The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 01, 1996, Page 7, Image 7
Friday, November 1,1996
Carolina w
BRYAN JOHNSTON Asst. Sports Editor
The Gamecocks will look to make it
four wins in a row this Saturday when
they take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
The last time USC won four
consecutive games was in 1994 when
they defeated Arkansas, Louisiana Tech,
Kentucky and LSU.
But going for four will not be easy as
the Volunteers come into town with a 51
record. Their lone loss was to the topranked
Florida Gators, 35-29.
The last time Tennessee came into
Columbia, USC upset them 24-23.
"South Carolina is a very good football
team whose 5-3 record puts it veiy much
in contention for a bowl berth," Tennessee
head coach Phillip Fulmer said.
With Carolina 5-3 overall and 4-2 in
the SEC, they are one win shy of gaining
the necessary six victories to be eligible
for a bowl game.
They get their first shot of clinching
on Saturday against a very good
JOSH PENWOP Senior Writer
So the saying goes, up in the (insert
any given mountain range here)
mountains, they grow them big - football
players that is.
Well, up in Knoxville, not only do
they grow them big, but Tennessee head
coach Phillip Fulmer and his Volunteer
coaching staff recruits them even bigger.
In doing so, Coach Fulmer and his
defensive coaching staff has successfully
managed to cap off his defensive line
with one of the hottest current defensive
end tandems in the country.
Not only is junior bookend defensive
ends Leonard Little and Jonathan
Brown's' stature big, but their play has
been gigantic for the Volunteer defense
this season.
Little (6-3, 230), a former SEC
Defensive Player of the Week after a
three-sack performance against Ole
Miss, and his counterpart Brown (6-4,
245), who has had a sack in each of his
last five games, have combined for an
emphatic 11 sacks against opposing
offenses this season.
And what this Volunteer team may
lack in size, they definitely do not lack
in ability (i.a, receiver Joey Kent, tailback
Jay Graham, and DB/specialist Terry
Fair).
And who could forget about the most
ballyhooed name in college football this
season. The All-SEC, Preseason AilAmerican,
record-breaking, professionallyrecruited,
flame-throwing, dragonslaying,
junior signal caller Peyton
Manning has been nothing less than
outstanding in Coach Fulmeris eyes
this fall, especially last weekend against
the SECs stingiest defense in Alabama.
mere's not enougn aajectives tnat
can describe Peyton Manning. He had
one of the stiffest tests that he's ever
had versus Alabama, and again [he]
showed what kind of character he has
by getting us back into the football game
He [kept] his poise and [took] some hits
at times and didn't turn the football
over," Coach Fulmer raved.
Lady Gamec<
DWAYNE MCLEMORE Asst. Sports Editor
Only one word can describe the
Florida volleyball team's play against
the SEC over the past four seasons:
domination.
The Lady Gators, ranked second
nationally, have won 31 consecutive
conference matches, dating back to the
1994 season.
The team has a 64-1 SEC record
spanning from 1992 to the present, and
has won four straight conference
tournaments.
Domination.
Florida is 21-1 this season, including
9-0 in the SEC. Its only loss came in the
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Tennessee football team.
Tennessee is one of tire nation's finest
football teams," USC head coach Brad
Scott said. They are a balanced football
team on both sides of the football."
The first player that comes to mind
when Tennessee is mentioned is Peyton
Manning. And why not. This year,
Manning has completed 132 of205 passes
for 1,867 yards and 11 touchdowns.
ITie junior quarterback is rated as
one of the top in the nation, and is
expected to be high draft pick if he enters
the NFL draft early.
"Manning is like a coach on the field.
He can certainly pick a defense apart,"
Scott said.
But to the displeasure of Volunteer
opponents, Tennessee is not a onedimensional
team.
Tailback Jay Graham has rushed for
448 yards and six touchdowns on 96
carries this year. He was named the SEC
Offensive Player of the Week for his 128yard,
two TD effort against Alabama
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"Peyton is a coach's dream and we're
excited about what he's getting done
here at Tennessee."
This week, Phillip Fulmer's praised
quarterback and his 20th ranked offense
will face their second straight defensive
challenge against the nation's 9th best
defense in South Carolina.
"Their defense is just phenomenal
in the job that they have done in just
one short year.
"Just watching them on the filiq,
they're playing very aggressively. You
don't get to be, by accident, the number
two ranked defense in the conference.
They're playing very well," Coach Fulmer
said.
Coach Fulmer knows that the
Gamecocks' defense is going to be yet
another test for his Volunteers, but it
is not the only concern.
There is a lot to be concerned about.
Certainly, Anthony Wright gives them
a lot of things offensively that are a
concern. They are very physical on the
offensive line.
"They have speed and skill at
receiver. And still, even if Stale/s out,
they have outstanding ability at
runningback," Fulmer said.
The Volunteers need to bag a win
against the Gamecocks if they intend
to have a shot at the national
championship.
And what about all this talk about
a national championship?
"That's not even a concern of ours
right now. I [know] that sounds like a
coaches' cliche. We want to focus on
what we have to do right now, and we
want to be sure that we're ready to play
against an outstanding South Carolina
football team. Whatever happens at
the end, happens at the end," Coach
Fulmer reassured.
Nonetheless, come New Year's Day,
Volunteer fans across Knoxville and
the state of Tennessee will likely be
hoping that whatever does happen at
the end, will happen at the Sugar Bowl
in New Orleans.
3cks face secc
first game of the season against No. 1
Hawaii, a match that lasted five games.
And the one thing Carolina has going
into its two matches with Florida this
weekend is that the Lady Gamecocks
are the last SEC team to defeat the Lady
Gators in SEC play.
USC junior Heather Larkin said she
remembered the victory well.
"It was the same scenario as this
year," Larkin said. "It was my freshman
year, and we played two straight and
beat them in the second match here in
Columbia. It was a really great match."
Carolina fell behind 1-0 in the match
before winning three straight, 6-15,15_____
1 Tenn./
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MANNING P Will the
i Gamecocks be able
to shut down the high-powered Volunteer
offense?
Carolina's defense is ranked second
in the SEC and ninth in the nation, so
they have as good a chance as anybody.
USC is giving up an average of only
258.4 yards per game. The pass efficient
defense is tops in the conference and
fifth in the nation as they are allowing
opposing quarterbacks a lowly 41%
completion rate.
This offense will be a stern test for
Hi
scon
"They are very explosive on
offense. Peyton Manning is
like a coach on the field. He
can certainly pick a defense
a part, and he calls so much
of the offense at the line."
Brad Scott, Carolina head coach
FULMER
"There's not enough
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adjectives mat can uescnoe
Peyton Manning. He had one
of the stiffest test he's ever
had versus Alabama, and
again [he] showed what kind
of character he has by getting
us back into the football
game."
Phillip Fulmer, Vols head coach
>nd-ranked G
12,15-13 and 15-12. It was the Gators'
only SEC loss in the last four years.
The Lady Gamecocks travel to
Gainesville, Fla., tonight to take on the
Lady Gators in a 7 o'clock match.
The team then returns to Columbia
Sunday for a match with Florida at 2
pm. in the Volleyball Competition Facility.
Carolina, 16-5 overall, is off to its
best conference start ever at 7-2.
Larkin, who leads the team with 279
kills and a .312 hitting percentage, said
she expects Friday's match to be the
tougher of the two.
"Ifs harder to play in Florida because
they have a lot of rowdy fans," Larkin
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the Gamecocks "D." An offense with as
much fire-power as Tennessee has can
give teams fits.
Carolina's offense must show it can
produce without its top-contributor.
Without senior Duce Staley [sprained
ankle], the Gamecocks must find a way
to replace nearly 47% of the offense he
produced.
That job will fall mainly on either
freshman Boo Williams or junior Scott
Moritz.
Scott said Moritz will likely start on
offense but both will see a lot of playing
time.
Williams rushed for 110 yards on 19
carries and Moritz ran for two TD in the
Vanderbilt game.
Quarterback Anthony Wright must
get back on track Saturday. He has
struggled as of late and only threw for
28 yards against Vanderbilt.
Wide receiver Corey Bridges is the
leading receiver on the team with the
absence of Staley. The senior has caught
ACHIM HUNT Sports Editor
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Even though many bad things
happened to the Gamecocks this
mccivciiu in ? anuci uiit UCOpilC II1C
victory, head coach Brad Scott very
easily found some things to look
positively at from the game.
"I want to talk about our game last
week. It was a great defensive effort
by our football team. A shutout is not
easily accomplished on any Saturday,
much less in the Southeastern
Conference. I thought that our defense
continued to improve, and they really
played together."
The defense continued to show
improvement as they are now ranked
in the top ten in the country.
"I think that our tackling has
improved tremendously, and just they
way that they throw their bodies around
out there has been real impressive. It
certainly will take that kind of effort
this week to contain a team like
Tennessee that has so many weapons
in both running and passing.
"As you would expect, we are a beat
up and bruised football team, there is
no question about that This is the ninth
ball game of the year, and we just had
a physical game at Vanderbilt."
The injury to Duce Staley really
does bother Scott, but he understands,
as does Duce, that injuries will happen
in a tough game such as football.
"It really is unfortunate about Duce
Oi-l J Ti i. J x_ 1
oiaiey s injury, ri lurneu oui looea
little more severe than we first thought.
At least in the back of my mind I was 1
thinking that this would be an ankle, 1
and in a position to play this week.
Then on Sunday the trainers saw
that it was worse than we had thought.
I hate that for Duce; it is his last home ]
ball game. He has had such a
tremendous career here, in just two
short years. You don't want to see a 1
senior miss his last home game, but i
injuries are a part of football." ]
Scott is feeling some momentum i
for this last part of the schedule even i
rators in two
said. "But I think they know South
Carolina always plays well against them."
The Lady Gators rank fourth in the
nation in terms of average home
attendance. The team averaged 2,486
fans per home match through its first
10.
Florida is led by senior Jenny Wood,
and juniors Aurymar Rodriguez and
Nikki Shade.
Carolina is looking to break its home
attendance record of 1,284, set on Sept.
18 against Clemson, in Sunday's match.
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22 balls for 327 yards and three TD 01
the year.
The Gamecock offense has had thei
problems lately and it will be a tougl
week to get things going with the wa;
the Volunteer defense has played thi
year.
They are ranked fifth in the ?EC an<
give up an average of 15.2 points pe
game.
The Vols are led defensively by em
Leonard Little, linebacker Tyrone Hinei
and cornerback Terry Fair.
Little had a career-game against th<
Gamecocks last yearin Knoxville. Hi
blocked a field goal, had two tackles foi
a loss and broke up a pass.
"Leonard Little on the outside is ?
dominating football player," Scott said
This year, Carolina's offensive lin<
must give Wright time to throw the bal
and must open up big holes for thei]
young running backs.
Fair Dicked off two Dasses acrains
"Bama last week and has 14 unassistec
though the games will be against the
"Orange Crush' that beat the Gamecocks
last year by almost tripling their score.
"As we head into this stretch run
of our schedule, it is the toughest part
of the season. This week we have
Tennessee who is very tough. Outside
of the two losses the last two years to
the University of Florida, no one has
had that much success against them.
'They are very well balanced on
both sides of the football. Another thing
that stands out about this team is total
team speed. They run extremely well,
ana tney are a very strong, physical
football team.
They are very explosive on offense.
Peyton Manning is like a coach on the
field. He can certainly pick a defense
apart, and he can calls so much of the
offense at the line of scrimmage.
Whatever you show him he can exploit
the weaknesses of it, and call either a
run or a pass.
To go with that, they have two of
the best receivers in the conference in
Joey Kent and Marcus Nash. [Jay
Graham] was the difference in their
Alabama game, as he has been many
times before.
"Defensively, the thing that troubles
me is that they have a great front four,
and then on the outside they are quick.
The true strength of their defense is
the speed of their linebackers. They
pursue very well, and at times [Tyrone
Hines] is a really physical player. They
have got enough confidence in their
secondary to put eight men on the line
of scrimmage."
Scott knows that this is the last
home game of the year, and that is
special for not only the fans, but the
players as well.
T am glad that this game is at home.
[ know that Williams-Brice Stadium
will really be jumping this week. I think
that it will be at an all-time high here.
[ encourage our fans to get here early,
and support out football team here
against Tennessee."
?kbrc
(Mccm,
For the Men's NCAA
Basketball FinalsMarch
28-April 1.
See your Herff Jones J
rep for details.
Hi I
ORDER Y
WEDNESDAY, T
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Tennessee
i tackles on the year. He is also an excellent
punt returner who averages 19.4 yards
r per return.
i Hines leads the team in tackles with
y 58, including nine for a loss and two
s interceptions. The Volunteer secondary
has six picks in the last two games.
1 For the Gamecocks to win Saturday,
r they need to play a nearly perfect ball
game. Mental lapses and silly mistakes
1 won't beat the sixth-ranked team in the
s nation.
The Gamecocks will have enough
i trouble without Staley, but if they fall
; behind early, things could get ugly,
r Whether or not the game willbe close
remains to be settled on the field, but
i the one thing that is for certain is a huge
crowd will jam Williams-Brice
; Stadium.The game is sold out and a
1 record-crowd of over 83,000 is expected,
r For those who weren't fortunate
enough to get tickets, the game is being
t broadcast as the SEC Game of the Week.
I Kickoff is set for 12:37 p.m.
Men's Soccer
The Wake Forest men's soccer
team received two goals from Kyle
Bachmeier to defeat the University
of South Carolina 2-1 Wednesday
evening in the first game ever played
in the W. Dennie Spry Soccer
Stadium.
Carolina next faces Duke on
Saturday in Charleston at 5 p.m.
Women's Soccer
The Furman women's soccer team
tied South Carolina 1-1 Wednesday
night at Stone Stadium.
With the tie, South Carolina
moves to 10-7-2 on the year, 2-5-1 in
the SEC. The Lady Gamecocks will
next play at the SEC Tournament,
which begins on Nov. 7, in Lexington,
Ky.
Football
Peach Bowl officials will attend
the Nov. 2 Southeastern Conference
match-up between the Tennessee
Volunteers and the South Carolina
Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium
in Columbia, SC.
This year's Peach Bowl in
Atlanta's Georgia Dane will be played
on Dec. 28,1996.
The bowl game will once again
pit a team from the Atlantic Coast
Conference against a team from the
Southeastern Conference in "The
Battle of the South."
Track and Field
The University of South Carolina
is hosting a USATF officials
certification clinic in Columbia at the
University of South Carolina.
It will be Wednesday, Nov. 6, in
the President's Council Lounge in
n Williams-Brice Stadium.
The certification will start at 6
p.m. and will last until 8 p.m.
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