The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 04, 1996, Page 5, Image 5
Friday, October 4,1996
Gameco
BRYAN JOHNSTON Asst. Sports Editor
After two consecutive defeats, the
Gamecocks could use a bye-week to re
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extra week would be the perfect tonic
for the struggling Gamecocks.
Unfortunately, Carolina has to play
the 20th-ranked Auburn Tigers Saturday.
And to make matters more difficult, USC
has to play, not at cozy Williams-Brice
Stadium, but at 85,214-seat Jordan-Hare
Stadium.
With this being such a young team
and the Gamecock's first road game,
head coach Brad Scott didn't seem that
worried.
"We've got enough players thht have
traveled before, and most have been on
the trips before," Scott said. "I checked
with most of their mamas and they've
all spent the night away from home
before, so we've done that."
The Tigers were idle last week and
should be rested. Before the week off,
they lost to LSU, 19-15. Their only loss
this season dropped Auburn to 3-1 overall
and 1-1 in the SEC.
As for Carolina, they are looking to
get back on the winning track after
dropping consecutive games to East
Carolina and Mississippi State.
The Carolina defense has stepped
up their performance and must continue
to do so this weekend.
Their main task will be to contain
Tiger quarterback Dameyune Craig.
The first-year starter has completed
61.6 percent of his passes and thrown
for 760 yards and five touchdowns. He
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of scores.
The Auburn offensive line averages
64 and 293 pounds, so Carolina defensive
linemen Henry Taylor, Selvesta Miller,
Michael Maddox and Maynard Caldwell
Volleyball te;
DWAYNE MCLEMORE Asst. Sports Editor
Conference play continues this wee
Carolina volleyball team as it hosts Auburn
in the Volleyball Competition Facility.
The Lady Gamecocks, 11-3 and 2-0 i
are seeking revenge after losing to both 1
road last year.
The team's first match is tonight s
Auburn. The Lady Tigers are 10-4 (1-0) oi
and lead the series against Carolina 6-:
also ranked number two in the District F
one ahead of the Lady Gamecocks.
Carolina Coach Kim Hudson is lookir
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will have their work cut out for them.
They must get pressure on Craig, and
plug up the running lanes.
"Offensively, they are a team that is
physical and real big up front. They are
going to try to run the football at you.
We will have to be able to stop their run,"
Scott said.
The iob of stopping the run will lie
heavily upon the linebackers. The
linebacking trio of Darren Hambrick,
Benji Young and Shane Bumham will
need to key on AUs Fred Beasley.
The 6-0, 216-pound tailback has
rushed for 290 yards on 54 attempts,
and is the seventh ranked rusher in the
SEC.
The Tigers also have a potent receiving
trio in Karsten Bailey, Tyrone Goodson
and Robert Baker.
The three have combined for 46
receptions, 680 yards and five TDs on
the season.
Carolina's pass-efficiency defense
rates fourth in the SEC and 18th
nationally. Their scoring defense of 16.25
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USC's offense must find a way to
capitalize on their opportunities. Six
tripe inside the MSU 35-yard line resulted
in only three Carolina points. Of those
drives, two of them ended with missed
field goals, and one ended with a fumble.
Anthony Wright has been solid in
his first four starts at USC. He has
thrown for 938 yards and three
touchdowns and completed 55.7 percent
of his passes. Against the Bulldogs, he
threw for a career-high 351 yards.
Running back Duce Staley has rushed
for 100 yards or more in all four games
thus far. Staley enters this weekend's
game ranked ninth nationally in rushing,
with 142.5 yards per game. He is also
the second leading rusher in the SEC ,
averaging 5.5 yards per cany.
am takes on
the match against the La
"Auburn has beaten
kend for the played them," Hudson sa
and Alabama match is very important.1
Auburn is led by senic
n SEC play, 207 kills, 154 digs and n
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2. Auburn is 3, are 3-15 (0-2) in 1996.
'our poll, just Judy Green is in her
Alabama, who plays Flo
lg forward to the trip to Columbia. The
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Currently, the Gamecock offense is
averaging 391.2 yards per contest (5th :
in the SEC). That translates to 238.2
yards passing (4th in the SEC) and 153
yards rushing, which is 5th in the SEC.
Putting those kind of numbers on
the board Saturday will be difficult against
a tough Auburn defense. They are one
of the best in the SEC, according to Scott.
The Tiger defense is allowing just
102.3 yards rushing per game and gives
up an average of just 11.75 points per
game, which is first in the league and
13th nationally.
Auburn's defense is led by linebacker
Takeo Spikes. The 6-2, 228 pound
sophomore averaged almost 10 tackles
per game as a starter last year. He made
14 tackles in his first-ever start.
Spikes is currently second on the
team in tackles and is already a Butkus
Award candidate.
"Takeo came in as a highly recruited,
highly touted freshman, and he has
proven to be that good," Auburn head
coach Terry Bowden said. "He is doing
a real good job for us."
Outside linebacker Marcellus Mostella
and sophomore Martavius Houston are
also key players on the defensive side.
Houston was named co-freshman
Defensive Player of the Year last season
by the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Look for USC to cut back the offense
a bit. Due to wrong formations and
missed assignment's, Scott feels that
maybe he was tiying to do too much, too
fast.
"I take a little bit of the responsibility
for our lack of effectiveness and execution.
We're going to go back to maybe
streamlining a little bit and see if we
can play a little bit better," he said.
There will be a change in the Carolina
special teams. Senior Reed Morton will
be used in the kicking rotation this week.
SEC rivals th
dy Tigers. Camille Cuti<
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lid. "For me, personally, the are a team tl
The Lady
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Tide are led by three seniors: added 25 dig
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et Aubui
It is expected that he will handle the
shorter field goals.
Freshman Courtney Leavitt will kick
the longer field goals and will continue
to do the punting and kick-off duties.
If the Gamecocks have one advantage
heading into Saturday's game, it's the
fact that they have a one-game winning
streak against the Tigers. Granted, that
win came in 1933 when USC beat AU
16-14, but a winning streak is a winning
streak.
This will be the first trip ever to
Auburn to play football. The Tigers lead
the series 2-1-1. The two schools played
consecutively from 1930-33, playing in
Columbus, Ga (1930), Montgomery, Ala.
(1931) and Birmingham (1932-33).
This year's game will be televised by
CBS-TV as part of the Southeastern
Conference game of the week. Air time
is 3:30 p.m (eastern time) and kick-off
is set for 3:37.
The fact that these two teams haven't
played in over half a century doesn't
make it any harder to scout USC,
according to Bowden.
He said that since the two teams play
common opponents, and the fact that
the coaches know each other makes it
a little easier.
The bottom line is that this will be
a tough game for USC. If the team that
beat Georgia shows up, the Gamecocks
could make things interesting. But if
the team that came to play ECU and
MSU makes the trip to Auburn, things
might get out of hand.
"I think that it will be a stern test
for our team, but yet I think that our
young men will compete. I think we'll
get us a game plan together that will
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give us a cnance 10 De successrui ana
then we're going to go down there and
play our hearts out and see what
happens."
is weekend
jrrez, Holly Richards and Sheri Thomas,
has a new coach," Hudson said, "but they
lat is always ready to play."
Gamecocks are coming off two victories
kend in their first SEC matches against
nd Mississippi State,
sather Larkin led the charge against the
)gs, recording a career-high 22 kills.
Ashley Edlund also added a career high
the 3-1 victory.
*e Cindy Robarge and freshman Fe Laires
tills in the 3-1 win over the Lady Rebel?,
ige's kills came in game four alone. Laires
s, and Edlund recorded 50 assists.
llenge
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Quarterback Anthony Wright leads
Into Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium
ranked Tigers. The redshlrt sophon
three touchdowns, Including 351 y<
week, In his first four games as th?
Staley puts t<
over individi
DAVID CLONINGER Staff Writer
Before the 1996 football season began,
senior tailback Duce Staley was expected
to be one of the Gamecock's top offensive
threats.
The Columbia native has
accomplished this, and then some, this
season. After iust four eames. Stalev
has already amassed 570 yards this
season and is second in the SEC in
rushing yards. Staley also is leading the
SEC in all-purpose yardage this year.
One of Staley^ individual goals for
this season was to rush for over 1,000
yards.
For his first four games he has rushed
for at least 100 yards in each game, but
he is still hesitant to say that he knows
he will reach his main goal this year.
Some Gamecock fans have mentioned
Stale/s name in the same breathe as
the phrase Heisman Trophy Candidate.
But Staley is quick to shrug off those
compliments when he says, "most anyone
can be a Heisman candidate with a good
game or two."
Although many of his fans think he
should win this great honor, Duce just
wants for his team to succeed.
Staley also feels that this year's team
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RcWt Watt on The Gamecock
i the South Carolina Gamecocks
for their game against the 20thw>re
has thrown for 938 yards and
irds against Mississippi State last
? USC tjuarterback.
^am success
lal honors
is a lot better than the record indicates.
Staley also feels that the "offensive
unit could have been better," and that
the team could and should have won the
East Carolina and Mississippi State
games.
Duce does not blame anybody for the
losses, but said, "there was definitely
room for improvement"
The upcoming contest with the 20thranked
Auburn Tigers has Staley and
the rest of the team primed for a hardfought
game, but Staley seems pretty
calm and collected about the game this
weekend.
"I know it will be a tough game, but
we are looking for a good performance,"
uuce said.
. There is no doubt in anyone's mind
that Staley will have another landmark
game, and possibly pull off an upset that
would launch the 'Cocks into the polls.
The squad theme for this year, "Not
Satisfied,' is especially true for Duce,
who hopes that the Gamecocks will go
to a bowl game this year.
Whether or not the Gamecocks
achieve that bowl victory is still up in
the air, but one thing is for certain. A
hard-working player like Duce deserves
to end his career on a high note - a victoiy.
A '
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F F E T
Pasta, pizza,
soup and
salad