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Kickoll * o Friday, November 7, 1986 nui win in.mi m JOHN BOYETTE'S pEARLESS FORECAST The Fearless One picks USC to beat Seminoles Somebody famous once said there's a thin line between being good and being great. Those arc painful, but true, words. A case in point is my fearless football forecast last week. 1 compiled an 8-2 record, which was good for a winning percentage of .800. But it could have been even better. Two, count 'em, two lousy points kept inc from being unbeaten, untied and football picker extraordinaire at Carolina. Of course, everybody knows I'm talking about the Gamecocks' 23-22 loss to N.C. State and Florida's 18-17 upset win against Auburn. I know my critics had to be down in the dumps when the Gamecocks had a 22-17 lead and no time showing on the clock. But, wouldn't you know it, the Atlantic Coast Conference officials spit in my facc and didn't even give me a towel to wipe with. As for the Auburn-Florida game, I apologize. As Jim Lampley repeatedly pointed out on ABC Saturday, no team has gone unbeaten and untied the year after having a Heisman Trophy winner. How was I supposed to know Kerwin Bell was going to come out of the Everglades and play like a man possessed? Well, enough of my troubles. Posting a mere 8-2 record is nothing compared to hangovers, flunked exams, parking tickets and eating cafeteria food, which are problems USC students face every day. So, since I bet you're just dying to find out how the Gamecocks will do this weekend, let's get on with the show: Mipmi at Pitt ? The Hurricanes passed their stiffest test since their season onener last wcclf aoolnct o?~?~ \n . -vvn ugumoi * ivjiiuci jiaic. V iimy Testaverde proved why he's the best college player in the nation. The Panthers just haven't been able to put it together this year. Playing in the cold of Pittsburgh won't help Miami, but look for the top-ranked team to roll anyway . . . Miami 35, Pitt 17. Maryland at Penn State ? This is a great rivalry that somehow doesn't get a lot of attention in these parts. The Nittany Lions are looking good, whereas the Terps have gone downhill rapidly. Emotion will keep Maryland close, but Penn State won't lose because it wants a shot at redemption by going undefeated. The pick here is . . . Penn State 31, Maryland 24. Michigan at Purdue ? If Michigan can get past Ohio State later this year, it is conceivable that the Wolverines could join Miami and Penn State in the ranks of the unbeaten. It seems like the Boilermakers always give M Blue a hard time, but don't look for an upset this weekend . . . Michigan 37, Purdue 10. LSU at Alabama ? The Crimson Tide has the inside track to the Sugar Bowl by virtue of its perfect record in SEC Dlav. The Tioerc I / ? - ~o^~ ? were upset at home last week, and you can bet Bill Arnspargar's boys will be ready to play come Saturday. This game always seems to dccidc the host of the Sugar Bowl, and it will again this year when LSU bumps 'Bama out in a major upset . . . LSU 21, Alabama 20. Georgia at Florida ? The world's largest outdoor cocktail party is usually a humdinger, and 1 expect this year to be the same. Georgia has me worried because they only beat the Fighting Spiders of Richmond by 15 points last weekend. The Gators, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to follow up their upset of Auburn with a victory over the Bulldogs. Kerwin Bell will do it again . . . Florida 28, Georgia 24. SMU at Notre Dame ? This is really a strange matchup. The sinners of the Southwest Conference versus the angels of the midwest. I ne Irish started slowly but Lou Holtz has them on the right track. Don't look for this to be a close contest . . . Notre Dame 31, SMU 14. Wake Forest at Duke ? My hat's off to the Demon Deacons. They don't have a great record, but they've put up some pretty good fights against N.C. State and Clemson. Duke, meanwhile, is Duke, which is to say they're sorry. The only question here is what the Deacons margin of victory will be . . . Wake Forest 45, Duke 17. N.C. State at Virginia ? I would like to say that the Wolfpack's string of luck is going to end this week. However, they're playing Virginia, and even most mediocre ipamc Hr?n'? ioc? /-* ? _ ? ~ ^x/.i i iwjv vvy hiv v.avaiitl d, This is an ACC game, so look for some sloppy officiating and some intersting clock-keeping as Dick Sheridan keeps on winning I . . . N.C. State 35, Virginia 7. North Carolina at Clemson ? My heart tells me to take the Tar Heels, but my good sense says Clemson's too good to lose in Death Valley. The Tigers arc a tough team to tigure out. Sometimes they look good, and sometimes they look pretty pitiful. 1 expect this week they'll be ready to avenge last year's loss at Chapel Hill . . . Clemson 35, North Carolina 21. Florida Slate at South Carolina ? I'll make no bones about this one. The Gamecocks are going to win, believe it or not, and by mnrp fhnn a tmiphHAtiyn Potn u ? - ?1 - - *?1 *? ~ ~ n?, i ?iv. auu uau iuca netvc piaycu 100 many tricks on the Gamecocks this season. The Seminoles had No. 1 Miami on the ropes for three quarters last week, but they've got to be letdown. Todd Ellis and Co. will continue to rack up impressive numbers, and the defense will do a semi-decent job of containing Florida State's explosive offense. I'm not ashamed to pick . . . USC 38, Florida State 28. Well, there you have it. This week's picks has its share of upsets, but you've got to go out on a limb every once in a while to be successful in this profession. Remember ? I'm not infallible. After all, I did lose two games last week. John Hoyette is managing editor and Kickoff editor of The Gamecock. i If 'its' and 'buts' were candy a USC has hi By JOHN BOYETTE Kickoff editor iviurpny's law states whatever can g wrong, will. Gamecock football law says something wi go wrong no matter what. That may be overstating the plight c USC's football team this year, but it's not fa J from the truth. The Gamecocks have been th victims of some poor plays, bad luck an questionable officiating. The recent losses by the Gamecocks brin to mind two adages about sports in genera The first says that good teams win the clos ones. The other is by Don Meredith, a forme iooioau commentator on ABC's Monda Night Football. He said, "If 'ifs' and 'buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merr Christmas." It's definitely not wrong to say USC is hav ing one of those "if" seasons. If Todd Elli hadn't thrown last-minute interception against Georgia and Nebraska, if Scot Hagler hadn't missed three field goals agains Virginia Tech, and if Kenneth Robinson isn' called for offsides on the last play of the gam with N.C. State, USC might have a totall different record. But on the other hand, it's not fair to singl out these players for mistakes. What if Elli hadn't completed a sinele nass this spaenn What if Hagler never came close on an extr point or a field goal attempt? What if Robin son never made a tackle? But for long-time followers of USC, th latest series of misfortunes should be nothin new. The Gamecocks have taken highly favored opponents down to the wire ? onl to lose ? on numerous occasions. And in : similar vein, USC has been taken to th I--- A-1 J " 1 * - cicrtncis uy uuitiassca, ngniweignt opponent too many times to mention. A trip through USC football history in th last 15 years reveals several near-misse against such teams as Louisiana State Georgia, Notre Dame and Clemson. Let' take a look at how the Gamecocks have fare( over the years against some of the nation'; top-ranked teams: Louisiana State ? The Gamecocks are 1-11 overall against the Tigers. In 1973 LSU was i top-ranked team and USC came within ar eyelash of upsetting the Tigers in Columbia With Ipff flrant7 9c ninrtoT-Uo^l/ I IO/~" ~ ? ...... .<r.. Mil VJUU1 VV1 fUVIV , UOV 111(11 ched downfield and nearly pulled the upse off, but lost 33-29. Georgia ? The Gamecocks and Bulldog! have hooked up for several memorable con tests. However, Georgia still leads the series by a 32-7-2 margin. Two games in particulai stand out as "almost" wins for USC. In 1980, Georgia was undefeated and the Gamecocks only blemish was a loss to Southern Cal. USC was headed for an apparent touchdown wher George Rogers fumbled deep in Bulldogs' ter niQannnintinn Inec IUOO doesn't have coach down in the dumps 8y JOHN BQYETTE Kickoff editor (JSC head coach Joe Morrison has faith that KSe 1 ?- r * mm ma ibaiii van tunic uacK. irom meir laicsi disappointment when the Gamecocks play Florida State Saturday in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Williams-Brice Stadium. The latest setback for the Gamecocks was a 23-22 loss to N.C. State on a 33-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass after time had expired. Counting the losses to Georgia and Nebraska and the tie with Virginia Tech, it was the fourth time this season that USC had a potential victory taken away in the final minute of play. "l trunk our young men have been coming back all year long," Morrison said at his USC-FSU series The last time Florida State played the Gamecocks in Columbia, USC came away with a 38-26 victory, a No. 2 national ranking and a perfect 9-0 record. That was in 1984, the year USC posted a 10-2 mark and earned a trip to the Gator Bowl. In a game nationally televised by ABC, USC jumped out to a 17-7 lead at halftime and scored three quick touchdowns to take a commanding 38-7 lead. The Seminoles rallied, but it was too little too late to catch use. Last year's meeting between the two schools in Tallahassee, Fla., was quite different. Florida State led 35-7 at the half and was never seriously challenged by the Gamecocks in posting a 56-14 win before 54,721 fans and a national television audience on ESPN. Seminoles lead series The series between the two schools began in 1966 and Florida State leads it 10-3. The Seminoles have a 4-2 mark In games played In Columbia and a 6-1 record in games played In Tallahasiet. The two independents will not play each nd nuts, we'd all have a merry Christ story of unde it " * USC't 27-24 lots to Nebraska was just another in a loi y ritory, and Georgia held on to win 13-10. The e other near-miss the Gamecocks had was this s year when Todd Ellis threw an interception ? inside the Georgia 15-yard line with less than a a minute to play. Notre Dame ? There's no doubt Notre ( e Dame has had one of the nation's most sueg cessful programs. But you have to wonder aoout the luck of the Irish, particularly in y their game with USC in 1979. The Gamecocks a jumped out to a big lead in that game in South ? c Bend, Ind., and looked like they were going s to pull off a gigantic upset. Notre Dame trail- i ed 17-10 late in the game, but came back to ; e win it 18-17 with a touchdown pass and a twos point conversion. Back in 1976, USC played i , the Irish tough, but lost 13-6 in a game attend- ; s ed by President Gerald Ford. USC's only win i against Notre Dame in four tries was in 1984. < s < 1 Clemson ? The games with the Tigers have I produced several upsets over the years. Un- i i fortunately, Clemson has pulled off more < i upsets and leads the series 49-31-3. In the last | few years, the 1977 and 1980 games stand out. i Carolina was down 24-0 at halftime against a < t good Clemson team in 1977, but came back with 27 unanswered points in the second half. The Tigers, though, had the pass-catch com- 1 5 bo of Steve Fuller and Jerry Butler. Those I two led the Tigers on a long drive and the win- < ? ning touchdown in the final minutes of nlav i In 1980, Clemson was 5-5 and USC was 8-2 t , and Gator Bowl-bound. Danny Ford put his > Tigers in all-orange uniforms and the rest was < ' history. Clemson whipped USC 27-6, and in I i the process intercepted a pass for a \ touchdown and kept George Rogers out of s PREVIEW ] weekly press conference. "I've really got a 1 great deal of faith in them that they're going < to bounce back this week as well. "They've shown a great amount of character all season long and 1 think they'll 1 continue to show that," Morrison continued. < i The Gamecocks and the Seminoles have a i ' lot of similarities. Both teams are relatively young and inexperienced, but potentially ex- < plosive, on offense. The two defenses have ' i given up lots of points. I The Seminoles' starting quarterback, Danny McManus, is not expected to play due to a 1 I jammed thumb on his throwing hand. He will ! be replaced by freshman Peter Tom Willis. I I "We won't know (about McManus) until ! the end of the week for sure, but I would < think it would be very doubtful," Florida < State head coach Bobby Bowden said. i has been exciting I Todd Ellis Sterling Sharpe < c t other in 1987. However, a 10-year contract 1 has been made between the two schools and 1 the series will resume on Nov. 5, 1988 in Columbia. I ? Sharpe on record pace 1 i Junior wingback Sterling Sharpe continues t his assault on USC's receiving records. In eight contests, he's caught 54 passes for 721 r yards and seven touchdowns. He now 1 averages 6.8 receptions per game and 13.4 c yards per catch. j Sharpe has a good chance to break a pair of t mas." ? Don Meredith rachieving JENNIFER STEIB/Th? Qamacock lg string of noar-upsets for the Gamacocks. the end zone, making him scoreless against the Tigers for his entire career. Lowly-regarded opponents have also ambushed the Gamecocks on more than one occasion. Division I-AA Southern Conference opponents Appalachian State and Furman have each beaten USC in Columbia. The Mountaineers knocked off Jim Carlen's first USC squad in 1975 39-34. And in 1982, the Paladins of Dick Sheridan beat the Gamecocks 28-23. Lightweights of Division I have nl?n taken the measure of USC. The most notable loss by a highly-ranked Gamecock squad came in 1984 when Navy ambushed them 38-21 in Annapolis, Md. Little-known Pacific beat USC 23-21 in Columbia in 1981. , It's true the Gamecocks have pulled off some memorable upsets in recent years. Gamecock fans will tell you with glee how USC beat Michigan 17-14 in Ann Arbor in 1980, or how Gordon Beckham completed 17 3f 18 passes in leading USC past No. 3 North Carolina 31-13 in 1981. Morrison has also pulled off some upsets, in particular a 38-14 romp over Southern Cal in 1983 and a 36-32 :ome-from-behind win over Notre Dame in 19R4 But despite these great moments for USC,; history shows that the Gamecocks haven'tfinished off the good teams when they had the opportunities and they haven't taken some of heir lightweight opponents as seriously as; hey should have. This season's games with Virginia, 3eorgia, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and N.C. state have continued the trend. Let's see vhich Carolina team shows up the rest of the; season. As well as the similarities in personnel, the , teams are also comparable schedule-wisc. ' C* Ait i * ? * i lunua oiaic, h-j-1, nas iosi only to Nebraska, Michigan and Miami of Florida, in addition to a tie with North Carolina. USC has lost to Miami of Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Nebraska and N.C. State and tied Virginia Tech. "They've been an unlucky football team," Bowden said of the Gamecocks. "There's about four games they've nearly won. They :ould be right up at the top like they've been in the past, and so could we. "I think South Carolina's just on the verge 3f doing something great," he continued. "You just hope they don't do it against you." ) Despite the "most disappointing" loss in [lis nearly four years at Carolina, Morrison >aid his philosophy hasn't changed. "I feel so badly for our young men to put forth such great effort week after week," he said. "It just hasn't worked out for them, but *e haven't changed our philosophy. If they :ontinue to work hard, then something good is going to happen to them." , high-scoring ; , .ingic-scason records set Dy hred Zeigler in1968. Zeigler set the standard for passes:aught in a season with 59 and yards in a! .eason with 848. Ellis sets new records: Todd Ellis, USC's freshman quarterback,! ;et two more school records in last week's loss; o N.C. State. His 297 yards passing and 22; lompletions raised his season totals in those* :ategories to 2,264 yards and 152 compleions. The old records were 2,030 yards and 136 completions, both set by Tommy Suggs in ) 1970. earner xnis year, tins set records for com-. )letions in a game with 26 against Nebraska md yards in a game with 394 against Virginia; rech. For the season, Ellis has completed 152 of^ 554 attempts for 2,264 yards and 15 ouchdowns. He also has 17 interceptions. He has a good chance of breaking the; ecord for total offense in a season, which i? 1,288 set by Jeff Grantz in 1973. Ellis has ac-i umulated 2,238 yards of offense and ntftdt ust 31 yards against the S?tniholll to break ,) he record. /