The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 20, 1996, Page 11, Image 11
Football teair
of two years
BRYAN JOHNSTON Asst. Sports Editor
The Gamecocks look to continue
their winning ways when they host the
East Carolina Pirates Saturday at
Williams-Brice Stadium.
This ball game we have coming up
this week is kind of a dangerous situation.
It's a tremendous challenge for our
football team because East Carolina
might be the best football team we face
all season," USC head coach Brad Scott
said.
ECU comes into Columbia after
suffering a 10-9 loss to West Virginia
in Morgantown, WV. The Pirates scored
with 22 seconds left to close within one
point. Head coach Steve Logan decided
to go for two instead of kicking the extra
point and opting for overtime. The pass
fell incomplete and the Pirates dropped
to 1-1.
The Gamecocks, however, head into
the match-up coming off a 23-14 victoiy
over Georgia. Duce Staley carried the
ball 30 times for 170 yards and had 274
all-purpose yards. He was named the
SEC's Offensive Player of the Week.
Quarterback Anthony Wright completed
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18 of 29 passes for 224 yards and one
TD. The defense held a potent Georgia
offense to 14 points, and only gave up
four yards rushing in the fourth quarter.
Sounds like a tale of two teams
headed in opposite directions? Possibly,
but not likely.
The Pirates are a dangerous team
with an excellent quarterback in Marcus
Crandell. Scott calls him a "seasoned
Duante Culpepper* (the Central Florida
QB). The Ail-American candidate will
lead a potent ECU multiple-set offense
that is truly multiple.
Tm of the opinion that if you're going
to be a multiple-set team, you better be
a multiple-set team," Logan said. "If
you go out and show three or four
different sets, and that's the end of it,
then very quickly its not very multiple."
Look for Crandell to throw the ball
a lot to split end Larry Shannon (12
receptions for 163 yards this year) and
halfback Mitchell Galloway (83 career
catches).
The Pirates' rushing attack is led
by fullback Scott Hariey. The 5-10,200pound
sophomore has rushed for 221
yards and one touchdown on 37 carries.
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The Pirate offense can be scary at
times, cut, that wasn t the case last
week for ECU. The Mountaineers
pressured and rushed Crandell all game,
forcing him to throw three interceptions.
USC's defensive linebacking trio of
Darren Hambrick, Benji Young and
Shane Bumham must do the same. Up
front, another strong game will be needed
from tackle Henry Taylor. He had seven
tackles, two tackles for loss, and had .5
sacks and two QB pressures against
Georgia.
If the interior seven can't get to
Crandell, it'll be up to the secondary,
led by free safety Arturo Freeman, to
stop the aerial attack. In the first two
games, the secondary has held its
opponents to just under a 47 percent
completion rate, and have picked off
three passes.
Offensively, the Gamecocks must
continue to mix the run and pass
effectively. In the first two games, USC
has had 888 total yards. Of those yards,
428 yards (48.2% of the offense) have
been on the ground, and 460 yards
(51.8%) have been through the air.
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pressure. Anytime people bring the
pressure, then you have to be able to
execute on offense," Scott said.
East Carolina held West Virginia to
129 yards rushing on 47 attempts, an
average of 2.7 yards per carry.
"They tried to run the ball at us and
they couldn't," ECU linebacker B.J.
Crane said. "East Carolina defense is
all about stopping the run. Ever since
I've been at East Carolina, ifs been stop
the run, stop the run, stop the run."
Crane vows that Staley will not have
games like he had against UCF or UGA.
"Ihis week, well stop the run," Crane
said.
If Crane and his defensive mates
can make his words stand up, USC could
be in for a long night. Yet, if the same
Gamecock team that came to play against
Georgia shows up, Carolina could move
to 3-0.
As of 5 pm. Thursday, approximately
200 tickets remained. Another 100
remain available for students with a
valid I.D.
They can be picked up at the
Students' Ticket Window on gameday
starting at about noon.
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ACHIM HUNT Sports Editor
South Carolina head ceach Brad
Scott was pretty excited
about the Gamecocks
performance against
SEC rival Georgia last M "
Saturday night He liked W ..
the way the defense ' ^
responded to Georgia's
running same led bv ^
Robert Edwards and the
poise of redshirt ^
sophomore Anthony ^
Wright under the
pressure applied by the WPffflE ,
Georgia front line. SCOTT
"We had a good win
this past Saturday, and it was a team
effort. We had great effort from our
players, and especially the way that
they played in the second half. It was
veiy encouraging on both sides of the
football."
"Now we still have a long ways to
go, to where we will be a real physical
football team. What we are playing
on now is a lot of emotion, and I think
our coaches are doing a good job of
coaching are players correctly. We are
still doing a lot of teaching and
learning."
"We are doing a lot of things right
now that is helping our football team
win on Saturdays. One of those things
is for the high turnover ratio that are
team has right now. We have fumbled
the ball only once and have taken the
ball away six times, that is a sign of
a good football team."
"We have got a lot of improvement
to do, but I like the way our team has
responded to the challenges so far this
year."
"I thought that this (the Georgia
win) was a big step for us, and I like
the enthusiasm that are team is
displaying. To win a close game and
to feel it almost slip away, and the
way that the defense just refused to
lose, they came out there and played
with intensity in the second half."
"The offense played with great
maturity in the fourth quarter. They
got all of the yards they needed and
were able to put the score on the board
That score probably put the game out
of reach."
"Our crowd was tremendous, it
was really one of the best environments
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I have ever been a part of. They kept
the intensity level of our players at
an all-time high."
While he was excited
about the
imHk Georgia game, coach
I Scott is still not totallv
a assured that his team
will win the East
Carolina game. He is
confident however that
his team will be
competitive on Saturday
ballgame this week is
really a dangerous kind of situation,
it is a dangerous team , because they
may be the best that we have played
this year. They are dangerous on
offense one because they never give
you the same look twice. This is a veiy
multiple offense."
"They spread the field wide open
and they have a great quarterback.
A guy (Marcus Crandell) that is in
total control. He sits back in that pocket
with a great awareness and he can
really pin-point his throws. He has
the ability to make the big play, he
scrambles veiy well, and they have a
very balanced offense as well."
"Their defense is an extremely
well-coached defense. I think one of
the things you notice when you watch
East Carolina is how well-coached
they are. They are very sound and
they love to bring a lot of pressure.
They have a set of athletes that sell
out for them, and they are a very solid
team on the defensive side of the ball."
"In the kicking game since coach
Logan has been there they have made
use of a lot of formations and plays
on their kicking game. They have
something like 21 fake kicks since he
has been there and 17 of them have
gone for either, first downs or
touchdowns, and I can account for two
of those, Til tell you that."
So now the stage is set for a battle
on Saturday night.
It was not too long ago that the
Gamecocks had Steve Logan's East
Carolina team scheduled for
Homecoming. After 1994's game East
Carolina is coming in with a lot of
respect and if Carolina is not careful
they will leave with their second victoiy
in a row.
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