line of scrimmage and hit senior split end vho had three catches for 92 yards, on a 53H ffivA IT.QP o firot an/) (innl T v wv M &II0V UIIV4 ^vai at I41V7 1 CXI llwl laying Horace tight all day and all he had to de and run down field," Beckham said of the hit tight end Chivers two plays later for a ass and the eventual game-winning score, r, the junior quarterback was out of school ng practice because of two ruptured discs in Head Coach Jim Carlen said Beckham was I out of Westminster Prep, but his back injury erformance until an operation in January oblem. :ham is a fine youngster," Carlen said. "It's he ball when you've got two ruptured discs, for two years. He just didn't tell us, because iught in high school to play with pain." ird this summer to get back in shape," r?f hie ri>haKilitafinn '! ? #?? ?? J" 4U-. * -- ...? v.iuwiiimivivii, i ??iitiu uu mc ucsi i irne. I'm not trying just because of the back ny better. I'm just trying to do the best I can est-to date performace impressed teammate aid, "That's pretty much a perfect passing added "He did a terrific job I think. We'll tommorrow (Sunday) and find out." See BECKHAM, page ?>