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Friday, November 17,1995 Redemptio for Gameci ? game pi LARRY WILLIAMS Sports Editor Little.: through ous timi You might not realize it, but to- ready fc morrow's annual Clemson-Carolina day in C clash is the carbon copy of last year's in Death Valley. It just so happens Histoi that the roles are reversed. Whe Last year, the 5-5 Gamecocks this, rec marched into Death Valley and kicked siderab the Tigers butts - there's no two ways football about it. Using a powerful offense and that the a bruising defense, the Gamecocks won in this s 33-7, rolling up 412 total yards, and son woe holding Clemson to 177. interest This year's game has the potential won at I to be the same, just the other way they be? around. Here's why. It se tions, th Clemson's running game: always Clemson's rushing combination of Usually, Raymond Priester and Emory Smith ented a is the best since the days of Terry Allen game. L and Tracy Johnson. Running up 253.2 havebl< yards per game, this backfield has USC did. Thi defensive coordinator Wally Burnham still has shaking in his boots. ly lacker Last year, Clemson boasted a good that em running attack as well The difference? this gar Carolina's defensive line. With Stacy this on? Evans, Chris Rumph, David Tumipseed the gam and Eric Sullivan anchoring the defensive line in '94, Carolina had the Keys heart and soul of their defense. The Clei Gamecocks shut down the Tigers' run- tablish ning game, and, not suprisingly, shut Greene down their whole offense. This year early to could be quite different. With Evans, est. On Rumph, and Tumipseed gone, the de- the Tigt fensive line has been sub-par at best hill earl this season. in his la Looking over film of USC's past get out c games this season, Clemson's Priester be chall< and Smith have to be licking their fensive 1 A i n !_ TTfl/U_ J./1 1 a cnops. Againsi ueorgia, uot s aeiense neea 10 c gave up 147 yards and five touchdowns ley, whc to converted tailback Robert Edwards. Sou Against Arkansas, they gave up a this gaxr record seven touchdowns to Madre If they c Hill. Against Kentucky, they gave up fense, tl 299 to Moe Williams. Against Ten- done. If nessee, a primarily passing team, the play the Gamecocks surrendered over 100 yards playing, to Jay Graham. time. Si Last year, Carolina shut down the men in t running attack of Arkansas, Kentucky beat yoi and Clemson because of their solid de- this is tl fensive line. This year, they have es- sources ] corted opposing runners into the end- happen, zone because of their lack of one. On c toregair Clemson's defense: where b A disturbing trend has begun to just has emerge in past weeks. Carolina's of- olina ca fense may not be the great high pow- shotgun ered scoring machine it was billed in resort tc midseason, when the Gamecocks were offense '< rolling up an ungodly amount of points and Flor against weaker foes. Will It seems that, when confronted rockin't with a solid defense, the offense fal- 74,000 ( ters. This is not a slight to Tanevhill. tVipr< but it appears that when opponents hearts o put someone in his face all day, he those of doesn't perform well (now, how could time, yo that be!). Let's look back to the Geor- seats et gia game. The Bulldogs suprised the every n Gamecocks by sending their safeties most ur on corner blitzes. This disrupted USCs - The C; JB jMkii&ii ? i In their last game of the season, Gam? for their pride tomorrow against the Tigers are ranked No. 24 nationally* Ki< r SF n song 0nedayoftl . 0 split. Two th DCKS. cool, crisp an. Against Tennesse, Taney the Gamecocks were thrown litzing defensive end Leonard Florida's Ben Hanks burst | 1 i the line undetected numer- % # as last week. If Carolina isn't ^^ >r the blitz, it could be a long lamecock Country. tn'you analyze a rivalry like ent history has to play a con- Y?t le role in the outcome of the M,, game. It's interesting to note HI Sfc%jjj fim i last time a home team won [ 3* JBKk series was 1990, when Cleml 24-15 in the Valley. Equally IDg? ,ing is the last time Carolina ?E J some, which was in 1987, when ems that, with a few excepe USC-Clemson matchup has J \ J| , it turns out that the most tal- *^ nd confident team wins the ast year, the Gamecocks should UK> L~ awn out the Tigers, and they s year, it seems that Carolina L |B?| ; more talent, but has recent- jgl5M 1 confidence. Everyone knows otion has so much to do with m to the Game: HUil mson: The Tigers must esthe run earlv. Also. Nealon might want to try to go deep keep the USC secondary honthe defensive side of the ball, ;rs will need to get to Taney[y. If the senior gets on a roll st collegiate game, things could ... if hand. The defensive line will enged against the veteran of- ' line of Carolina. The Tigers ?ntain runningback Duce Sta- I i is extremely dangerous. th Carolina* The outcome of ie rests in the defense's hands. an stop the Tigers rushing ofhey'U win. Easier said than A I ' the Gamecocks continue to soft 3-4 zone that they've been this game will be over by halfiggestion? Put seven or eight he box and force the Tigers to 1 with the pass. It seems that ROBBIE MEEK Asst. Sports Ed ie most logical thing to do, but ^ here say that it probably won't ^Ti iffense, the Gamecocks need ? H do 1 tne sparK tnat uiey lost some- h ^ etween here and Knoxville. It Hi n't been there. Solution? Car- H se n't abandon their no-huddle H t offense in the first half and H a ?their predictable I-formation ^ *thqrdji against Tennessee withtheirllffiSofthesea ida. The Tigers will eat it alive. The Tigers hold a 54444 serii iams-Brice Stadium will be split the last four seasons at 2 ;omorrow at 12.30 p.m. About lost seven out of the last 10 g< ,arolina and Qemson fens will the records and the record Ixx 2 in full force to scream their comes down to win or lose. T1 ut for their beloved teams. For rlaim this season's bragging r you who are going for the first This is the game that just >u're in for a treat. Get in your the state grows up wanting to irly, for you'll need to absorb to wear the orange and run dc linute of one of the best and to don the garnet and come oui tderrated rivalries in America He either wants to be a Tiger, oi arolina-Clemson game. cock. The rivalry has a rich his many All-Americans, many Pre H THE I * "4 III! Sponsoredb ?R GRILLE 8F*a 1 \ Sports Co-Edit J Record: 38-27 U Larry Wi/lia m Sports Co-Edit WL Record: 46-19 M Robbie Mei Assistant Spoil Record: 49-16 ^atrlbipoti AMIE CLARK The Gamecock Chris Carro P^siden'oftb ckoff is 12:37 p.m. United States ORTS he year. Battle lines art ings: the claw or the ps November day each yc R 0W> K i WIL ? "...(ever itrs right, its time for the gers to leave the farm W7' ) in Clemson and come J ' . * * * (wn to the city for the an- ^ lal War Within the State. WCdl LaIC he Tigers will enter this .. .. ason's grudge match and run d orting a 7-3 record and guaranteed trip to a bowL "ill Of fl P le Gamecocks will enter 11111 U1 HC son with a 4-5-1 record. i . i 2S lead. The teams have ClOtt. lllC !-2. The home team has unes. But for this week CJflfl r O fTl ( )ks mean nothing. It all aAAU ^WA1A le question is, who will i.L ? ?g ights? 111(3 Mill about every little boy in i^tr\r\ play in. He either wants ^(J(J iwn the hill or he wants t of the smoke to "2001." man Trophy winner to play i r he wants to be a Game- olina's George Rogers, Stei _ , , Brooks, and Clemson's Micl itary. There have been ^ ^ ) Stars, and even a Heis- . , series stars. 1AMEC0CK SPOR] -iifi | USCI I Jl MS- # vsf-^ ks;?:s w ;rog Clemson Penn State ? /yep Penn ? or *?c Sfafe " ,msi namJ^ Penn i A or Clemson m k ncr Penn A ts USC State we }er*y /fcr Penn h 111 I St3te ;M m n k e Clemson Michigan Mr ? ^ ? a drawn. Families and friends are aw. It's one or the other. For one ?ar, we South Carolinians have J LITTLE WAR 114-4-I p series' stars, y 11LL1C The game used to be called Big Thursday becau it was played every year in Columbia on the Thui \ ITtS tO day of State Fair week. The first game at Clems< wasn't played until 1960. The two schools have alt* OfTtlPP nated playing sites every since. O There have been some wild ones including a gar rw\ T1~\ f-V-j ^ in the earlier years where a riot broke out because iCJvVTl LI lC ajoke played by a South Carolina fraternity. The fi ternity borrowed some uniforms that resembled t ailtS tO Tigers'. Before the game the fraternity took the fit as the Clemson football team. After having a little fo q-O pj" ball follies session the Clemson fans caught on to t O prank and stormed the field. ^ i? The rivalry is fueled by the ragging and braggi ^ (JUL (J1 between co-workers, classmates, and even family mei i T> nil i l l T I Ders. i m one 01 tne iucxy ones wno can say i grew 3ke to in a half orange, half garnet family (My mother weM to Clemson and my father to Carolina). I wouldn't w? 1 it any other way. And for all of the out of state fres ^ men at USC who have never experienced the rival in the rivalry. South Car- 1 <*51 56 ^ 3J? soon love to hate the Tip: l- ou j r> u _x Sure, there will be bigger games around the nata ing arpe an o e on Saturday. There will be games that mean a lot m< leal Dean Perry, Donnell ^ national picture, but to the people in the sti just to name a few of the 0f South Carolina, nothing will be bigger than the Within the State. TS CHALLENGE I forth Va. Tech Alabama Colorado ''Stern vs 'Sill, vs IB' IBv vs .. um m A?hnrn Kansas irdue ? < Mate!! irdue UVA Auburn ste/n UVA Auburn Colorado 1orth Va. ? Kansas ' stern Tech Auburn state lorth Va. Kansas istern Tech Alabama Sfgte lorth Kansas ,stem UVA Auburn $fate