The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 30, 1989, Page 8, Image 8
Pep Talk
By Brant Long
Sparky Woods
as coach of th
Hmmm, my first pep talk of the
year. What's a good topic?
Everybody's talking about
Sparky; maybe I should think of
something else.
Soccer. The mighty Gamecock
soccer team is ranked third in the
nation in a preseason poll. Nah,
everybody will be talking about
them soon.
How about my favorite football
broadcasters? ... Oops, I did that
last year.
Sorry folks , I have no choice. I
know you hear about it everyday,
and will probably hear it until December,
but it is my only choice.
Well, to begin with, I want to
say Sparky is the man. The guy is
amazing. When I found out I had
an interview with him, I was a
little shaky. Most football coaches
are ? what is the word ? harsh.
Not mean or anything, just real
serious. Maybe too serious.
Sparky, after I interviewed him,
not only knew football, and how to
coach it, but he was as laid back as
anyone. He didn't seem to be affected
at all by any of the media
and fan pressure that he has received
since his arrival here last
spring. Yet, he admits he pressures
himself a good deal to win.
"Nobody in South Carolina
wants to win more than Sparky,"
he said.
That was my favorite quote.
I guess the stern, sterotypical
football coach look will come
when the season starts, but I hope
i not. I like the idea of a coach who
is very serious about the game, but
doesn't show it once the fat lady
sings ? if you catch my drift
Speaking of the first game,
please do not underestimate Duke.
With the emergence of quarterback
Billy Ray and the talent of AilAmerican
receiver Clarkston
Hines, the Gamecocks could "have
some trouble. Add to that the fact
that USC's secondary is inexperienced,
and you might end up with
an 0-1 record. But I have faith in
Sparky and the defense . . . and of
course the offense.
Ellis, Green and my fellow
Greenwood sensation Robert
Brooks anchor a talented offensive
unit Plus, we also have Carl Piatt
at another receiver slot. Add Ike
Harris and Calvin Stephens on the
line to block, and golly-gee,
Beaver, we have a well-oiled of'
610 Harden!
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Let s move on into tne season,
shall we? West Virginia ? last
year's runner-up to Notre Dame
for the national championship.
This year the team has been lowered
a bit. With the loss of the entire
offensive line, a fullback and a
couple of receivers, the Mountaineers
have some rebuilding to do.
But Major Harris is dangerous any
way you slice it. The man can run,
pass and magically disappear from
the line of scrimmage only to finally
be found in the end zone. If
he is held in check, we have a
good chance.
One of my favorite little gettogethers
this year will be against
our old buddies, the Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets. I had the pleasure
of being at that game last year to
watch my undefeated Gamecocks
demolish those little guys from the
big city.
I smelled the coffee some time
the next morning. I want every
single Gamecock in the world to
remember 34-0. 34-0. 34-0. Got it?
Because this year we need to, ex
cuse me, we wiu oeai me siop out
of them. What makes the game
even more sweet is that my parents
will be here. No little 17-0 victory
this year. Uncle Sparky, how about
98-0? Will that be all right? If not,
the students and I will accept 84-0.
I have one more thing to mention.
59-0. This year, we play in
Tallahassee. Wait... what's that
smell? Could it be . . . an . . .
UPSET! It won't be easy to beat
FSU there, but it is not impossible.
Then again, I might just be smelling
that old coffee again on Sunday
morning, Nov. 5th.
"So, Brant," you ask, "what is
your point?"
Heck, I don't know. I guess
what I've been bumbling about for
the last seven or eight paragraphs
is that Sparky Woods is a great
guy and a fine coach. I think his
goal of building a program here at
USC will come true very soon. But
he won't get any help from this
year's schedule. I'm not saying
we're not going to win, I know
we'll win. The guys will just have
to give it all they've got to get a
"W." And being a loyal Gamecock
fan of 19 years, I have faith.
Somewhere up there, Coach Joe
is cracking a smile.
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Uence Starts Here
Woods sei
By CHRIS SILVESTRI
Sports Editor
USC head football coach <
Sparky Woods was cautiously op- <
timistic about Saturday's game <
against Duke at his first weekly
press conference Monday, noting <
the Gamecocks' lack of depth. 1
"I'm disappointed in the num- ]
bers that are there," Woods said. "I 1
can see where, if we got hurt on
the line of scrimmage, we could 1
have some serious problems tow- 1
ard the end of the season." (
Woods praised the Duke foot- .
ball program Head Coach Steve .
Spurrier has built, and he dis- |
cussed the Blue Devil offense, j
which boasts the likes of quarterback
Billv Rav. wide receiver
Clarkston Hines and running back (
Roger Boone.
"They're a fine football team
that has great firepower in their offense,"
he said. "It's a real chal- 1
lenge for our defense, a real chal- i
lenge for our young secondary." i
Woods also commented on how
he felt the Blue Devil defense ]
would look. s
"They're big, and they run
well," Woods said. "They do a s
good job of blitzing. They give I
you lots of looks up front which {
concerns me a great deal."
One question still facing the c
Gamecocks is when all the starting i
positions will be filled. Woods still y
has yet to clarify who will be the
opening game starter for a number ]
of positions. i
"It hurts us in the fact that you s
Morrison m
By The Associated Press
Former USC football coach Joe ]
was "never a target" of a grand jury p
steroid use in the school's athletic de]
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Barton sa
During an hour-long interview with
sociated Press, Barton discussed what
come known as the "steroid scandal," \
to the conviction of three ex-Gamecod
who worked under Morrison.
Althnncrh the case, ended earlier th
questions remain, many about Morris
died Feb. 5. How much did he know? >
have been indicted had he lived?
"I'll say two things about Joe M
Barton said. "We interviewed Joe Mon
was cooperative. He was never a targ
investigation. I guess that was three thii
Barton declined to say if the investig
covered anything concerning Morris
died of a heart attack after playing ra
with friends.
However, Barton said the indictme
not "an indication of how the progn
ated" under Morrison.
"There was not a program of coa
tively providing players with steroids. ^
saw a pattern and practice of that," Bai
"What you saw prosecuted ... was t
of the total involvement of coaches, pU
steroids.
"That's not to say other players were
ing steroids, but to the extent of institu
sponsibility, that was it."
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t to coach
just don't have the continuity, the
working together and getting the
cohesiveness that you need, especially
along the line of scrimmage
an offense," he said.
The Blue Devil spring game was
cancelled this year, leaving USC
with no idea what to expect from
Duke. But, according to Woods,
that will not be a factor.
"We would like to focus on getting
our team better," he said.
'Getting our team where., we can
execute the things we want to do
and then try to make the necessary
adjustments. Our focus really has ,
been more on South Carolina than j
it has been on Duke."
The change in the style of secondary
defense from a man-to-man
to a zone has not caused too many .
problems for .comerback Stephane
Williams.
"Zone is never hard to learn,"
Williams said. "It was an adjustment,
but it wasn't a big concept
? grab a hold onto."
Playing man-to-man helped Williams
with the zone defense, he
said.
"It helped me out a lot because,
>ometimes during the year, we will
oe running the man-to-man," he
>aid.
On the offensive side, Game:ock
quarterback Todd Ellis was
lot sure how the Duke defense
vas going to approach the game.
"They blitzed a great deal last
^ear," Ellis said. "But we're not
eally sure what we can expect to
... M
;ee.
?ver targetei
Morrison "I'll say tW(
Srtmln? 0Ut J?e M?ri
partment, . . , .
id. interviewed J
The As- son. He was <
1 ,ha5. ^ He was never
vmcn leu . ,. ,.
: coaches the investigate
Assistant U.S. A
is month>on,
who
,Vould he Barton would not sa>
were being used or wheth
orrison," know should have,
rison. He "I don't know what
et in the known. If they did, mayl
ngs." wrong, but there was no
ation un- in an interview Aug. 15.'
on, who a kid was on steroids and
cquetball But that's not a criminal
should have been fired, bu
nts were The steroid saga began
im oper- cle co-written by ex-Gam
Chaikin appeared in Spor
ches ac- alleged he and other pla>
iVe never half the 1986 team used
rton said. drug.
he extent "He was right on a 1<
lyers and said. "I think a lot of thin
proportion. There was a 1
? not tak- Carolina, but I don't thin
tional re- claimed."
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USC head coach Sparky Woods <
cocks opening day game at his first
Although some starters have not
been selected on the offensive line,
Ellis has confidence in their
abilities.
"I definitely think that they can
get the job done," he said. "At
times, we've shown that we can
pick up anything they throw at us."
Ellis indicated that he isn't concerned
with the way USC finished
the season in 1988.
1 by grand j
? gated the an
) things ab- W reviews
rison We 75 w
"* . and investig*
loe Morri- the indictme
:ooperative. Tom Gadd,
a target in Jim Washbul
? Kephart ar
to reduced r
attorney John steroids, whi
Barton buting the dr
? A jury foi
r who knew steroids weeks later
er coaches who didn't tenced to h
months, brin
people should have nationwide ai
be there was a moral The four <
legal wrong," he said cuted. Sever
'Maybe a coach knew before the g
I did nothing about it munity. Attoi
act. Maybe the coach decision, sa>
it that's not my call." blame as the
Oct. 24 when an arti- court along v
lecock player Tommy Barton del
ts Illustrated. Chaikin saying the c<
rers used steroids and tion which th
I the muscle-huildinp "Vrvu'v#? n
in a position
Dt of things," Barton play college
gs were blown out of ing you can
lot of steroid abuse at they're vulne
k it was as bad as he "I'm satis!
should have
ment Division investi- should have.'
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''''
TEDDY LEPP/The Gamecock
discusses his views on the Gameweekly
press conference.
'There's too much adrenaline in
the first game and too many other
things to worry about," Ellis said.
"You just go out there and react."
One thing about this year's
Gamecocks: Sparky Woods said
he's ready for his first game at
use.
"I think we'll have our guns
loaded and ready to go," he said.
iiry probe
tide's allegations. Then the grand
i the case. Barton estimated about
ere questioned by the grand jury
itors before the probe ended with
nts of former Gamecock coaches
Keith Kephart, Tom Kurucz and
n.
id Washburn pleaded guilty June 1
nisdemeanor charges of importing
le Kurucz pleaded guilty to distriug
to athletes.
ind Gadd innocent June 22. Three
the three other coaches were senalfway
houses for three to six
ging an end to the saga that drew
ttention.
:oaches were the only ones proseal
players testified or were called
rand jury, but all were given immeys
for the coaches criticized that
'ing the players were as much to
coaches and should have been in
vith their clients.
fended the government's decision,
caches were in a responsible posiey
"abused".
;ot 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds who are
to really do just about anything to
sports," Barton said. "I'm not say't
find fault with the players, but
rable.
fied we immunized the people we
: and prosecuted the people we
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