The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 23, 1998, Page Page 6, Image 6

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Michael tells us The I what happened on rolled WCW's Monday 71 NITRO, in his weekly r, , Wrestling Insider. imprc A recap of the 5-0> " Men's B-ball game game against Wofford. Sc ASSOCIATED PRESS Clemson coach Tommy West's final victory may have also been the final straw for South Carolina coach Brad Scott. West, fired on Wednesday, rode out of Death Valley on the shoulders of his players after file Tigers' 28-19 victory Saturday night. Now, Scott's future is in play, as the Gamecocks' 10th straight loss leaves the school with their worst marie in 105 seasons of football. "I'm their football coach tonight. Well regroup and visit with them again next week," said Scott, 23-32-1 in five seasons. "I certainly hope and expect to be back next year. I won't make that decisiqn, but I certainly will be involved in it, I'm sure." Javis Austin's two touchdowns led the Tigers (3-8), who closed their poorest season in 23 years. Usually, the season-ending rivalry is filled with bad jokes and bad attitudes among half-crazed fans. But this season, bad football and the coaches' futures were about the only topics discussed. The Tigers settled things Wednesday, firing West and setting ablaze whispers that Tulane's Tommy Bowden, Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer or r<i~ .,1 even ^leiiiauii a nauuiiai uuuiipiuiiamp icon, Danny Ford, would soon prowl the sidelines. But this night belonged to West. He ran down the hill at Death Valley ? a players' tradition ? by himself, then took hugs and congratulations as the Tigers put away the Gamecocks for the third time in four years. When the clock wound down, West, his wife Lindsay and 10-year-old son Turner were lifted into the air by the Tigers and carried to midfield, where a national-championship-type frenzy ensued. * "That's what this has always been about ? family," said West, who had a 31-28 record in five seasons. The goalposts in front of Howard's Rock were pulled down and carried around the outgoing coach as the pep band played "Tiger Rag" in the cool South Carolina night. Fans at Saturday's contest show th< Brad Scott. Carolina asst. sports editor KELLY MAOUIWE The No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks Carolina freshman Cally Plummer, a mi First Team, to the conference Saturday, s rolled past USC, 3-0. Arkansas moves to the finals of the ! tomorrow, with a 26-3 record, while USC Game scores were 15-4,15-5, and 15"Arkansas is a great team," Plummer with two kills and eight errors in USC's ] "This was a good learning experien motivate me to work hard in the gym oi iV>in 4-a nrrom " worn uiio w nappcn agaai. "Arkansas played very well," said Car Kim Hudson-Christopher. "We are a young team and Arkansas rience. "Our game plan was to go out and worl end against Washington and Washingtoi portant for us now." USC went up 2-0 in Game 1, and then a roll, scoring 10 straight points on eig ting errors. .ady Gamecocks M I over UNC Charlotte Saturday in otte. The win wed their record to deluding exhibition I A#. <1 Vii* J m Km HI?r iBiii i iiwpriir URHBH ^ 1 JSr^ WSm Mr f % ;W?$S JIS ' i' ' -a,x ? r% |y $$$? WP^BBliM JIbE V " <%^fS ^ 'V B^t ~ ' -' ,, * ~jta; "* 4A' Kf |^V)^ Clemson fans celebrate the Tigers' 28-19 wii season 1-10, while Clemson ended up 3-8. "I came to Clemson because of Tom- mors he': my West," said offensive tackle Hoi- sent pac land Postell. "To see him go out this long in 1 way was really great." don't bel Scott will meet with Athletics Di- In th rector Mike McGee early next week to son to a evaluate USC's program. McGee said Gameco he would take a hard look at the team's The 1 progress since Scott arrived five years in their ago. ed the o< Only hours before the game, CBS winning analyst Lou Holtz brushed aside ru- series. staff writ* Satu Gamecoc season fi the "Toil< ther tea Fort! RBF the Gam conferen overall. ' ^ " , ing into * ^ beating 1 % * JIlMfe. ^ intheA< mm win had SEAN RAYFORD Sports Photo Editor tprminat eir dissatisfaction with USC coach everywh the same falls to Ho Later, USC scored two p< the Razorbacks' Kim Storey welcomed South the game, 15-4. Carolina hit .1 amber of the SEC hit .278. is the Razorbacks Carolina again took the i Arkansas fought back again. SEC Tournament The Razorbacks were too ! falls to 21-8. USC in Game 3 as well, winr 2. The Gamecocks travel to said, who hit .360 Fla., next weekend for the Dis loss. sic. ce for me. It will They'll play Washington o i Monday. I don't Nov. 27 and then Washington next day. olina Head Coach Second Round played with expe- Senior setter Ashley Edli the school record for career as t hard. Next week- led the Gamecocks to a 3-0 i State i very im- Mississippi State in the seco ment. the Hogs went on Mississippi State ends its ht Gamecock hit- were 15-3,15-11 and 15-7. E record of 5,025 with her first by Columbia's Cindy Robargi )PORl Votoi i <oP JjgsafflBl lolia Ik thHjr j|f| HHk^r jjMHBBHM^Mi lib ?> -->< ? ^ ' 1H -H ^IFmIT^W '"12??& &?: -> M IraiK^lSlra^ i over the Gamecocks by storming the field and tearl s a candidate to step in if Scotfs Austin caught a 7-yard iking. Holtz said he didn't be- from Brandon Streeter the control booth, "but I also Tigers' first possession. I ong on the sidelines right now." ished a 12-play drive in the s e game, Austin powered Clem- ter with a 4-yard scoring 1 14-7 halftime lead and the Linebacker Howard ] cks got no closer. turned an Anthony Wrigl loss was South Carolina's 13th tion 48 yards for what esse past 14 games and also end- Clemson's clinching touchc Idball streak of the road team Gamecocks' second play aft the past seven years in this Later, Clemson looked lil add a second interception-r C, Clemson fans shot ?r JARED KELOWITZ negatives, there were still fi whoever won this game wo rday, the garnet and black their season. :ks were left blue after losing The weather on Saturd bitter rival Clemson, in the coldest it had been for an nale for both teams. Dubbed team's games this season. it Bowl," ifs no secret that nei- the temperature was a brisk m had a successful season, and by halftime it had d lie first time in school history, themid-40s. Taking into ecocks went winless in their tion the weather and poor s ice and had only one victory would assume these two t The Tigers, probably the less- about to draw attendance e two evils, had two wins com- of an Eagles vs. Panthers j the game. Before Saturday, prisingly enough, though, ights of Clemson's season were dance was calculated at 83, Maryland, the weakest team ing Memorial Stadium wa DC, and Furman. USC's only capacity, come against Ball State. The fan support for both ause of the disappointing eardrum-rattling and o fboth teams, both head coach- throughout the contest. 1 'PC xtTCkva lrnnwrt fn hp 111"! in nroo ohnnro fnr rrnn^ nloxrc nr VW " vt V UJUW ?T U WW WW V4JJ/ *** TTOO WittliJIUi guuu pajo ui Clemson had already an- blunders, or jeers for refei that Tommy West had been calls, both sides were never ed, and there was speculation At the start of the game, ere that Brad Scott awaited Gamecocks strutted onto sfate. Putting aside all these chorus of Tiger fans' boos w gs in SEC Vc jints to make it 14-4 UA, but Robarge talked to Edlu knocked down an ace to seal sist the day before, but bot .85 in Game 1, while Arkansas time. "I told Ashley, We nee first lead in Game 2, 3-0, but you might see me," Robarg UA won Game 2,15-5. ed, I forgot." much for 11 ting 15-2. "After my sopho- er-bl Orlando, _ , , ? now, neyCias more year, I looked cerne at the record and Statette thought there was no ^ way I could break it." e< histo md broke Ashley Edhind ^ ssists and Senior usc V()lleyba11 F,aVer six bl win over Ji nd round of the SEC Tourna- lor added 10 kills, hitting Edlund ended the daj 5 season at 9-20. Game scores ace, 11 digs and two blocl dlund broke Tammy Correll's "I was pleased with th< ; assist of the match, on a kill Kim Hudson-Christophe e. sissippi State is a good de Tonight Men's B-ball vs. \ 7:30 p.m. S Wednesday Women's B-ball v UNC Wilmingtor 7:00 p.m. it yc p ng down one of the goalposts in Death shovel pass but safety Michael Allen was to end the down at the Gamecocks' ie also fin- Tigers were halted on fourth i second quar- the drive. >urst. South Carolina moved 1 Bartley re- strongly in the first half, but on] it intercep- on its opening drive when A sntially was Wright swept in from 4 yards lown on the Steve Mixon added two sec er halftime. touchdowns, on a 1-yard run Ice it would yard pass from quarterback I ernrn score, ty. v strong suppot eelings that out by those voices of USC ft uld salvage made the two-and-a-half-hoi from Columbia. When the Tij lay was the down the hill to the field, a flocl iy of either similar to those rushing the st Atkickoff, rock concert followed. Though 51 degrees, was stopped by security, the ef ipped into impressive nonetheless. All 1 considera- before the opening easons, one Onee the game had started ? earns were ba(j drawn first blood, scoring qualtothat , . ., , ^ ? openmg drive, the crowd sup ' thTatten their favor. On the r An kick, the most controversial C? 500, mean- ,, , s packed to game' for ^teams' P?s5 season, occurred. Courtney Le i teams was ecuted a perfect short kick, cr ontinuous spiral that spawned a JavisAus . m c.* ui- J Whether it UU5, luiimie was recovered opponents' but called back because of an i rees' blown tent referee's whistle. This pu once calm, der by the official was met wit , when the hostility by the USC fans, es the field, a when Clemson's subsequent di ere blocked ed in a touchdown. illeyball T nd about helping out with the as- "We h had forgotten about it by match In Gi , T ~ , mer, an< id to go out together, so 1 figured ^g^ esaid. "But once the match start13. Caro ^s an honor I will look back on lat- won ^ai it it's not that big of a deal right The " Edlund said. "I am more con- fore US< id with the play of our team. Taylor. Aer my sophomore year, I looked j^gj_ 3 record and thought there was no T TQr,, [could break it." r5 ilund now stands at No. 1 in school tueu wu ry with 5,062 assists. Robarge led Care iamecocks with 11 kills, hitting to an 8-5 She racked up one block solo and ror. Innlr occicfc tutcit IViOt. inior middle blocker Danika Tay- ]3acjc on 389" Edit r with three kills, 37 assists, one L assists. e] 3 way we played," said USC coach her 12tl r. "We came out a bit slow. Misfensivo team. Compile Nate says the football team ftbfford set the school record for the longest losing streak (10) in Carolina history with Saturday's loss against s. Clemson. The previous i rerord was set last week I end against Florida. ^ar' |f^B| SEAN RAYFORD Sports Photo Editor Valley. With the loss, Carolina finished the dragged "It was a bad ending to a bad sea4. The son," Petty said, down on Afterward, West said whomever takes the Tigers, be it Beamer, ?ow;he ball den or someone else, will get a stellar ly scored team on the rise and ready to get back inthony into the bowl picture, out. "I told them they would start next ond-half year with this game tonight," West said, and a 3- "These guys didn't quit this year Jhil Pet- through adversity and whatever happens won't change them at all." 1 for weak teams ins who "That man must be one of the most lr drive honest people in the world, because he rers ran is the only one who could have heard k of fans it [the whistle]," coach Scott said, speakage at a trig of the referee, the rush After this turn of events, the Gamefnr+ wfl <5 cocks never could seem to get back in his was to a Sood rhythm, but you never would have known it by looking at the fans, ind USC When everything was said and done, on their a 1-9 USC team was defeated by a 2nort es- 9 Clemson squad, in an incredibly slop py game infected by turnovers and bone? f,, head maneuvers. But this didn't stop H th8 herds ofTiger fans from ripping 51 e down a goalpost and toting it around a . ex" the field for a victory lap like they had eating a jus^. won the national championship, 'tin ft - when in reality all they won was the by USC, "Toilet Bowl." nadver- The energy produced by the fans re bhin- paralleled that of Hoover Dam, while th much the quality of play mirrored that of a pecially Pop Warner league. That's why these ive end- two, teams have the most loyal fans in college football. 'ournament will have to play a lot better tomorrow to advance. ame 1, Carolina went up 9-5 on a kill by Cally Plum 1 then 13-7 on a kill by Robarge. J crept back, coming within one with an ace, at 14 lina got the ball back with a kill by Taylor and thei ne 1 on an MSU error. two teams knotted it up four times in Game 2 bt 2 took a 11-10 lead on team block by Plummer an J scored once, but USC sided out on a kill by Edlunt )k a 14-11 lead on a kill by Kami Nordgaard an n Game 2 on an MSU error, ilina controlled Game 3 from the start, jumping or I lead, eventually going up 12-4 on Lady Bulldog ei J rallied to score three points, but USC took the ba a kill by Milica Perovic. md knocked down an ace to take a 13-7 lead, a, MSU hit the ball out of bounds and Perovic g( i kill of the match to take the game, 15-7. >.d from staff reports.