Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Upon further MLB See review-. Billy gives Chicago us his take on the Houston Gamecock football San Fran team's current situa- Coloradc tion. Chicago h p.m. to de I Carol fifi '> ' ' : ' :'>'^'S'-: ^ * V * ' ' ' South Carolina's Keris Sullivan attemj the Bulldogs. The Gamecocks (1-3, 0-2 Performance leaves a stadium looking like ghost town asst. sports editor JEFF WOMIQ South Carolina was back in black against Mississippi State Saturday, and that might have led to their downfall. The heat seemed to wear on the Gamecocks from the opening kickoff, as they dressed in their ever-popular all-black uniforms. The Bulldogs' Kevin Prentiss returned Courtney Leavitt's opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Prentiss, who ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference prior to Saturday's game with 143 all-purpose yards per game, added 128 yards to his total with his opening kickoff and three punt returns for 37 yards. "We were ready to play," said quarterback Anthony Wright. "They just hit us quick and stunned us. From that point on, they controlled the game." After the Bulldogs pulled out to a 28-u lead at hairame, Williams-Bnce went from near-capacity to what looked like a ghost town. During the game, this was of little concern to the Gamecock players. CAROLINA 1 E u MB mmm >res: M Cubs 3 4 (11) ^ cisco 8 I asts S.F. today at 2:07 cide N.L. wild card. mash Jtil^^m^ j*. ^Al ^^HkJlv Ik tr s IMs si f s . "v 1 * PS 11 ' < v - .v7 < ' ?-* , s-'v>^, * >, ?, * *\ ! ?s"<< ? ->? , <wjm?in' .*? *? ?- *, ^c &&?*. ,,? ? > VM >ts to bring down Mississippi State's Ke SEC) travel to Ole Miss this weekend. "You can look at the fans as being the 12th person on the field, or you can look at them as not being a part of what's going on out there," running back Boo Williams said. "As a team, we know that we can win with or without them." Williams continued to show support for the actions of the fans under the game's circumstances. "They reacted like any other fans because they have so much expectation for us, and then we came out and don't perform," Williams said. "It's their decision to leave. For those who stayed, I appreciate it, because we need them for their support. If they choose to leave, then there's nothing we can do about it." For the Gamecocks, the running game is an area that they have shown up in against every team, so far. This was no different on Saturday against MSU. Carolina lagged behind the Bulldogs in the rushing race, but still had a solid performance in that category. The Gamecocks couldn't stop the Bulldogs in their rushing efforts, however. USC rushed for 187 yards on 49 carries, while the Bulldogs racked up 251 yards on 41 carries. Williams and Troy Hambrick combined for 148 yards on 27 pf* mmm * IpL W *jf - yl <kt ?lsr * SEAN RAYFf I ?< ^PQ] LUtOUt - - * . - 5* ? i- ? *> ? ? - ' ' . - : "U .> ' - *!!& V, . - V V *? - ' . ' - : * > ' <i '? V, "' - . ' V\ ' ' >< - * - : , ^ , -vYN ;"' : ' - '* ~v 's ~ $ * < jJI, * %,-a* > >:. ? >> '' %\ afi * .. \ < SEAN RAYFORD Sports Phot Editor rvin Cooper in Saturday's 38-0 loss to carries, but were outdone by the SEC's leading rusher, State's James Johnson, who totaled 144 yards on 16 carries, scoring twice on the day. "You know we're embarrassed," Hambrick said. "It hurt last week, about the field goal, but we were embarrassed this week. I just hope we have this bad luck off our backs." The upcoming road trip against Ole Miss and Kentucky is a trip the Gamecock players are looking forward to taking. "I think it might be easier to play on the road," Wright said. "It will be a chance to get tnese guys away and experience playing on the road a little bit." The road trip could be a solution, but Wright believes the solutions have to be found inside the Carolina football team. "Right now, we're in a hole, and someone's going to have to step it up," Wright said. "It seems like every chance we get to make something happen, something goes wrong." Hambrick believes the situation the Carolina team is in right now is not one derived from a lack of talent. "Yeah, I can say that [it's not the talent}," Hambrick said. "I'm looking for soJunior Anders Ron ?. ^ lone goal for the ~ victory improves tl * .. 7-1. At left, freshm attempts to take th a Furman player, return to action \ they host Wofford. . - < " %'v vCWV. | : ' - ill >" ..v.^ ' . ^ )RD Sports Photo Editor ? TTS ath( Loss leaves te asst. sports editor KELLY MAGUIRE For the third consecutive week, an opponent of the Carolina football team has come in to destroy the team's confidence. The latest team in the mix is the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who ran into Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday night to take a bite out of the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs made the Game cocks crow in agony, irom tne opening play, which resulted in a touchdown, to the final score of 38-0. As the stands cleared early in the game and fans questioned what was going on with this football team, the coaches and players just shook their heads in disbelief. Fans were irate at the play of the team and of the coaching. "I think Anthony Wrights playing very good for us," head coach Brad Scott said. "People that don't think so obviously don't spend four hours a day on the practice field with all. of our players. "I thought we were ready to play," Scott said. "We had a very good week of practice." However, this good week of practice obviously wasn't enough to stop the tidal wave of scoring by Mississippi State in the first half. The damage began early, as early as possible. Courtney Leavitt came on for the opening kickoff when disaster struck. MSU's Kevin Prentiss was deep, received the kick, and ran it back 91 yards for a touchdown. The last time Carolina had a kickoff returned for a touchdown against them was in 1996 against Kentucky. r rom tnat moment on, uarolina was doomed. Sixteen seconds into the game, the Bulldogs were up 7-0. Carolina received the ball and it seemed possible that the Gamecocks could pull it out after a Wright 23-yard pass to Zola Davis.. That drive resulted in a punt, however. I " I v< :n's soccer team Furman squad ? a 1-0 victory. ^ inevig scored the I I Gamecocks. The tie Gamecocks to an Joey Worthen ? ... c staff ivrit e ball away from ??L The Gamecocks rj^e ^ Wednesday when .. up its b matches State Fri day aftei A r&iu from a st After olina rail 15-1,15Callj for SEC] again spe high 21 ] her first lecting 6 Also olina we lor and ( kills and ting .615 ?-_J and seve Prairie View A&M, losers of an NCAA-record 80 straight games, defeated Langston Saturday 14-12. Before Saturday, the last games the Panthers won wasrin October of 1989. >me. 7 >am searching Mississippi State's offense exploded on its next drive, resulting in a 13-point deficit for the Gamecocks. After MSlTs kickoff, Carolina's Boo Williams rumbled down the field 24 yards to the Gamecock 32yard line. The Gamecocks then drove down the field to the MSU six, but after sacks, incomplete passes, and negative yardage, the Gamecocks were forced to kick the ball. Leavitt ran onto the field for a field goal, but could not find the uprights, and MSU took over at their own 22-yard line. The Bulldogs ended the quarter with possession of not only the ball, but the game. After a MSU fumble on the second play of the second quarter, Carolina looked like it might have received a shot at redemption. Phil Petty came in at quarterback, but after a Carolina fhmble, the Bulldogs went up 21-0. The Bulldogs' scoring drive took zero plays, zero yards and zero seconds. "It seems like every chance we get to make something happen, something goes wrong," Wright said. Carolina's next drive resulted in another fumble. The Bulldogs did not take advantage of this one, though, and proceeded to punt. USC answered with a punt of its own, a 49-yard boot by Leavitt. Two more drives for both teams resulted in punts, before Mississippi State scored on a touchdown pass to take a 28-0 lead into halftime. Scott stated that the locker room was somber during halftime, yet he still believed there was hope. "I think they're [the players] looking for some answers from coaches," Scott said. "What we did was go over what our game plan was going to be the second half. Worse deficits have been overcome before." . SEAN RAYFORD Sports P 9 )lleybal mtinuef er CHRIS YODER M: Carolina volleyball team opened 15 EC schedule by winning two }e< on the road, one at Mississippi .4} day and one at Mississippi Sun- re< noon. Mi ay night, USC had to come ki] it down to claim the 3-1 victory. 51 dropping the first set 15-11, Car- rei lied to win the next three, 15-6, s0 6. r Plummer, an early candidate ^ Freshman of the Year, was once te< ictacular, finishing with a match- Pr tills. Senior Ashley Edlund had W( triple-double of the year, col- p, 3 assists, 12 digs and 11 kills. pe playing a solid match for Carre Crystal Moore, Danika Tay- j\j, Dindy Robarge. Moore had 18 ?j; 18 digs. Taylor had 16 kills, hit- en I, while Robarge had nine kills wi n total blo< ks. M i [mm Nate says in the Gamecocks' two SEC games thus far, they have managed to score just three points, a field goal against Georgia. in a 38-U I for answers However, to the Carolina team, this lead was insurmountable, and the Bulldogs went on to win the game, 38-0. The Gamecocks actually had more first downs (22 to 15), yards passing (125 to 71), and offensive plays (77 to 53), and had less penalties (9 to 3) and more time of possession (31:26 to 28:34). However, when you fumble the ball five times and lose it three of those times, it hurts. Missed opportunities, missed field goals, penalties, and turnovers all resulted in the shutout loss. "Poor execution will kill you," Troy Hambrick said. "We're the only ones who can solve this problem," Wright said. "Right now we're confused; we don't understand why." During the second half, backup QB Petty was injured, with a blow to the jaw. He should be fine, however. The shot to Petty exemplified the feeling of the entire football team. When asked if the loss to Marshall contributed to a sort of hangover this weekend, Hambrick responded: "If you've ever had a hangover, it usually wears off. We just played poorly today." it s irustrating ana coniusing," Wright said. If you try to understand it, it will make you crazy. The only thing we can do is keep fighting and never give up; try to keep the faith and hopefully well be alright." Coach Scott said the team must "find a way to right this ship." "I'm looking for solutions now," Hambrick said. "That's all we can do, look for solutions." "We're going to have to keep believing, keep fighting," Wright said. Next up for the Gamecocks, Scott and his team will travel to Ole Miss for the first away game of the season. The Gamecocks look to redeem themselves against the Rebels next Saturday at 2 p.m. < n Defensive end John Abraham reacts to missing a tackle in the third quarter. The defense only allowed 17 points, while the other 21 were given up by the V USC offense or speIk cial teams. * hoto Editor i I team ?to roll Sunday, the Gamecocks defeated Ole iss 3-1. Game scores were 15-13,13, 15-3,15-11. Carolina was once again i by Plummer. She had 18 kills and hit i5. Freshman Milica Perovic had a casr-high 13 kills to go along with 11 digs, oore had 12 kills while Robarge had 11 lis and eight total blocks. Edlund had assists, moving her closer to the school lord she will likely break later this seaa. The two wins move the Gamecocks 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. The im is off to one of the best starts in the ogram's history. Carolina will host two matches this jek. Wednesday, Carolina takes on ividson at 7 p.m. in the Volleyball Comtition Facility. Friday, the Gamecocks will host ). 9 Florida in a match being dubbed am the Gym Night." Those coming are couraged to bring a jar of jam, which 11 be donated to the Salvation Army, atch time is 7 p m.