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Friday, November 22, 1996 Gamecoc BRYAN JOHNSTON Asst. Sports Editor Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee and ^ Florida are all big games on the Lramecock football schedule. But this Saturday is The Game. It's time, once again, for USC fans from all over to make their semi-annual trip to the rolling hills and pastures of the Palmetto State for the CarolinaClemson battle. The 94th episode of this epic rivalry has the makings of a classic. The game will feature two excellent v defenses that have stopped some of the better offenses around, and two offenses that have the capabilities of exploding at any moment. Clemson comes into the game 7-3. The Tigers started off 2-3, but have since reeled off five victories in a row, two of which were against Top-25 teams. The Tigers broke into both the Coaches' and AP polls this past week and are most likely headed to the Peach Bowl. "Clemson is one of the hottest teams in the country. They've looked very impressive coming off five straight wins and have looked somewhat unstoppable on both sides of the ball," Carolina head coach Brad Scott said. South Carolina, on the other hand, I I i 111 % Jft11 oC I ?r m wu < _ rl I f X l "I i 8 j o LZ |k Offi i So...If y i 0U pttU>C FUI Specializing in ci Ken Dennis, R.C. (803) 561-9818 1900 ' d.isc< /Q services I The < 8 Bir-r 1 1 I B i T tjjj Now Open in ][)) I Five Points I AM 4 ks one vu started off strong, winning their first two games. They then proceeded to drop three in a row. After winning three consecutive games, they dropped backto-back games to then-No. 6 Tennessee and No. 1 Florida. As of right now, the Gamecocks are 5-5 and are one win shy of qualifying for a bowl bid. Their last shot to qualify comes Saturday against archrival Clemson in Death Valley. Clemson's defense is led by sophomore linebacker Anthony Simmons and junior defensive end Trevor Pryce. Simmons is a name that Gamecock fans remember from last year's game. Simmons made 19 tackles, three of which were for loss against USC last season. Pryce has been on a roll as of late. He had eight tackles for loss in a twogame span. Against Maryland, Pryce had 10 tackles, including four tackles for loss and two sacks. He now has 51 tackles in seven games and has 14 tackles for loss. "He's been a tremendous impact player for them," Scott said. "I've not seen a player in a long time dominate the line of scrimmage like Trevor Piyce." As much pressure as the Gamecock offense is going to face Saturday, it is C; Achim Hunt r, Boss Hog 39-27 ryan Johnston ci Hash 42-24 'ayne McLemore r. Sheriff Little 41-25 __ Josh Penrod 73 Uncle Jessie 23-17 c T. Wagenheim C1 The General Lee 3-2 ennifer Stanley cc Daisy Duke 27-13 5ric Caldwell Cc Bo Duke 99-1-1 \dam Snyder c, Roscoe 13-7 Chris Jackson usmilfljgppcoin REALTORS;'" INCORPORATED ce: 252-6332 Beeper: 612-07 3-Mail: ACTIONJ247.aol.com our looking for A.C.T.I.O.N. ... e. > NATIVE HAIR CL LL SFRVIHF SAI * vhmbbbewmb ? jstomizing hair coloi uts for your lifestyle. By appointment only i Broad River Rd., Suite B Hint on all 4 CQ i with coupon | , cold wet -r-rkens RKENSTOC he original comfort shoe pmaNt^ - six: in shy of good news to hear that senior Duce Staley will De DacK. The senior All-SEC candidate returns for the first time after suffering a severely sprained ankle in USC's 27-0 victor over Vanderbilt on Oct. 26. Til stand by my statement that he's going to be able to participate in the game How much heTl be used, we might wait until Saturday to find out" Scott said. Staley needs only 17 more yards to become the first back since Harold Green in 1987 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. "Even if they have to roll him out there in a stroller, I want to see him get 1,000 yards," USC quarteiback Anthony Wright said. T don't care if I have to carry him on my back." What capacity Staley will be at is undetermined, but what is known is that USC has found a quality back to fill-in for Staley if he can't go. In last Saturday's 52-25 loss to the Gators, freshman Troy Hambrick emerged as a budding star. The Lacoochee, Fla., native rushed for 120 yards and had one TD on 20 carries against a very good Florida defense. The Plamcnn rlafarica V?oc ohlo A llv VlVlilUWli UViWl^V 11UO k/VVll UWIV to shut down the run most of the year, arolina/Clemson Auburn/'Ban irolina 34-29 War Rag It emson 22-16 Roll Tide R emson 29-17 Roll Tide R( trolina 21-14 War Eagle emson 35-13 War Eagle irolina 27-24 Roll Tide R< trolina 24-13 Roll Tide R< trolina 21-20 Roll Tide R< Inside this Realtor: A wareness p C ommitment T horoughness I nnovation O ptimism N imbleness JNIC M C0SMET0L0G\ I ASSOCIATION Q^j MEMBER ing and unique Beside Lizard's Thicket 2 doors down from Hooters I0Q around the back. 1/ discount on all f 0 products with coupon ither I tock. f I s P Memphis ^ K g i 631 Harden Street U . Beside Yesterday's j?l 254-9488 Ik i >RTS bowl bid but has been susceptible to the pass, especially the deep one. "That is a concern," Clemson head coach Tommy West said in his Tuesday press conference. "I would anticipate tnat they 11 watch the him, and 1 m sure they'll take their shots on the deep ball on us." Wright, who has thrown for 1,730 yards and only five interceptions in 10 games, will have to get the ball to wide receivers Marcus Robinson, Corey Bridges and Zola Davis if USC is to move the ball. If they can establish the pass, Clemson will have to honor it, and, thus, the running game will open up. Defensively, the Gamecocks must stop the run if they want to win the ball game. The trio of tailback Raymond Priester and fullbacks Kelton Dunnican and Emory Smith have combined for 1,646 of the 1,951 (84.4 percent) Tiger rushing yards this year. Priester has rushed for 1,087 of those yards. The junior has six touchdowns and averages 4.9 yards per carry. Last season, Priester carried for 85 yards and had one TD on 17 carries against RIVALRY page 12 sum ?? Michigan/ OSU WVa/VT ^ Buckeyes Hokies oil Buckeyes Hokies 311 Buckeyes Hokies Buckeyes Hokies Buckeyes WVa 3ll Buckeyes WVa d11 Buckeyes Hokies oil Buckeyes Hokies And' OWLl ! In A Civil aut one of the fiercest and Army-Navy game. Fei season, and in the proc j Little, Brown 1 Buckle up. * SEC Volleyb kicks off at DWAYNE McLEMORE Asst Sports Edtor c The 1996 SEC Volleyball Tournament begins today and runs through Sunday, ^flfAYeaf foskia College Football's Purast Rivalry H Now Available At: Phone: 803/777-4160 Fax: 803/777-861 http://www.usc.bkstr.com buttercup, i It's the law. and the Lady Gamecocks will be looking to win their first conference title ever. Carolina enters the tournament 217 and 104 in the SEC, its best conference record ever. The team finished second in the SEC Eastern iJivision, earning a first-round bye, and will take on Mississippi at 7 p.m. today at the Volleyball Competition Facility. Although Carolina defeated Mississippi on the road this season, Lady Gamecock coach Kim Hudson said the match with the Lady Rebels will be no easy contest. "Mississippi is a good team," Hudson said. "We will have to play well. They have consistently gotten better throughout the year and have beaten some good teams." The Lady. Rebels were 18-9 and 6-7 in the SEC, and finished third in the SEC Western Division. The team is , coming off a big 3-2 win over Western Division Champion Arkansas this past Sunday. The team everyone will be gunning for is Florida, ranked No. 1 nationally in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches' Poll. The Lady Gators were 29-1 and 14-0 in the SEC, finishing first in the SEC Eastern Division, and will be looking to win its fifth straight tournament title. 'Hudson said Florida is certainly the favorite to win the tournament, but doesn't rule out any surprises. "Tournament time is always a time when teams can be upset," Hudson said. "That's why it's exciting. Arkansas, Auburn and South Carolina are playing voru u/oll ricrVit nirai " Arkansas and Auburn tied for the SEC Western Division title at 11-4 in the conference. The Lady Razorbacks were 21-9 this season and have been on top in the West for three straight yeare. Arkansas coach Chris Poole said the tournament feels like a whole new season. The Lady Razorbacks face the winner of the Mississippi State/Tennessee match at 5:30. The Lady Tigers finished the season 21-8 and have won eight consecutive conferences matches. The total wins are the most ever for Auburn. Lady Tiger coach Liz Bitzer said she and the team are excited about the WmTmmi War Was 1 hor John Feinstein provides most storied rivalries in col nstein focuses specifically o ess paints a vivid picture of ? 7 all Tourney Carolina tournament and taking on the winner of the Alabama/Kentucky match. "We're looking forward to giving ourselves a shot at the SEC title," Bitzer said. The Lady Gamecocks will be looking to advance past the semi-finals, where the team has lost to Florida the past two seasons. A Carolina/Florida match won't ' be possible until the finals. Hudson, however, said the team will be operating under the same philosophy it has all season: one match at a time. Larkin, Edlund named All-SEC Carolina junior Heather Larkin and sophomore Ashley Edlund were named to the All-SEC First Team Thursday. Sophomore Cindy Robarge was selected to the All-SEC Second Team. Larkin leads the Lady Gamecocks in kills, with 336, and in hitting, at .297. It is the second straight year for Larkin on the first team. "Ifs nice to know the coaches have recognized my hard work," Larkin said. Edlund leads the team in assists, with 1,146, and added 100 kills and 285 digs. Her 12.93 assists per game was fourth in the SEC. If s a great honor because the SEC is real competitive and there are some good setters," Edlund said. Robarge was third on the team in kills and had 10 SEC matches in doublefigure kills. Tfs certainly an honor for me because I am from South Carolina, and I'm sure it means a lot to the state for volleyball," Robarge said. Florida coach Mary Wise was selected SEC Coach of the Year while Lady Gator Jenny Wood earned Player of the Year. Georgia's Rebecca Dady was selected as the Spalding Freshman of the Year. Also named to the first team were: Denise Baez and Tina Rico of Arkansas; Allyson Beecroft and Rani Whitson of Auburn; Nina Foster, Auiymar Rodriguez, Nikki Shade and Jenny Wood of Florida; Gina Heustis of Kentucky; and Carmis Franks ofLSU. I MM AMM KTI1HE ' Wm XHk Ml IISTORY a riveting account of Lege football: the annual n the breathtaking 1995 honor, glory, and victory. JIbh^ perfect gift for your favorite pi football I Ir ship out!