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Ellis cai By the Associated Press With his third college football season less than two months away, South Carolina quarterback Todd Ellis is feeling the growing burden of being the trigger man in the Gamecock offense. tveryooay warns to asx ine questions 'Am I getting better, and am I as good I've been labeled to be," said Ellis. "Everybody, including myself, has had big expectations of what I have to do." South Carolina earned a bid to the Gator Bowl and a No. 15 ranking in the past season, but Ellis' skeptics grew when he threw 24 interceptions and only 10 touchdowns. He also finished second in televised battles against Steve Walsh of Miami and LSU's Tommy Hodson. "I had the highest passing ratinjg of any quarterback coming back after my freshman year and I had some big numbers last year, but not in some areas. "I didn't throw 20 touchdowns, but Harold (Green) ran for (15)," Ellis said. "Things balanced out in our offense and I think that's where , v * - " --M' 1 PlL iwi / File Photo Sporting Gamecocks In less than a month, the Gamecock football team will take on its first gridiron opponent, North Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 6. I WEI j $10 off all pen Don't l Semest Ca Now Lea: m <1 PR* Ties loac people got a misconception of whether I was progressing enough. "Last year I don't think the team or myself progressed well enough in the offense to the point we could take advantage of the run-and-shoot. I feel like we're on the right track now," he said. Ellis will still be under the gun in the revamped pro-style defense, but not with the intensity of the past two years. Much of the success in the runand-shnot had rpcfpd nn his ahilitv fn make the correct read on the run, and to thread the often shifting "eye of a hole" in the defense. Defenses knew the spread offense so well by the close of the 1987 season that Miami forced the Gamecocks to run some plays for the first time, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe. "Sometimes people expected so much they tended to forget that Todd was just a sophomore," said Coach Joe Morrison. "We handled our situation last year as well as anyone could have." "You could always say he needs to throw less interceptions, but for the number of times he threw the ball Morrison s< From staff reports Fred Jackson, receivers coach at tl Naval Academy last season, was named coach at USC. Jackson will coach the receivers and tight ends. Jackson brings 16 years of coaching high school and collegiate levels to Soi was an all-conference quarterback in hi Jackson State. Jackson began coaching t in 1987 after having served on the staffs of Toledo from 1979 to 1982 and tl Wisconsin from 1983-86. He coache quarterbacks at Toledo and also served < dinator there from 1981-82. The 1981 the Mid-American Conference champi won the California Bowl. From Toledo Wisconsin where he coached the Badj quarterbacks for three seasons and servi offensive coordinator for the 1986 ses prize pupils at Wisconsin was A1 To receiver for the New York Jets. USC Head Football Coach Joe Mc Jackson "brings an outstanding bac Gamecock program." "We're pleased to announce the app< Jackson as our receivers coach," said M very impressed with him, both as a coach He has coached some outstanding pi; LCOME BA( jAMECOCK SPECIAl ms >3 off all haircuts $5 off all mmmmwmm mm mm mm mm warn mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm 799-0234 Spend Your er Out in th II lie Tn/foii ii i vyy/ jtn^foi^Fal^S J^q J;. iBgpEafi. 2 Weston ComD K E A L EST DPERTY MANA 254-2663 1 of expeci (432), 24 really wasn't too many," Stf6( the coach said. "That number will be cut drastically this fall because of the I Op nature of the (pro-style) offense." USC improved from 3-6-2 to 8-4 last year, but Ellis at times struggled ; as defenses charted the Gamecocks' offensive tendencies. His number of touchdown passes was sliced in half tn in anH hie infprr?pritinnc rncp h\/ two. But he passed for 3,206 yards and still completed 55.8 percent of 1 his attempts. Now Ellis should benefit from a recharged rushing attack and the addition of offensive coordinator A1 1 Groh. "The new offense is going to help my progression for the pure fact that when we go out each game, defenses can't say Ellis is going to throw 35-40 times and that's what we've got to stop," he said. "I hope the attention and the excitement and the expectations people have of me will always be there because I expect a lot of myself. "I just hope they will learn to understand how the quarterback fits into a system, not how the system fits around the quarterback," Ellis said. elects assistant career and has a good, s receivers. He is highly resp< le United States we're glad to have him a assistant football staff." Gamecock wide Jackson said that he w Gamecock program, experience at tne "It's very exciting for n jth Carolina. He come in and work with suci s playing days at coaches like there are at So he Navy receivers iug a quarterback the calibe at the University tial of the receivers we ha\ tie University of possibilities. I feel fortunati :d receivers and grateful to Coach Morrisoi 3S offensive coor- Tar-t-cnn ic a native r?f Ra _ ? ? ? ? - J UVi\OVll AtJ M IlMkl T V VA AAW roledo team won tered three years in footl ionship and also Scotlandville High School. , he moved on to at Jackson State, earning a] ?er receivers and year. He received his B.S. ing in addition as 1971 and holds a Master ison. Among his Michigan, on, all-pro wide Jackson began his coac High School in Flint, Mich jrrison said that his teams went 56-14. H< kground to the honors in both football anc Jackson also spent one year aintment of Fred League, orrison, "We are Jackson replaces Willian i and as a person. the assistant coaching posi ayers during his business firm. ??g IT ?K! 1 LS I I I highlighting | "*" FOR HAIR 2002 Green Street In Fivo Prtinfa 1 Ill X I T V X | J_ j i First te Rain p U ' * ] emester any, Inc. ({ AT E CEMENT L tationsf"# et & Smith's 1988 1|L 20 Pre-season poll: 5. UCLA ' ^ -L. 5. SOUTH CAROLINA ,, Mmuk 7. Auburn Jt fl 8. Miami Oklahoma 10.Nebraska 11. Iowa 12. Alabama 13.Michigan State 14.Texas j|H^K 15.Penn State ? ^ 16. Michigan 17.Notre Dame ^,. *??.** *'* 18.Louisiana State 19.Washington 20. Pittsburgh coach A Cocky Art olid background in coaching Quarterback Todd ected in the coaching field and season with the new pi s a member of our coaching 'as excited about joining the 198* le to have the opportunity to Sept. 6 h a fine group of receivers and uth Carolina," he said. "Hav- Sent jo :r of Todd Ellis with the pocen- P rt presents some very exciting Sept. 17 e to be in this position and I'm i for this opportunity." Sept. 24 iton Rouge, La., where he let>all, basketball and track at Oct. I He was a four-year letterman ll-conference honors his senior Oct. 8 degree from Jackson State in of Arts degree from Eastern Oct. 15 :hing career at Southwestern Oct. 29 ugan in 1971. in eignt seasons ; earned Coach of the Year Nov. 5 i track during his stay at Flint, playing in the World Football Nov. 12 l "Tank" Black who resigned Nov. 19 tion in June to join a private _ CAROLINA PI August 21 - A New Students - Welcome to cam] party and sessions on campus invc college life in and outsid< Call Student Orientation at HOLD IT! 3efore you-buy that tack-to-school bike in you own, remember that all n nd hand brake bikes neea idjustments in the first m ill bicycles from OUTSPt TEAR FREE REPAIRS P, OVER 500 BIKES MOUNTAIN BIKES CRUISERS f CITY BIKES 254-9797 iJh. ^ * ft Ellis will lead the Gamecocks through an 11-game o-style offense. The team posted an 8-4 record in 1987. 8 use Football Schedule NORTH CAROLINA HOME 7 p.m. WESTERN CAROLINA HOME 7 p.m. EAST CAROLINA HOME 1:30 n.m. GEORGIA HOME 1:30 p.m. APPALACHIAN STATE HOME 1:30 p.m. Virginia Tech Away t 1 p.m. Georgia Tech Away 1 p.m. North Carolina State Away 1 p.m. FLORIDA STATE HOME 1:30 p.m. NAVY HOME 1:30 p.m. Clemson Away 1 p.m. IE VIE W '88 II Lugust 25 jus! Pep rally, dance, pool dvement and adjustment to i of the classroom. 777-2780 for details. r home tulti-speed I LOTS of small onths of ownership. )KIN' carry ONE iRTS AND LABOR! IN STOCK In Five Points, Behind Group Therapy ia^deesj^^ College St. oyii ' / sk%\ spokin- / 3i\i>a ,/ / / I w// Croup \ / / Franj^^gwapyV / ^ USC Greene