The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 17, 1999, Page 8, Image 8
USC Schedule
• Volleyball vs. Michigan, 7 p.m.
• Men’s soccer vs. Air Force, 7 p.m.
i i-■ Friday, September 17,1999
Football Team Starts Home Schedule
Pirates sail
into town
by Kyle Almond &
David Cloninger
Gamecock Sports
The Gamecocks look to end their 12
game losing streak Saturday when they
face the East Carolina Pirates at 7 p.m. at
Williams-Brice Stadium. This will be
USC’s home opener, as well as the first
home game for new head coach Lou Holtz.
The Gamecocks are coming off a 24
9 spanking at the hands of nationally ranked
Georgia, while East Carolina is riding high
with a 2-0 record. ECU handled Duke last
week, 27-9, and upset West Virginia, BO
23, in their season opener. USC (0-2) leads
the all-time series with ECU, 10-4, but
the Pirates have won three of the last four
games played in Columbia.
Here’s how the two teams match up.
Quarterbacks
USC will start redshirt sophomore
Phil Petty, who has shown flashes of bril
liance in his first two games, but has most
ly struggled. USC has only managed to
score nine points in two games and seems
to have a case of rampaging turnovers.
ECU’s David Garrard is coming off a
freshman season when he was the second
ranked freshman QB in the nation. He’s
also a double threat, rushing for an aver
age of 67.5 yards a game.
Advantage to East Carolina.
Offensive Line
USC’s offensive line suffered yet
another injury last weekend, as center
Scott Browne was lost for the season with
tom ligaments in his knee during the Geor
gia game. Also, guard Phillip Jones has a
hyperextended elbow and will see limit
ed action at best.
It’s hard to put all the blame for Car
olina’s offensive inefficiency on Petty.
He’s running for his life and was sacked
five times last week. And the USC run
ning game, so strong at N.C. State, was
shut down against Georgia.
ECU is coming off two strong per
formances that each totaled 300-plus yards
per game. It’s unlikely the Pirates could’ve
achieved that much without a decent
offensive line, which is led by James Bell
and Senter Currin.
Advantage to East Carolina.
Running Backs
Senior Boo Williams and freshman
Derek Wtson have been the catalysts of
the Gamecock offense this season. Al
though both were shut down severely by
Georgia’s defense last week, these two
and freshman Ryan Brewer should give
the Pirate defense headaches all afternoon.
ECU will try to counter with the sol
id Jamie Wilson, who has 260 yards and
two touchdowns this season. Wilson is a
reliable back, but his success this season
has come against weak defenses, and USC
has anything but one of those.
Advantage to USC
Wide receivers
The Gamecock receivers rank among
the most talented in the country. Kerry
Hood, Jermale Kelly, Ben Fleming and
Carlos Spikes have been given equal time
this season, but they are only as good as
the quarterback who throws to them.
ECU has three questionable catchers
at best, with David Burnell, Rashon Bums
and LaMont Chappell all trying to give
Garrard a good name. The receivers have
proven themselves worthy of an excel
lent quarterback, but are seriously out
classed by USC’s speed and strength.
Advantage to USC.
Defensive Line
USC’s defense has been the bright
spot of a dismal season, continuously step
ping up against goal-line offenses and shut
ting down high-powered offenses. The
line, led by tackles Cleveland Pinkney
and Cecil Caldwell, have done ex
tremely well against running offenses and
should have no problem against ECU’s
limited ground attack.
ECU runs a 3-4 scheme, and its un
predictable blitzing has caused plenty of
problems for opponents thus far. This is
a dependable, senior-dominated group.
Advantage to USC.
Linebackers
USC’s trio of John Abraham, Corey
Atkins and Kenneth Harney are part of
one of the most unheralded corps in the
country. These three have utilized USC’s
pass rush defense to the maximum and
are stuffing any quarterback who stays in
the pocket for too long.
Pirates see rage 9
Sean Rayford photo editor
Quarterback Phil Petty eludes an Arkansas defender while racing for a touchdown last season. The
Gamecocks will face East Carolina at 7 pjn. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
USL hosts Carolina Classic over weekend
1USC tries for coach Kim Christopher's 300th win
Sean Rayford photo editor
Milica Perovic and Cally Plummer will lead the Gamecocks into action this weekend when USC hosts the Carolina
Classic tournament USC will face Michigan tonight as coach Kim Christopher goes for her 300th career victory.
Volleyball Roundup
The Gamecock
The USC volleyball team, coming off
a four-match series in two days last week
end, will have its hands full tonight as it
takes on No. 21 Michigan in the first match
of the Carolina Classic tournament.
On Saturday, USC will play Con
necticut (5-2) at noon and then Virginia
(7-1) at 4 p.m.
USC begins the Classic with a 5-3
mark. Michigan is ranked No. 21 in the
latest USA Today/American Volleyball
Coaches Association poll and comes in
with a 5-1 record.
Michigan’s lone loss came to No. 11
Pepperdine last weekend in a tournament
in which the Wolverines beat No. 16
Arkansas.
Of the Michigan regulars, sophomore
outside hitter Nicole Kacor has been one
of the team’s most consistent weapons
this season. Kacor leads the team in kills,
with 77, and has a hitting percentage of
.270. She also had 20 digs against Arkansas.
Wolverine sophomore setter Shannon
Melka had perhaps her best match ever
in that game, recording a season-high 46
assists. She also had career highs in kills,
with six, and digs, with 15.
Meanwhile, USC will feature 1998
AU-SEC performer Cally Plummer and
senior Crystal Moore, who was named to
the Geoigia Tech All-Toumament team
after her performance last weekend.
Moore, coming back for her senior
season after a 1998 knee injury, picked up
her 1,000th career kill against Virginia
Tech in that tournament. She has moved
up to No. 8 on the Gamecocks’ career
kills list and needs 33 more to pass Diane
Denton, who holds the No. 7 spot.
There’s more to this tournament than
just the games, though. USC head coach
Kim Christopher, with a career record of
299-115, will be trying for win No. 300
tonight, and she expects her team to do
well.
“Hopefully, I'm going to get [the 300th
win] this year, and we’re going to play
well. This is why we coach and why we
play,” Christopher said
If she does get a win, Christopher’s
milestone will add to a list of several that
college volleyball coaches have
reached this season. Florida’s Mary Wise
and Bowling Green’s Denise Van De Walle
recently tallied their 300th career victo
ries. Earlier this year, Chris Poole of
Arkansas won her 400th game, and Cal
Santa Barbera’s Kathy Gregory won her
600th.
The Gamecocks won the Classic last
year after wins over Coastal Carolina,
Chattanooga and Southwest Missouri State.
USC’s match with Michigan begins
at 7 p.m. Tonight is Gamecock Club Night,
and all Gamecock Club members get in
free
As for Carolina’s annual match with
Clemson, which was scheduled for last
Wednesday but canceled because of Hur
ricane Floyd, fans will have to wait until
later this season. The game has not yet
been rescheduled
The Slate (late games not included)
National League
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
Atlanta 91 56 .619 - 5-5 L-l
New York 90 57 .612 1 7-3 W-l
Philadelphia 69 77 .473 21.5 1-9 W-l
Montreal 62 84 .425 28.5 5-5 W-2
Florida 57 88 .393 33 3-7 L-6
Central Division
Houston 91 57 .615 - 9-1 L-l
Cincinnati 87 59 .596 3 8-2 W-l
' Pittsburgh 71 74 .490 18.5 4-6 W-l
St. Louis 68 78 .466 22 2-8 L-4
Milwaukee 65 80 .448 24.5 5-5 W-4
Chicago 57 88 .393 32.5 2-8 L-l
West Division
Arizona 88 58 .603 - 8-2 L-l
San Francisco 80 65 .552 7.5 6-4 W-4
San Diego 69 78 .469 19.5 6-4 W-l
Los Angeles 67 79 .459 21 2-8 L-2
Colorado 66 81 .449 22.5 5-5 L-l
American League
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
New York 87 58 .600 - 4-6 W-2
Boston 84 62 .575 3.5 8-2 W-2
Toronto 77 70 .524 11 4-6 L-2
Baltimore 69 76 .476 18 8-2 W-8
Tampa Bay 63 83 .432 24.5 2-8 W-l
Central Division
x-Cleveland 89 56 .614 - 5-5 L-2
Chicago 65 81 .445 24.5 2-8 W-l
Detroit 60 85 .414 29 6-4 L-l
Minnesota 59 86 .407 30 2-8 L-4
Kansas City 57 89 .390 32.5 5-5 L-4
West Division
Texas 88 59 .599 - 7-3 W-3
Oakland 80 65 .552 7 6-4 L-l
Seattle 71 74 .490 16 3-7 L-l
Anaheim 61 85 .418 26.5 9-1 W-5
x-clinched division title
Thursday s top news
• Dallas Cowboys’
Moose Johnston out for
year with more neck
problems
• Coach Larry Bird to
leave Indiana Pacers
after next season
• Cleveland Browns
name Tim Couch start
ing quarterback over Ty
Detmer
• Cincinnati Reds sale
approved as Marge
Schott era ends
• PGA’s B.C. Open post
poned from Thursday
until weekend because
of rain
David Cioninger
Who Else?
Gamecocks
looking for
heroes
11, after traveling to
tthens, Ga., over the
weekend, where I found
out I'm hated even more than I am
here, I'm back in dear old Columbia
on the heels of a hurricane. I guess
it's just not enough that I stood in
one two weeks ago in Raleigh.
Anyway, after sitting through
every second of USC's 24-9 loss to
Geoigia last Saturday, there’s only
one thing to say as a scholar and as a
fair-minded, unbiased sportswriter.
South Carolina does not have a
good football team.
For those out there in Reader
land who have no doubt branded me
a traitor and put me on a social level
equal to that of a frog, let me ex
plain. After all, I am quite an author
ity on Carolina athletics. I've been
cheering for the Gamecocks since
-— J — -
I remember the glory days of
coach Joe Morrison, when USC al
ways was in the Top 25, and I re
member the dog days of Richard Bell
and Brad Scott, when USC had no
hope.
Now, in the darkest hour of Car
olina football, I am forced to realize
the ultimate truth.
The Gamecocks went into
Athens reeling from an opening day
loss to North Carolina State, but
everybody knew the team lost be
cause of the playing conditions.
Remnants of Hurricane Dennis
kept the USC passing attack from
ever materializing, but USC was still
well represented by an explosive
freshman who rushed for 118 yards.
Also, Carolina's defense played
an absolutely outstanding game.
Those individuals turned in MVP
performances and quite simply
played their hearts out.
Georgia should’ve been much
better. On a perfect day for football,
playing against a hostile environment
and a Heisman Trophy candidiate,
Carolina could’ve come out and
showed the nation they were finally
ready to take their piace among the
nation's elite.
But once again, Carolina's of
fense never showed itself. Quarter
back Phil Petty, given a chance to
atone for a rain-soaked performance
against the Wolfpack, couldn't com
plete a pass except in cases of ex
treme emergency. The only time he
pulled together and looked himself
was against a second-string defense
after the game's outcome was al
ready decided.
Petty wasn't entirely at fault for
the game's outcome, though. Caroli
na senior kicker Courtney Leavitt fi
nally made a field goal, although he
lotor mic«sH an nvtra rvxint (Wo Hirl
tie the spread, though, so we should
be thankful.)
Also, Carolina's offensive line
left gaping holes for Geoigia defend
ers to blitz through and crush Petty.
This team needs a leader who’s
not a coach. Coach Lou Holtz can
motivate and rail on his players as
much as he likes, but it's all worth
less without a leader on the field.
With a proven leader who could
tell them what to do in any situation,
Carolina could have presented a seri
ous threat to Geoigia last Saturday.
Who will be the leader of this
team? Who knows? All I know is
that right now Carolina is playing
like a group of 85 individuals, not as
a unit.
I don't expect much from this
team, considering last year's abysmal
record, but there is one thing to be
concerned about. Football teams win
by two ways - talent and heart.
Sometimes, a team is just outclassed;
other times, a team has the talent to
win, but no heart to win it with. This
is USC’s situation.
The team has to find some heart
and pull together to win Saturday. If
not, this season will be lost just like
1998 was, because what little confi
dence the team has left will be shot
down.
USC is a good football team, but
it doesn’t want to be good, at least
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