The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 21, 1986, Page 7, Image 7
L , Kickoff
PF Friday, November 21, 1986 "J
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmTHE HAMf CDTI ?
JOHN BOVETTE'S
j* CTEARLESS FORECAST
Ten pood reasons
why USC will win
Pass the tissues, please.
I'm not crying because my college career is coming
to an end in a mere six months, but about
? something infinitely more important.
My beloved Gamfccocks ? whom I've adored
and followed and prayed for and died for too
many times to mention ? will be playing their
final game of the season this Saturday at Clemson.
i: m- At.. ^ "
iwv* uiuiuaniy mc nna? game oi tne UbC
season wouldn't bring me to tears. But this one's
different ? this may be the last one I attend for a
while to come. Hopefully my career as a journalist
will allow mc to stay in these parts and cover the
Gamecocks in the friendly confines of WilliamsBrice
Stadium, but in my profession, you never
know.
That's sad. I'll miss all of the wonderful press
a box cuisine, the pretty hostesses who hand me ac^
curate and up-to-the-minute statistics and, most
importantly, all of the wonderful people I've met
in my two years of covering the USC football
team
But enough of breaking your heart ? I've got a
job to do. And hopefully, I'll do a better job than
I did last week.
' Last week's record was a dismal 3-5-2, but I did
pick USC to win. In three weeks of picking college
football games I've compiled a record of 18-8-2,
which is good for a winning percentage of 65
percent.
So instead of giving you my predictions for 10
college games around the country, I'm going to
a give you 10 good reasons why USC is going to win
^ against its hated arch-enemy.
Visitors ? The visiting team has won the last
three grudge matches. Clemson upended the
Gamecocks 22-13 in 1983 in Columbia, and USC
returned the favor in 1984 at Frank Howard Field
with fl 22-51 rnmc-frrtm.hchinH m!n 1
? ... Iiv.il vviium Hill. JUHOl /veil 3
game in Columbia was won by the visiting Tigers
24-17.
11-year interval ? The record book shows that
USC has been successful in games played with intervals
of 11 years. The trend started with a 14-7
win in 1953, continued by a score of 7-3 in 1964
4) anc* went a step further with USC blowing out the
Tigers 56-20 in 1975. Mere logic states that USC
will win again in 1986.
Republican edge ? Who says politics doesn't
influence football? For some unknown reason,
USC appears to have an edge over Clemson when
Republicans win a big election. In 1984 Ronald
Reagan was elected president, and in 1986 it was
Carroll Campbell winning the governor's race in
South Carolina.
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A successful campaign, as well as his only win
w against Clemson, came in an even-numbered year.
My sources tell me that six is an even number and
that the Clemson coaching staff can't distinguish
between odd and even, much less count to five
without two hands.
Common opponents ? USC and Clemson had
five common opponents this season: Virginia,
Virginia Tech, Georgia, N.C. State and Wake
Forest. Now if you add up the points scored by
both schools as well as the number of points
allowed, you'll find that Clemson has been
outscored by five points and USC has outscored
the opposition by 11. That means USC will win
the game by 16 points, give or take a field goal.
5-6 seasons ? Many similarities can be made
between this year and the 1984 season for the
Gamecocks. When USC won against Clemson in
1984, its record the year before was a lean 5-6.
You guessed it ? USC's record was 5-6 last year,
too.
Jehan Sadat jinx ? I know President Holderman
will love me for this, but the curse Jehan
Sadat put on this school's football team was
awful. She wasn't here when we had a 10-2 record
in 1984, but she was here when we went 5-6 last
season. Now that she's gone for good, maybe
Carolina will settle down and play some ball.
The Perry brothers ? True USC fans will tell
you that Carolina plays better when a Perry is
fg wearing an all-orange uniform. I went to high
school with both William and Michael, and we all
know what happened to "The Fridge" and his
orange britches in 1984. The only reason the
Tigers won last year was because Michael didn'i
play because of an injury.
USC's passing attack ? Before Todd Ellis' arrival
here at the USC campus, the Gamecocks1
most prolific passer was Tommy Suggs. Let it b?
known that Suggs didn't lose a single game against
Clemsnn dtirino his nlnvino dflv? r?f 1 <3^8-70 in.
1 eluding two wins at "Deathless" Valley. Jusl
think of what oP Todd is going to do to "Moc
U."
^ The Boyette factor ? This is the most impor
tant reason why USC is going to put it to the
Tigers. The last time the Gamecocks were vie
Iiorious, yours truly was sitting in tne ciemson student
section, cheering his beloved Gamecocks tc
victory. I'll be in Death Valley come Saturday
afternoon, but this time I'll be with all the
Carolina fans in the end zone. I expect nothing
less than a similar result ? a USC victory.
The Gamecocks will win 31-17 as Ellis and Co.,
along with the Fire Ants, have a memorable day
and deflate the big orange machine into a puddle
* :: ~ ~~ ~
" USC vs. C
Gamecocks hope to
By JOHN BOYETTE
Kickoff editor
With hopes of a winning season and a bowl
Irin Inno nnno oU?..i ?< i * n
j ?t- ftw"., uuuui an tan nope ior in
1 Saturday's game with arch-rival Clemson is a
strong finish to a disappointing year.
A victory against the Tigers in Saturday's 1
p.m. contest at Frank Howard Field at Clemson
won't salve all of the wounds of this
season, but USC head coach Joe Morrison
believes a victory over the favored Tigers
could be a springboard to a successful campaign
next year.
"Going back to the Florida State game, we
were disappointed then with our performance
in the second half," Morrison said at his
weekly press conference earlier this week.
"We were looking at our Wake Forest game
and our Clemson ball game to come back
from that performance and possibly use those
last two games as a stepping stone into next
season."
While the Gamecocks' record stands at
3-6-1 after their 48-21 victory against Wake
rorcst last week, the Tigers can boast of a
7-2-1 mark and a trip to the Gator Bowl to
take on Stanford. Although bowl bids can't
officially be extended until after this week's
games, it was announced earlier this week that
Clemson would go to the Jacksonville, Fla.,
bowl regardless of how it fared against the
Gamecocks.
Saturday's game shapes up as a defensive
Hagler's kick w:
By JOHN BOYETTE jffi^
Kickoff editor 4* '
Scott Hagler remembers "the kick"
as if it happened yesterday.
Hagler, USC's senior placekicker, y
naa mc mail WI1U pUl inC Winning
point on the board when the
Gamecocks last defeated arch-rival flW
Clemson 22-21 in 1984.
But circumstances out of Hagler's
control made his point-after
touchdown attempt with :54 to play 7^
legendary in USC circles. '-'/.'j/M
To set the stage, USC trailed Clemson
21-10 at the half, but rallied with
a safety and a Hagler field goal. '
Down by six with less than four i
minutes to play, the Gamecocks drove *
84 yards to score the touchdown that Akk
tied the game at 21 when quarterback
; .. Mike Hold crossed the goal line on a
1-yard plunge. p| k|
Hagler remebers the ensuing extrapoint
attempt clearly. "I
"We were on the field and our that
snapper had snapped the ball and I me v\
heard the whistle blow," he said. "1 time
just kind of went through the mo- been
tions, so to speak, and it hooked off and |
to the left real low. game
"Fortunately they had 12 men on Ha
the field, and he had run off the field brigh
on our siae, Magier saia. "mat trusti
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former quarterback Mike Hold scored a touchdow
_ USC* last victory against Clemson in 1984.
*
lemson
end year with win in :
struggle for both teams. To be successful the 5M
Gamecocks must contain Clemson's explosive II
running attack, led by tailbacks Terrence
Flagler and Kenny Flowers, Morrison said. H
On the other hand, Clemson coach Danny
Ford no doubt has to be worried about stopp- 0^
ing USC's powerful run and shoot offense, \
led by freshman quarterback Todd Ellis.
"Clemson is a fine football team," Mor
rison said. "They have an outstanding HI
defense and they arc certainly running the ball u
very, very well. ^
"They're a very big football team and M
they're a very physical football team. I feel I
we're going to have to play one of our best
games of the year come Saturday afternoon." i
Morrison also pointed out that the H
Gamecocks' big win against the Demon
Deacons was a step in the right direction
heading into the contest with the Tigers. I
"Obviously you have to feel better going I
into a game like this with a victory rather than
a loss," Morrison said. "Our players' con- I
fidence, on both sides of the football, has to [
be renewed. We have a solid foundation to
build our preparation on this week." g
Morrison said he was especially proud of n
the Gamecocks' performance during the first L
half of the Wake Forest game. "We went out ,
and set the tone," he said. "We were sharp at ^
times and played with enthusiasm for the entire
ball game. All of these factors will help us *
as we get ready to play Clemson." J
ac HoriHirtn fortnr
J*\J UUUIUI1IIJ IQUIUI
THOMAS
skicker Scott Hagler kicks one of his two field goals again
think most people picture me in made it a dead I
way," he said. "They associate do it over again
'ith that because that's the only Of course, H
we've beaten them since I've the ball through
here. I.just try to forget about it second chance
50 out and kick my best every regular season r
y?
gler has been one of the few Not surprisinj
t spots in the Gamecocks' the feat mo:
ation-ladcn 3-6-1 season. He's associate with h
& Tigers have I
2^ Saturday's meeting between I (
USC and Clemson will mark the I 8^
I 84th time the two teams have met I
' on the gridiron. The Tigers I @ X
lead the overall series, which I
began in 1896 and has been
?pr played continually since 1909,
y jfiA Clemson leads in games played
[/1| in Columbia 40-27-3, and in v
aNdl games played in Clemson 9-4.
In last year's game, Clemson
earned a bid to the Independence
Bowl in Shreveport, La., with a \
24-17 win against USC. The
Gamecocks jumped out to a 14-3
lead in the first half with a pair of
H scoring runs bv Kent Hasood. Ellis
Ibut Kenny Flowers' 2-yard run for ya
and a successful two-point con- thrown
version tied the game at 14 at the interce;
Hagood's fumble early in the Greens
third quarter, however, enabled holds I
the Tigers to take the lead for single
good on a 1-yard run by Flowers. tions
Each team added a field goal in
the final quarter to make the final ^ score
24-17. ^itcl
Ellis gets honor ^
Freshman quarterback Todd Throug
Ellis was named the offensive he is ra
!oacK 01 tnc week Dy Sports II- reccivn
lustrated for his performance yards
against Wake Forest last 'which
Saturday. records
In just one half of play, Ellis Shar
established three National Col- school
legiate Athletic Association for 1
records for freshman with 214 touchd
yards of passing and two
touchdowns with 16 completions Iflfi
on 21 attempts. He holds the
i Photo following records: passing yards
n in (2,745), total offense (2,738) and This
touchdown passes (19). fourth
\
season finale against Tigers
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SEAN KEEFER/The Gamecock
oe Morrison and the 'Cocks prepare to take the field prior to a game.
in USC's last victory
' second on the team in scoring with 34
* of 35 extra-point conversions and 10
*goals out of 14 tries.
DeSDite havine his rrmQpmtiv#*
point-after touchdown string snapped
H^p at 82 and missing three field goals
|%?, against Virginia Tech ? including a
potential game-winner with a few
seconds left ? Hagler said this has
been the best year of his Carolina
career.
/ teg "All in all, I think it's probably
^ ml * ^een my ^est year excePt ^?r i^at ?ne
jmj game," he said. "Three of my four
ml misses were in that game with Virginia
^ Tech. Except for that game I've been
Wf** fairly satisfied."
frf ^ Jm . Hagler ended his home career at
R mr Carolina on a positive note by kicking
two goals and six extra points
uiiududcvi^ o . against Wake Forest last Saturday.
i Iu l i i He is second on the all-time scoring
ntW.lt. For..!, ,jst a( usc w|th ,92 poims lrai|jn|
jail foul and we got to only Heisman Trophy winner George
i." Rogers' total of 202 points.
agler went on to kick Hagler admits he wouldn't mind
i the goal posts on the having the same opportunity as he did
to cap USC's 10-1 in 1984. That is, to beat Clemson in
ecord. the final moments with an extra
point or a field goal.
?ly, Hagler said that is "I'd love to get a shot at it, sure,"
?t Gamecock fans he said. "Mostly I just want to win
im. the game. That's all that matters."
big lead in series
I i Thus far he has compiled a 1-2
mark against the Gamecocks'
arch-rival, losing 22-13 in 1983
and 24-17 last year. The sole win
' for Morrison came in 1984 at
L.iemson, 22-21.
|P|^ "It's always special to play in
or coach a game like this," Mor!||
rison said. "Rivalries take on
even more emphasis and make
Jk wv *i the game even more fun.
* "We've had some very good
games with Clemson since we
came to South Carolina," he
Joe said. "It didn't take long to get
WTZKBmk Morrison caught up in the mood. But once
the game starts, everything else is
also holds school records thrown out and you have to exrds
passing, touchdowns ecute and do your job."
i, completions, attempts,
ptions and yards per game single
season. The UlO 168^^13168
boro, N.C. native also
JSC records for yards in a ^
game (394) and comple- Botl u,sc and C.emson have
several players who hail from
South Carolina.
Several of the players from
irnp |C charri ^oth teams played together in
IB ^0b?11 |J high school. USC running back
Keith Bing and Clemson defenor
wingback Sterling sive tackle Raymond Chavous
is making a strong bid for played together at Aiken's Silver
lerica honors this season. Bluff; wingback Kevin White and
{h the Wake Forest game, Tiger tailback Steve Griffin were
n \s c%r\ a I J ? ^ *1
iiiiwvt 3IAUI ill me uauuil 111 UI1 lilC SUII1C StjUHU ill 2>OUin
ig with 65 catches for 939 Mecklenburg in Charlotte, N.C.;
and nine touchdowns, middle linebacker Derrick Little
are all USC single-season and wingback Carl Piatt played
with Clemson reserve quarterpe
is closing in on several back Chris Morocco at Clarke
records with 98 receptions Central in Athens, Ga.; offensive
,415 yards and 11 tackle Mark Fryer and Tiger
owns in his career. quarterback Rodney Williams
were on the same team at Columa
m ^ b ....
S/Ltlft namo Dias lrmo; and stron8 safety
1rS.S0 yaigic Brad Edwards and Tiger cornerback
Donnell Woolford played
will be Joe Morrison's together at Douglas Byrd in
game against Clemson. Fayetteville, N.C.
)