The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 12, 1990, Page 8, Image 8
NFL season
49ers and Gi
Baseball fans step aside. The
best sport in the history of Western
civilization is back in full swing,
and the season promises to be very
competitive and climactic.
Every team in the National
Football League has now played at
least four games, so this marks a
- good time to review the season
and pick out the winners and
losers.
AFC West
Los Angeles Raiders
(4-1) ? Not many would have
thought that the Raiders would be
back on top of their division this
year. One who did have that in
mind was Art Schell, who has
turned out to be one of the best
coaches in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs
(3-2) ? One of the best AFC
teams, but still erratic and sloppy.
After demolishing the Browns,
they lose to the shiftless Indianapolis
Colts.
They have the defense. They
have the running attack, as long as
a certain Nigerian named Okoye
stays healthy. If the Chiefs can get
consistency out of quarterback
Steve DeBerg, who threw 3 interceptions
against the Colts, they
will be going places.
Denver Broncos (2-3) ? The
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by Charles Dickens. They can be
the best of teams and the worst of
teams. John Elway can engineer
long drives to win the game in the
last second, or throw an interception
that is run back for a touchdown
(he has done that twice already).
Don't count on the Broncos
to make another futile
appearance in the Super Bowl.
Seattle Seahawks (2-3) ? The
Seahawks are playing exceptionally
well as of late, winning their
last two games after dropping their
first three. They humiliated the
then-undefeated Cincinnati Bengals
and blew but the Patriots
Sunday.
San Diego Chargers
(1-4) -? They are a pretty awful
franchise right now, although they
did beat the Browns and almost
beat the Bengals. If Coach Dan
Henning can keep his job another
couple of years, they will be a
power in the '90s. t
AFC Central
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Bengals scare me. They scare me
because I dislike them intensely,
and they are doing very well. I
will grudgingly admit Sam Wyche
is an excellent coach but a lousy
human being. The Bengals are an
all-around great franchise.
Houston Oilers (2-3) ? After
giving the 49ers a good fight last
week, the Oilers will (A) cut a
swathe through the NFL and demand
a rematch in the Super
Bowl, or (B) piddle around with
the run-and-shoot and collapse into
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mediocrity. Those who pick (B)
get the Chrysler LeBaron.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) ? The
Steelers have the opposite problem.
The Steeler offense was starting
tr> fnrcrp.t what a touchdown
looked like. Now they are back on
track, sort of. They are looking to
go 8-8 for the year.
Cleveland Browns
(2-3) ? They did the impossible
last week by beating the Broncos
in Denver for the first time since
1972. Now the Browns have to
prove that they can win (dare I say
it?) two games in a row.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins (4-1) ? In
leading the Dolphins to an impressive
start, head coach Don
Shula proves the game hasn't
passed him by. With an aging Dan
Marino, the Dolphins have to
make their move during the next
couple of years to go back to the
Bowl. This team is making it.
Buffalo Bills (4-1) ? Divine intervention
and unbelievable
special-teams heroics enabled the
Bills to win their last two games
against the Broncos and the Raiders.
They have some of the best talent
in the league, but when push
comes to shove, the Bills do not
get together as a team. This team
doesn't live up to its billing (pardon
the pun).
New York Jets (2-3) ? The Jets
have a long way to go before they
are a good team again, but they are
far from the worst. Quarterback
Ken O'Brien will surprise you. He
nas iea ine jeis 10 impressive wins
over the Browns and Patriots.
Watch out for them in a few years.
Indianapolis Colts
(2-3) ? Truly one of the most erratic
teams in the league. They
lose easy ones they should win and
win ones they should lose. The
Colts are basically spinning thenwheels
until they get that spoiled
brat they call a running back, Eric
Dickerson, off the Injured Reserve.
New England Patriots
(1-4) ? The worst team in the
league gets worse every week. The
Pats would be better off playing
their third-string every game so
they will be assured of getting the
number one draft pick.
NFC East
New York Giants (4-0) ? The
Giants are the only NFC team that
has a legitimate shot of knocking
the 49ers out of the Superbowl,
maybe the only team that can beat
the Niners in the playoffs period.
The Giants are the second best
team in football.
Washington Redskins
(3-1) ? The Skins are looking
good. They will definitely get a
Wild Card spot if they don't selfdestruct
between now and
December.
Dallas Cowboys (2-3) ? Due to
the new NFL schedule, Dallas has
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a one game jump on the rest of the
NFC East, so they are temporarily
in third place in their division.
This will change soon. Dallas is
getting better and they will be a
top-notch team in a few years. For
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Philadelphia Eagles
(1-3) ? This could be Coach
Buddy Ryan's last year if the Eagles
don't make the playoffs. The
way they have been playing, I
would advise Buddy to start looking
for a high-school coaching
vacancy in Idaho.
Phoenix Cardinals (1-3) ? The
Cards are in all kinds of trouble.
Everything needs improvement.
The Cardinals and Patriots will vie
for the No. 1 draft pick this year.
NFC Central
Chicago Bears (4-1) ? The
Bears are a surprise to be back in
the thick of the hunt after losing
their last six games last season.
They have turned things around,
and will definitely win their division
if things stay as they are.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(3-2) _ The NFC Central is full
of surprises, none bigger than the
success of the Bucs. They are
playing well, but let's remember
that two of their wins were against
Detroit. They have a chance to
make a Wild Card, but we'll see
how long Vinnie Testeverde can
keep from throwing five interceptions
in a game.
Green Bay Packers (2-3) ? Yet
another unusual development is the
lack of progress of the Pack. They
were widely picked to win the
Central and charge into the Super
Bowl. Think again. Don Majkowski
and Sterling Sharpe are back
to form, but they are in desperate
need of a running back and some
secondary help.
Detroit Lions (2-3) ? While
vastly improved over last year, the
Lions still aren't playoff material.
Barry Sanders will have to run for
300 yards per game if Detroit
hopes to see post-season play.
Minnesota Vikings (1-4) ? The
most surprising news of all this
year has to be the utter ineptitude
of Minnesota this year. Who
would have thought that every
team in the division has a believable
shot at winning the title except
the Vikes? With star defensive
lineman Keith Millard out for
the year, Minnesota is in for a depressing
season.
See Pep Talk page 9
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Sack Attack
USC defensive end Corey Miller sacks East C?
Homecoming win. The Gamecocks play host to the
day. Kickoff is at 12:10 p.m.
Gamecocks look
against Pirates
By STEVE JOHNSON
Staff Writer
The slogan for this year's Homecoming is "Carolina
On My Mind." From now until the conclusion of
the Homecoming Game between USC (3-1) and East
Carolina (2-4), this slogan will also be adopted by
ECU head coach Bill Lewis and the rest of the Pirate
football team.
After being knocked out of the Top 25 two Saturdays
ago in a 27-to-6 loss to undefeated Georgia Tech
in Atlanta, USC is looking to bounce back with
another win at home.
"The quickest way to get over a loss is to win
again," USC coach Sparky Woods said.
In order to do this, the Gamecock offensive line
must first find a way to contain ECU's All-American
candidate at linebacker, Robert Jones. Called by The
Sporting News "the nation's most under-rated linebacker,"
Jones leads the team with 92 tackles this season
and is currently rated as the fifth best linebacker
in the nation. This rating is no surprise when you consider
Jones' strength (benches 460 nounds. smiats
650) and speed (runs 40 yards in 4.69 seconds).
Running back Dion Johnson is the most versatile
and dangerous weapon in the Pirates' offensive
arsenal. The fastest man on the team, Johnson runs the
Volleyball Trivia Answers
Q. What is the most match 1990 season. Ho1
victories a USC volleyball team have the Lady G
has won in a season? In what vanced to the N
year did it happen? ment championsh
A. USC won 36 matches in times have they \*
1978. A. USC has at
Q. Who holds the USC re- Metro Champi
cord for most digs in a season times, winning it
with 525? What year did she es- Q. Since 1978.
tablish this record? against soon-to
A. Diane Denton led USC in Georgia. When
digs throughout her career. She time the Lady G
recorded 525 digs in the 1987 feated the Lady B
season. A. The last ti
Gamecocks deft
Q. USC will be leaving the was in 1978. I
Metro Conference after the match 15-1, 11-5,
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bounce back
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40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. In addition to being
highlighted in the Pirates' option attack, Johnson also
handles the team duties of returning kicks and punts.
Dion Johnson averages 23.6 yards per kick return and
132 all-purpose yards per game. He is ranked 23rd in
the nation in all-purpose yardage.
Johnson and the rest of the Pirates will face a big
challenge Saturday with a Gamecock team that ranks
10th in the nation in total defense and 17th in the nation
in passing defense.
The defense is led by senior linebacker and leading
tackier Patrick Hinton (49 tackles) and free safety
Leon Harris (39 tackles, one interception).
Punter Daren Parker also continues to be steady
with an average of 40.6 yards per punt, ranking him
24th in the nation.
The Gamecock offense is led by quarterback Bobby
Fuller, the 25th rated quarterback in the nation. After
four games, Filler has completed 66 passes for 819
yards and six touchdowns. With leading receiver
Robert Brooks now recovering from athroscopic knee
surgery, wide receiver Eddie Miller will assume the
role of primary target for Fuller.
A crowd of 70,000 is expected for the Homecoming
Game between USC and ECU. The game will kickoff
Saturday at 12:10 D.m. at the stadium
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