The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 18, 1994, Page 9, Image 9
State rival]
JiMMY DeBUTTS Sports Editor
Ihe annual clash for state supremacy
commences tomorrow as the South Carolina
Gamecocks (5-5) travel to Clemson
(5-5) to battle the Tigers.
Carolina's season comes down to one
game. With a win, the Gamecocks are
bowl bound. A loss brings the season to
a close. This is the final game of the season
for the Tigers. Clemson has only four
wins against Division I teams; six are
needed for postseason play.
Clemson holds the advantage in the
series with a record of54-33-4 over USC.
The Tigers have won five of the last six
meetings. Carolina's last win came in
1992 at Death Valley.
Steve Taneyhill was the quarterback
for USC that day and led the team to a
24-13 win. He said this year's team is
better and more team-oriented.
"We're a totally different team than
we were two years ago," Taneyhill said.
"I didn't play well last year so I just want
to nlav well this vear to make ud for it."
I "V W i
Clemson's outstanding linebacker
corps will try to put pressure on Taneyhill
to keep him from moving the ball
down the field. Tim Jones, Michael Barber
and Darnell Stephens have led the
Tigers defensively this year.
For the Gamecocks to be successful,
the offensive line must give Taneyhill
time to throw the ball. They will also be
responsible for creating holes for Brandon
Bennett and Stanley Pritchett to
run through. An effective ground game
will soften up the Clemson defense and
allow Taneyhill to put the ball up.
The Tigers have finally found a consistent
starting quarterback in Nealon
Greene. Greene has led Clemson to wins
over North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
The Tigers have won three consecutive
games, all over ACC foes. During
the streak, Clemson has averaged nearly
350 yards per game after averaging
just 253.7 yards in the first seven games.
Clemson's rushing game has improved
Streaks hitfhl
ft LARRY
WILLIAMS
Out of Bounds
It needs no introduction. Just call it
"the game." Forget about Southern CalNotre
Dame. Forget about Miami-Florida
State, and yes, forget about AuburnAlabama
(except for maybe this year).
Give me that old yearly slugfest between
the garnet and black and the orange and
purple.
This is it. Yourie going to hate me for
saying this worn out tennis shoe of a
cliche, but this is a game where all records
go out the window. Sorry.
On Saturday, the Gamecocks will
travel to Tigertown to take on the Clemson
Tigers. Both teams are 5-5. Both
teams are, well, average football teams
So why am I going to go on and on aboul
how important this game is? Well, thanks
for asking. Here goes.
First off, there are streaks on th<
line. Carolina is looking to break a two
game losing streak this season. Caroli
na is also looking to avoid a two-gam<
losing streak to the detestable Tigers
Also, the Gamecocks are hoping t<
end a six-year absence from the bowls
If Carolina manages to go to a bowl, an
other streak is on line: USC is 0-8 ir
postseason play.
As for the Tigers, they'll have plen
ty of incentive to win Saturday. Ruining
Carolina's bowl hopes would keep
Clemson fans a lot warmer in the following
winter months.
Also, Clemson is hoping to accomplish
a winning record, a feat that seemec
impossible when the Tigere were rolling
^ ^ ? ? ? ??? ? - ? J mnnrr r*rt CIO
up 13 pom is a game aim uavmg jjuoo
ing totals in the single digits.
From a coaching standpoint, this i.(
the game that could set the preceden
for years to come. Tommy West and Bra(
Scott would both love to win the gam<
with the many in- and out-of-state re
cruits looking on from the stands.
Also, bad blood is present betweer
USC and Clemson defensive coordina
tor Miles Aldridge and West. Can yoi
believe that just three years ago, botl
Aldridge and West were on the Caroli
na sidelines as co-defensive coordina
tors proclaiming their love for the gar
net and black?
Who can forget Wesfs comments up
on being hired last year as the head coacl
of Clemson? It was something to the el
feet of, "I'm glad to be back. I've alway
had the orange in my blood." Folks, i
this ain't backstabbing, then nothing is
Finally, and of course, this game i
going to come down to, first and fore
most, the players (strange isn't it?). Pla)
ers like Brandon Bennett, Toby Cate
and Tony Watkins will be playing ii
their last Clemson game and, quite pos
sibly, their last college football garni
Enough of the present, lefs talk aboi
history. Clemson holds a 54-33-4 edg
ry comes to i
The Gamecocks, coming off a 48-17 U
cessful against the Tigers. The game '
bv more than 100 yards a same over the ri
past three weeks. gi
In the Tiger's first seven games, they ir
averaged 143.9 yards on the ground.
They have improved in their last three ri
games to 261.3 rushing yards a game. H
The Gamecock defense will have to deal ai
with Clemson's option game. This means tl
they will have to keep tabs on Greene H
and running backs Lamont Pegues and s(
Raymond Priester. gi
Pagues leads the Tigers with 330
yards on 76 rushing attempts. He also t?
has two touchdowns. Greene has passed is
for 472 yards with 47 completions on 83 a
attempts. Greene has not thrown a touch- tl
down pass or an interception. ir
Brandon Bennett has moved into si
third place on the USC all-time career a
light Gamecockin
the series, but in the last decade, if s ai
been a little closer than that. Lets take
a 10-year look to get those competitive m
juices flowing. o'
Well, I guess it couldn't be more ap- B
propriate to start with 1984 because cc
that year's Carolina-Clemson battle was ei
arguably the greatest.
South Carolina, 9-1, ventured to n
Death Valley fresh off a devastating 38- ei
21 loss to Navy. Their national cham- G
pionship hopes ruined, Carolina looked q
to wrap up their first 10-win season ever
and a Gator Bowl berth. Meanwhile, S
i Clemson awaited. On probation, the o]
Tigers and William Perry awaited lick,
ing their chops. n
To make matters worse for Caroli- ir
I na, Clemson came down the hill before le
kickoff in the hallowed orange pants. 11
The Tigers were 17-0 in games wearing
the orange britches. a
( Down 21-3 just before halftime, Car}
olina marched down the field and scored E
to make it 21-10 at the half. The score T
} was 21-15 going into the final stanza. 1(
USC found itself deep in its own ter- tl
ritory with only two minutes left. Led
? by Superman Mike Hold, Carolina s
marched down the field for a score to a
j make the score 21 all. On his second try c
for the extra point, Scott Hagler sent s
Carolina fans into a frenzy. They stormed t
j the field and stayed for hours.
Skipping to 1986, the snakebit Game- s
cocks returned to Death Valley with a n
deceiving 3-6-1 record. Carolina was 5
, armed with a high-scoring offense and f(
a team that featured such players as
Todd Ellis, Sterling Sharpe, Harold Green t<
and Brad Edwards. b
I In a game that many still can't fig- F
r ure out how the Gamecocks didn't win,
USCs Hagler had a chance to beat Clem- t
son with his foot two out of three years b
s in Death Valley with a 40-yard field goal, y
j. The kick just about summarized Car- a
j olina's dismal 3-6-2 season?close, but ii
B no cigar.
In 1987, it was payback time. The a
Tigers came into Williams-Brice Stadi- e
1 um for a nationally-televised game, t]
Armed with a potent offense and the fa- a
x mous Black Death defense of Joe Lee t
1 Dunn, this team was arguably USC's a
best ever.
In the first quarter, Clemson quar- 1
terback and Irmo native Rodney Williams (
led the Tigers on a long scoring drive 1
h capped by a 1-yard TD run by Wesley (
McFadden to put the Kittens up 7-0.
? Two field goals by USCs Collin Mack- 1
s ie from outside 45 yards pulled the Game- r
f cocks to within a point at the half. '
5 The second half was a different sto- s
s ry. The Black Death defense dominat- 1
ed from the outset, harassing Williams
r. and the other Clemson players. Midway
s through the third quarter, the Tiger de- 1
n fense finally broke, and Ellis connected i
j_ with Ryan Bethea over the middle for a i
j 68-yard gain to put the ball at the Clem- s
son 3-yard line.
e Harold Green took it in from there,
The Gamecock
i boil in D(
>ss to Florida, need to dominate 01
will be televised on WLTX. Klckoff
ishing list with 2,879 yards on the
*ound. Bennett leads the Gamecocks
i receiving and rushing.
The senior tailback has 678 yards
ishing, including three touchdowns,
'e also has 40 receptions for 283 yards
id one touchdown. Bennett is currently
lird in the SEC in all-purpose yards.
e has amassed 1,286 yards so far this
;ason, for an average of 128.6 yards a
ime.
Tonav^ill iq in fVio QT?P in frv_
A CAAA^sjr AAAAA AO bAAlA U AAA blAW KAJLJVS AAA WV
J offense. The junior from Altoona, Pa,
averaging 195.2 yards a game. He has
mnected for 18 touchdown passes while
irowing just three interceptions. His
nprovement is obvious from last seaDn
when he had just six touchdowns
nd 14 interceptions.
Tiger rivalry
nd the party began.
Down 13-7, Clemson panicked. Rodey
Williams threw an ill-advised pass
/er the middle that was picked off by
rad Edwards. Edwards, flanked by a
>nvoy of blockers, ran untouched to the
id zone.
With Carolina up 20-7, the Tigers
ever recovered. I can still hear the deafning
chants of "Rodney!" by jubilant
amecock fans, taunting the Clemson
narterback.
The next day's sports section of The
tate tagged the '87 squad, "Best Carlina
Football Team Ever."
The next year was revenge for Rodey
and the Tigers as they won 29-10
l front of a record crowd at Death Val:y.
Clemson fans, returning the favor,
mnted us with chants of "Ellis!"
1989. Clemson-45, USC-0. No words
re necessary for this one.
In 1990, Carolina journeyed back to
leath Valley to face the highly-ranked
igers. Heavily favored, Clemson was
>oking for a second-straight blowout of
lie Cocks. It wouldn't happen.
In a surprisingly close game, USC
rorfid a touchdown against the Tieers
t Death Valley, a feat no team had acomplished
that year; however, the
trength of the Tigers prevailed, and
hey went on to post a 24-15 victory.
Skipping to 1992, this Carolina-Clemon
game most closely resembled the
aatchup for this year. Clemson was 5;
Carolina was 4-6 and playing great
>otball.
USC wasted no time, scoring on a
juchdown pass from a brash freshman
y the name of Steve Taneyhill to Asim
'enny.
Carolina's defense didn't give up a
ouchdown all day as the Gamecocks
eat the Tigers for the first time in five
ears. The Taneyhill of old, as reserved
s he was back then, signed his name
a the Tiger paw at midfield.
Last year's battle was a low scoring
ffair. In a game that just about sumaarized
the whole season for Carolina,
he Gamecocks jumped out to a 13-3 lead
it half. If you think there was celebraion
taking place in the stands, think
igain.
Clemson did what Gamecock fans
loped they wouldn't do?run all over
Carolina in the second half. They ran
eft, ran right and ran backwards to beat
Carolina 16-13.
There you have it. A semi-complete
LO-year history of the rivalry that ranks
ight up there with the big ones. This
Saturday is going to be one of blood,
sweat and tears. To the seniors, good
uck and congratulations.
A prediction? USC-17, Clemson-16.
For those of you who are planning
jo make the trip, here are the directions
vhich I use to get to Tigertown: Go north
mtil you smell it, then west until you
step in it.
Just win, baby.
Friday, November 18, 199'
iath Valley [*
?/ NI
VAN HOPE The Gamecock
n both sides of the ball to be suo- ^
Is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday. ^
tin
"Obviously, you can see Fm better," da
"Thfl V\r?o Violnorl n rtroof iL
lie ocuu. JLiie ojoteiAi hcao iieifjeii cx gicai ^Ql
deal."
With both teams fighting for a win- * so
ning record and the rivalry's historic in- Pe
tensity, tomorrow's game should be a AI
battle from beginning to end. This game
is for bragging rights as much as it is ru
for a winning record.
Periodically throughout the footbs
on the week's games. See how y
Alabama (4)
at Auburn (6)
j Florida State (8) J-.
at North Carolina State (25)'
Virginia (16)
at Virginia Tech (14)
Michigan (18)
at Ohio State (22) 'J
Washington (18)
at Washington State (24)
' North Carolina
at Puke (24)
Get in tl
You could win a cam
the Tuesday, Noveml
to meet the Nashvijj
at the Townshipl Thii
all who donate a
Bank at WC05 van a
weekend. In additioi
those who donate a
Morgan t-shirts, con
albums, etc. Registe
the Delta Sigma Pi a
outside of room 400
Lorrie's show. The di
and winners musipf
November 29.
i
I
pomsmm
*A p
v
STEW YORK (AP) ? NBA players I
ected the league's proposal to close P
ipholes in salary cap rules.
Union head Charles Grantham (
io said the league has turned down
2 players' proposal to replace the |
laiy cap with a rookie pay scale, v
The sides are negotiating a col- c
itive bargaining agreement while g
e season continues under a no- Y
ike, no-lockout pledge.
P
MEW YORK (AP) ? Chicago coach v
ril Jackson was fined $10,000 by t
e NBA for derogatory comments y
out referee Hue Hollins following p
2 Bulls' loss to Dallas on Saturday
*ht. i
Jackson said Hollins, who made r
controversial call against the Bulls e
Irtof oaoonn'o r\1o\7nffc! nr%m a ir?f a T
last ocaauii o piajuuo, uaixxc; uiiu j.
e game with an attitude problem, r
?L ?
NEW YORK (AP) ? New Eng- |
id's Drew Bledsoe, who set an NFL I
:ord with 70 attempts and 45 com- s
stions in the Patriots' 26-20 over- i
ne victory over Minnesota on Suny,
is the AFC offensive player of t
e week. ?
Pittsburgh cornerback Ron Wood- A
n and Cincinnati kicker Doug i
ilphrey also were honored in the i
?C. i
Detroit's Barry Sanders, who
shed for 237 yards against Tamill
season, the Gamecock staff r
'our predictions compare.
DeBut!$ Wiiteoi
Auburn Auburi
Florida State Florid?
Virainia Viraini
Michigan s;W IT* : MJchig
Washington Washi
' North Carolina ; Duka
lie Holida;
[ of canned goods for Hi
it Columbia Mail over Th
i to a chance for the tw<
bag of food will be eligi
cert tickets, "Mama's Hi
r at the Russell House i
X In the Coliseum to win
awing will be held on M<
ck th ti k ts b f
t
9
a Bay, was selected in die NFC along
nth San Francisco safety Mertcn
lanks and Green Bay punter Craig
lentrich.
iolf
I The latest move by the Fox network
into sports programming could
hange the makeup of professional
;olf and bring legal and financial
leadaches for the PGA Tour.
A formal announcement was exacted
Thursday about a series of
worldwide tournaments underwriten
by $25 million from Fox that
/ould put golfs best players in comletition
with the established tours.
In addition to Fox, the key figires
in the venture are Greg Nornan,
long a supporter of a world torn-,
ind Executive Spoils, a Deb-ay Beach,
rla., organization that manages a
lumber of U.S. tournaments.
Soccer
I NEW YORK (AP) ? Major Soccer
..eague chairman Alan Rothenberg
said the new U.S. league will not start
intil 1996.
J rn .JJ.J
^nicago ana rampa were auueu
0 Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Los Anjeles;
New Jersey; San Jose; and
Washington, which were announced
n June. Long Island, also announced
n the summer, will not begin play
n 1996 because of stadium problems.
nakes predictions
*'> fs|8i
n Auburn
1 State Florida State|j|||
a Virginia
l0n;liS{J2?S:^^n ...1
ngton State Washington
Duke
Gamecock Graphics
y Mood!
ront-row seats at
ncert and a chance
ige after the show
fee a possibility for
irypjlf Hope Food
> grand prizes,
5 ^
Eo receive Lome
_ y Eyes"
nformation center,
the BA building or
t a pair of tickets to
onday, November 28
5pm on Tuesday,
HHmP*"'
I 1