The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 26, 1990, Page 8, Image 8
USC looks to bounce back i
against old rival N.C. State
By STEVE JOHNSON
Staff Writer
After a stunning 38-35 loss to The Citadel, which Coach Sparky
Woods called "absolutely, certainly my most depressing loss as a coach,"
the Gamecocks (4-2) travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the
N.C. State Wolfpack (44).
The rivalry between N.C. State and USC is the fourth oldest for State,
dating back to 1900. In addition, the game will be of special interest to
several key actors in the matchup. State Coach Dick Sheridan attended j
tt/ i .i t ,? j _A_ 1 j 1 j i
ior ooin nis grauuaie anu unuergrauuaic ucgiccs, uuui in pnyMuii
education.
Sheridan was the offensive coordinator at Furman University under
then head coach of Furman and now executive director of the Gamecock
Club, Art Baker. Sheridan also coached against Woods when Woods was j
the head coach at Appalachian State and Sheridan was the head coach at i
Furman.
Sheridan was the top candidate for new head coach at USC after the
death of Coach Joe Morrison.
The Wolfjpack is 2-2 against USC since Sheridan came on as head
coach at N.C. State in 1986.
The Wolfpack defense is ranked seventh in the nation in total defense
and 11th in passing defense, while allowing an average of only 14.1
points per game.
The most imposing force in the Wolfpack defense is strong safety
Jesse Campbell. At 6-feet-3-inches and 208 pounds, Campbell is referred
to by Woods as a "physical, contact hitter (that) does everything well."
Campbell record includes 54 tackles and one sack. He has broken up five
passes and forced three fumbles this season. Campbell is currently the
fourth rated safety in the nation and is sure to go early in the NFL draft
following his graduation.
Also featured in a stingy pass defense are senior cornerback Joe Johnson
and free safety Snake Vinson. Vinson is the leading tackier for the
'Pack with 79 tacldes in '90 and has also broken up six passes and made
one interception. Johnson is the best cover man for the 'Pack, having
broken up a team-leading 13 passes and has also made 45 tackles and
forced one fumble.
Johnson is currently the 11th rated cornerback in the nation.
Shoring up a solid pass rush for State are right tackle Mike Jones and
outside linebacker Tyler Lawrence. The combined "sack attack" of Jones
and Lawrence have accounted for 12 sacks, 66 tackles and two
interceptions.
Offensively, the 'Pack features two extremely versatile weapons in
their arsenal, runningbacks Aubrey Shaw and freshman sensation Ledel
George. Playing at tailback, Shaw is not only the leading rusher for the
facie witn ?z carnes ior jiu yaras ana six toucnuowns, dui ne is aiso
the leading receiver for State with 23 catches for 193 yards. George leads
a return team ranked 23rd in the nation in punt returns, as well as playing
running back, receiver and returning kicks. George has accounted for
809 total yards and scored one touchdown.
Leading the way for the Gamecocks is quarterback Bobby Fuller, who
reacted to The Citadel loss by saying, "We're really trying to put it behind
us as much as possible."
Seemingly unnoticed amidst the dissappointing loss to The Citadel was
a career best game for Fuller (16 of 23 for 287 yards and two touchdowns),
which raised his quarterback rating to 10th in the nation. Fuller
has now thrown 89 passes for 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns.
Despite allowing The Citadel offense to score 38 points, the USC defense
is still ranked aipong the nation's best. They dropped to 10th in the
nation in total defense and eighth in the nation in passing defense.
Leading tackier linebacker Patrick Hinton will be called upon to carry
an extra load this week due to a neck injury linebacker Joe Reaves sustained
in Tuesday's practice. Reaves led the USC defense with 13 tackles
in last Saturday's game and is the third leading tackier for USC this
season. Freshman Mike Landry will replace Reaves at the linebacker
position.
Free safety Leon Harris and comerback Antonio Walker have wreaked
havoc on opposing receivers all season long. Harris and Walker have
combined for 88 tackles, two interceptions, broken up three passes and
forced three fumbles.
A sellout crowd of 47,000 is expected for Saturday's game between
USC and N.C. State. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium in
Raleigh.
Nobody reads Gamecock ads!
But you just did.
Advertise in The Gamecock and get results! Call 777-4249 for details.
Unibed Way f 1
of the Midlands | // 1
........... 1 Cosh,
if;.! j 1
I i ti > 1 spoc
I "2 fl ! 11 I
Bil nn ?- // \
| 53 \ I I
| ?i|j J5 1
I O' |j, ! je \ I p
I glj , :/ vl
M J 0 /,r^^chcx)se
?? 3J ASlfe
^ 2 ? i^gjit t
2 2101 Main St. (Comer
771-7886 Open 8:3
(JSC offensive tackle Ike Harri
The Gamecocks travel to Raleigh
Gamecock fo<
The Gamecock football team's
loss to The Citadel Saturday gave
USC a 4-2 record with five regular
season games remaining. Losses to
Georgia Tech and The Citadel
have dampened much of the fan
enthusiasm that existed when USC
was 3-0 and ranked in the AP Top
25. What follows here is a "report
card" and my fearless predictions
for the remainder of this season.
Quarterback: Bobby Fuller has
done a great job leading the Gamecock
offense. The fourth quarter
comeback against Virginia Tech
was his Finest hour (or should I say
15 minutes) as a Gamecock.
Wright Mitchell has been impressive
in a relief role. Grade: B+
Running backs: With due respect
to Mike Dingle, freshman
Rob DeBoer is the story here. The
hard-running Omaha, Neb. native
goes all out on every carry and
breaks more tackles than any USC
back since George Rogers. He
should have played more at Georgia
Tech. Dingle has been solid,
but not spectacular. Albert Haynes
is worth mentioning. Grade: B+
Receivers: Robert Brooks' injury
and Carl Piatt's dismissal hurt
the group's depth. Eddie Miller,
David Pitchko, and Charles Steward
have all had fine moments,
though Pitchko's effort was wasted
against The Citadel. Grade: B
Offensive line: Inconsistant
play keeps this group from reaching
their potential. Pass protection
ic cnr?rartir anrt run blocking onlv
" ? o J
slightly better. They really got
whipped at Georgia Tech. DeBoer
gets most of his yards on second
effort, not by running through
huge holes. Just a little improvement
could make a big difference.
Grade: C
Defensive line: They had an A+
before Tne Citadel game, but the
grade now drops. They are still a
super-talented unit. Corey Miller
and Gerald Dixon are both having
great seasons. Wilson, Dye, Blacki
*
ween
ime Rentals
>k up your Halloween
party with a ghoulish
costume and makeup
from
from over 800 costumes
?TT""V
of Elmwood & Main)
10-8 pm 'til Halloween
, #"> : ; V *
s battles an N.C. State defender in I;
, N.C. Saturday for a 1 p.m. game wit
otball gets midwell,
Duke, Simpson, and Brown
have all been solid, with flashes of
brilliance. But what happened Saturday?
Grade: B
Linebackers: Patrick Hinton ,
leads the team in tackles and is enjoying
a fine, if unspectacular,
year. Joe Reaves comes to play every
Saturday, as does Mike Tolbert.
Mike Landry leads the team
in intAr^pntinnc onH ic o fiitnm All.
All 11UV1 vvpuv/llj UUU IJ U A UII41V A 111
American (you heard it here first).
Eric Brown has contributed and so
has Ernest Dixon. Grade: C+
Secondary: The loss of rover
Keith McDonald to injury has hurt.
Leon Harris is having a good year.
Otherwise, this group's play has
been average. Grade: C
Special teams: An unbelievable
disappointment. Individually, Daren
Parker has punted well, though
inconsistantly. Collin Mackie has
done an about-face since his sparkling
freshman year. Both coverage
teams have been poor, as has
the kickoff return team. The punt
return team has been pitiful, at
best. Grade: F
Coaching: Sparky Woods and
his staff looked ingenius after the
3-0 start. Since then they have
been slightly outcoached by Georgia
Tech and absolutely, thoroughly,
and positively outcoached
by The Citadel. I am a big fan of
Coach Woods and truly believe he
is the man to lead our team into
the SEC. But I think he would be
the first to admit that our entire
staff dropped the ball against The
Citadel. Grade: C
I nnlikp. manv others I have
spoken with on campus, am very
optimistic about the remainder of
the season. The only area that requires
a total overhaul is the kicking
game. Hopefully Coach Woods
has the remedy for our special
teams ills. If he indeed does, and
our defense puts The Citadel debacle
behind them and performs up
to their potential, the rest of our
season should go something like
?i
i
FITNESS is FREE
I Come Workout will
I
GRAD
TIRED OF
IN
JOIN
OPENIN
APPLICATIOI
ALL VACANT S
THRO*
U
File photo
ist year's loss to the Wolfpack.
h N.C. State.
term grades
rOl??-i
Rich Taylor
- Pep Talk
this:
USC scores late to edge the
N.C. State Wolfpack 14-12 in Raleigh.
Robert Brooks returns to the
lineup in time to catch the winning
touchdown pass from Bobby
Fuller. N.C. State placekicker Damon
Hartman misses a field goal
as time expires to give USC the
victory.
A sellout crowd of over
75,000 and a national television
audience watches USC kick Bobby
Bowden's Florida State Seminoles
in Columbia. Rob DeBoer's third
touchdown, from eight yards out,
clinches the 35-28 victory.
USC over Southern Illinois,
56-7. Enough said.
In Death Valley the Game- .
cocks, led by Bobby Fuller, erupt
for 21 fourth quarter points to post
an incredible 31-28 victory over
Clemson. Eddie Miller, David
Pitchko and Robert Brooks each
have over 100 yards receiving, a
USC first
On Thanksgiving, the Gamecocks
squeak past West Virginia
24-21 to run their record to 9-2.
After the game, USC accepts a bid
to the Gator Bowl to play
Michigan.
Carolina finally wins a bowl
game, as Michigan goes down
28-21. Rob DeBoer rushes for 208
yards and Mike Dingle scores all
four touchdowns for the Gamecocks.
The win earns USC the No.
4 ranking in the final AP poll.
Obviously, all the breaks will
have to go Carolina's way for this
scenario to unfold. A win at N.C.
State is the key to the rest of the
season. If we win, anything is possible.
If we lose, a 6-5 finish is
probably in the making.
Stay tuned.
I in the Campus Rec
i US!! 777-5261 for
>UATE STUE
: UNEQUAL REPRESE
UNIVERSITY POLICIE
I STUDENT SENA!
GS IN THE FOLK
COLLEGES:
EDUCATION
MEDICAL SCHOOL
HEALTH
CONTINUING EDUCATION
VS AVAILABLE IN ROOM 112 OF Rl
1EATS ARE FILLED BY AN APPOINTS
UGH THE OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRL
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
SO Student Government Associc
USC hammers
Eagles, 3-0
From Staff Reports
USC's Lady Gamecock, volleyball
team crushed Winthrop College
3-0 Tuesday night at the Sol
Blatt P.E. Center.
USC defeated the Lady Eagles
15-9, 15-2 and 15-8.
USC was led by redshirt freshman
Libby Ralston with eight kills
and no errors in 11 attempts to
give her a .727 attack percentage
for the match.
USC's senior co-captains Lora
Myers and Tammy Correll also
contributed to the victory with 12
kills and 30 assists respectively.
me Laay uamecocics improvea
to 14-12 on the season while the
Lady Eagles dropped to 6-25.
USC begins a four game road
swing on Thursday with a match
against Nicholls State in Thibodaux,
La.
TWELVE
IMPECCABLE
EXCUSES
FORNOTGMNG
BLOOD.
Mi . I think I have
lumbago.
2. I'm type Z
negative.
3. I'm on the
grapefruit diet.
4.1 gave six
months ago.
5.1 just got back
from Monaco.
6.The lines are
thirteen blocks
long.
7. My mother won't
let me.
8.1 didn't sign up.
9.1'm going out
of town.
10. Asthma runs in
my family.
11.1 forgot to eat
this morning.
12. I'm allergic to
flowering
magnolia.
Each one's a doozy,
but we're hoping you
won't use any of them.
Give blood through the
American Red Cross.
Please, don't chicken out.
EXCUSES DON'T SAVE LIVES.
BLOOD DOES.
American 8MB
Red Cross 9
reation Program,
more information.
5ents
NTATION
:S?
fEM!
DWING
JSSELL HOUSE.
AENT PROCESS,
SIDENT.
if/on