The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 27, 1999, Page 8, Image 8
USC Schedule
• Volleyball at Clemson, 7 p.m. Tuesday
. Women’s soccer vs. Furman, Thursday
; < Monday, September 27,1999
Carolina loses more than game
Petty sidelined with knee injury during 17-0 defeat; USC defense stifling again
by Stephen Hawkins
Associated Press
Starkvile, MlSS. - Mississippi State is 4
0 for the first time since 1965. Lou Holtz
is 04 for the first time ever.
Ashley Cooper returned an intercep
tion 52 yards for a score and Wayne Mad
kin had to scramble out of trouble for Mis
sissippi State’s only offensive touchdown
as the 23id-ranked Bulldogs beat South Car
olina 17-0 in their Southeastern Confer
ence opener Saturday night.
Even though the Gamecocks (04,0-2
SEC) outgained Mississippi State 296 yards
to 181, they are still oh-for-Lou and had
their losing streak extended to 14 games.
Holtz is in his 28th season as a coach,
having ended a two-season hiatus from the
field when he took on the challenge of re
viving the South Carolina program. So
far, it’s been a frustrating venture.
Mississippi State had just 102 yards in
the first half, but led 10-0 after Cooper
intercepted a tipped pass and raced 52 yards
for a touchdown with just 21 seconds left.
Phil Petty, sacked for a 9-yard loss on
the previous play, was under pressure again
when his overthrown ball tipped off the
hands of his receiver. Cooper grabbed the
ball inches off the ground, gained his bal
ance and raced down the sideline almost
untouched.
The Gamecocks opened the second half
with a 15-play possession that took nearly
eight minutes. But they come up empty,
after driving 61 yards to the Mississippi
State 19, when Derek Whtson was stopped
for a 2-yard loss on fourth down.
The Gamecocks have scored just one
touchdown this season. It was their second
shutout, the first a 10-0 season-opening loss
to North Carolina State.
Mississippi State, whose SEC West
em Division title last year was its first league
football championship since 1941, has al
lowed just 28 points this season.
The Bulldogs went ahead 17-0 late in
the third quarter when Madkin, scrambling
away from pressure on third-and-18, found
Kelvin Love in the end zone for a 27
yard touchdown. South Carolina defend
er Kevin House misjudged the ball, and
missed a chance to at least knock the ball
down when he stepped forward a couple
of steps - and Love made the catch unde
fended.
On the final play of the third quarter,
South Carolina lost Petty to an injured left
: knee. The extent of the injury wasn’t known,
but the starting quarterback was visibly in
pain and unable to put weight on the in
jured leg.
Reserve Kyle Crabb had a 20-yard com
pletion on his first play, but his second pass
was tipped at the line and intercepted by
Barrin Simpson.
South Carolina squandered its best
chance to score on its second possession of
the game. After Antione Nesmith was stuffed
for no gain on third down at the Missis
sippi State 2, the Gamecocks turned down
the chance to attempt a game-tying field
goal.
Petty, who had completed his only two
passes on the drive for 37 yards, was sacked
on fourth down by Alvin McKinley.
The Gamecocks got just three first
downs the rest of the first half, two com
ing on the drive ended by Cooper’s inter
ception return.
Mississippi State led 3-0 after Scott
Wfestefield’s 43-yard field goal less than five
minutes into the game.
With its loss, USC now has the longest
current losing streak among Division I-A
teams. Kent, which had a 16-game skid
coming into Saturday, won 41-27 over Bowl
ing Green.
i_-___I
Sean Rayford photo editor
Quarterback Phil Petty, left, hands off to running back Antione Nesmith earlier this season. The
Gamecocks had their chances Saturday night in Starkville, Miss., but lost their 14th straight game, 17-0.
Volleyball sweeps weekend despite losing Moore
by David Cloninger
Assistant Sports Editor
The South Carolina volleyball team got off
to a good start this weekend, beginning its South
eastern Conference schedule with victories over
Kentucky and Tennessee.
USC (64) faced the Lady Wildcats on Fri
day night, needing a victory to get off to a good
start. Game 1 began with Kentucky taking an
early lead, but USC clawed its way back to a 14
12 lead.
Ultimately, the ‘Cats proved to be too strong
for the Gamecocks, winning 16-14.
Game 2 saw a complete turnaround for USC’s
offense, as the Gamecocks jumped out to a 10
2 lead. Sophomore Liz Price, getting a rare start,
served six straight points to lead the Gamecocks.
Also, junior Mandy Quarterman came off the
bench to collect three crucial kills. USC won the
game, 15-8, hitting at a .500 clip.
The Gamecocks weren’t fortunate all around,
though; senior All-SEC performer Crystal Moore
collapsed with an ankle injury during the game.
Moore, who sat out the last quarter of the 1998
season with a knee injury, didn’t play the rest of
the weekend and is doubtful for USC’s next match
Game 3 saw USC capitalize on several Ken
tucky mistakes but unable to put away the ‘Cats.
Carolina served match point three times before
finally winning the game, 15-11.
Game 4 wasn’t as close as the 15-8 final sound
ed. Kentucky could only muster a .078 hitting
percentage to USC’s .212, pushing the Game
cocks to the victory and a match win.
The loss dropped Kentucky to 7-5 on the sea
son.
“I’m really proud of how the team played
tonight,” USC coach Kim Christopher said.
“To play so well without two of our teammates
is unbelievable.”
Besides Moore, sophomore co-captain Cal
ly Plummer sat out the match. Plummer, both
ered by a shoulder injury for the first three games
of the season, aggravated the injury in Carolina’s
last match. Team officials wouldn’t comment on
Plummer’s status for the rest of the season.
The Gamecocks’ Sam Alban and Bema Dwyer
had 12 and 16 kills, respectively, and Quarter
man’s performance ranked among the best of her
career.
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers came to Co
lumbia on Sunday to try to improve on their 6
6 record, but came away empty thanks to a strong
performance from USC.
Taking a hint from Kentucky, the Vols took
advantage of Plummer and Moore’s absences by
continuously blasting the ball between USC’s de
pleted defense. Led by All-SEC performer Ari
ana Wilson, the Lady Vols jumped to an 8-2
lead before USC woke up. However, it was too
little, too late for the Gamecocks, who dropped
Game 1,15-13.
USC, led by five players with double-digit
kill totals, hit .240 for the match and swept the
Lady Vols back to Knoxville. Senior Danika Tay
lor had 12 kills, Quarterman had another fine per
formance with 10, sophomore Milica Perovic
had a team-high 15 and Dwyer and Alban both
had 12.
Game 2 saw USC take an eight-point lead
and never look back in winning, 15-9. Dwyer,
on track to make the All-SEC freshman team,
collected several of her 22 digs as Tennessee
pounded the ball at USC’s smaller players.
USC won Game 3 thanks to a yellow card
presented to Lady Vols coach Rob Patrick, which
caused him to limit his giving instructions to his
team. USC freshman setter Megan Hosp
helped drive Carolina to the 15-9 win with 12 of
her 48 assists for the match.
Game 4 was all USC, as the Gamecocks cap
italized on a .125 hitting percentage from Ten
nessee and won, 15-2. UT’s Patrick received an
other yellow card during the match. Tennessee
dropped to 6-7 (1-1 SEC), while USC improved
to 84 (2-0 SEC).
Carolina’s next match is Tuesday night at
Clemson University. The match with the Lady
Tigers was postponed two weeks ago becuase of
Hurricane Floyd, but USC is ready to travel to
the hostile confines of Jervey Gymnasium to face
the Tigers before going to Arkansas and LSU over
the weekend.
USC has won three of the past four match
es with Clemson. The game will be broadcast live
on Sports Radio 1400 AM.
Sf.an Rayford photo editor
Middle blocker Bema Dwyer had a combined 28 kills
over the weekend against Kentucky and Tennessee.
National League
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
Atlanta 99 57 .635 - 8-2 W-7
New York 92 64 .592 8 3-7 L-6
Philadelphia 74 82 .475 25 6-4 W-3
Montreal 64 92 .410 35 3-7 L-4
Florida 62 93 .400 36 5-5 W-l
' Central Division
Houston 94 62 .603 - 4-6 L-l
Cincinnati 92 63 .594 1.5 6-4 W-3
Pittsburgh 75 79 .487 18 5-5 L-3
St. Louis 72 82 .468 21 4-6 L-3
Milwaukee 70 84 .455 23.5 6-4 W-l
Chicago 64 91 .413 29.5 5-5 W-4
West Division
Arizona-x 94 60 .610 - 7-3 W-4
San Francisco 83 72 .535 11.5 3-7 L-3
San Diego 73 82 .471 21.5 5-5 W-l
Los Angeles 73 82 .471 21.5 6-4 L-l
Colorado 69 86 .445 25.5 4-6 L-l
x-clinched division title
Note: New York and Cincinnati are tied in the wild-card
race.
American league
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
New York 94 60 .610 - 8-2 L-l
Boston 89 65 .578 5 7-3 W-l
Toronto 79 76 .510 15.5 2-8 L-2
Baltimore 76 78 .494 18 8-2 W-l3
Tampa Bay 66 89 .426 28.5 4-6 W-l
Central Division
Cleveland-x 94 61 .606 - 5-5 W-2
Chicago 69 85 .448 24.5 5-5 W-l
Minnesota 63 90 .412 30 4-6 L-l
Detroit 63 91 .409 30.5 3-7 W-l
Kansas City 62 93 .400 32 5-5 L-l
West Division
Texas 91 63 .591 - 6-4 W-2
Oakland 84 71 .542 7.5 4-6 L-3
Seattle 76 78 .494 15 5-5 L-l
Anaheim 65 90 .419 26.5 5-5 W-l
x-clinched division title
Note: Boston leads Oakland by 5 1-2 games in the wild-card
race.
i
WEEKEND S I OP HEWS
• Ryder Cup: U.S. over
comes largest deficit in
history to take back Cup
• NFL: Suprise! 1998
division winners
Broncos, Jets, Falcons
all drop to 0-3
• Georgia offensive line
coach Pat Watson, 56,
dies of heart attack
shortly after team’s win
over central Florida
• Braves, Diamondbacks
clinch respective
divisions
• Kenya’s Teala Loroupe
sets women’s marathon
record in Berlin run
Jared Kelowitz
At Least I’m Not From Jersey
Proud to be
American
ne weekend out of the year,
every two years, I am proud
to be an American. For these
three special days, I put my doubt in
the American justice system, my dif
ference in opinion concerning foreign
policy and my mistrust of government
officials all to the side and instead put
my faith in 13 of my countrymen.
Who are these admirable beings,
you might ask? No, they’re not mem
bers of the cleigy, they’re not politi
cians and they certainly aren’t anyone
in the University of South Carolina
Athletics Department. They are the
12 members of the U.S. Ryder Cup
team and its captain.
This year, the chosen 13 includ
ed David Duval, Tom Lehman, Jim
Furyk, Payne Stewart, Jeff Maggert,
Hal Sutton, Justin Leonard, Steve Pate,
Phil Mickelson, Davis Love IH, Mark
O’Meara, Tiger Wbods and captain Ben
Crenshaw. The 1999 U.S. squad is a
microcosm of our country itself. It has
the young, old, white, minority, blue
collar, white collar, shy and outspo
ken.
For this one weekend, though, the
differences in age, color, economic
background and personality are all
negated. The only thing that matters is
that all of them have blood that runs
red. white and blue.
Two of the past three Ryder Cups
have been captured by the European
team, leaving myself and a number of
other red-blooded patriots broken
hearted Alter the first two days of com
petition this year, I thought I was go
ing to have to drown some sorrows
in a bottle again on Sunday. But the
United States overcame the greatest
deficit in Ryder Cup history to snatch
the 17-inch golden chalice back from
the Europeans.
After 16 matches Friday and Sat
urday, the United States trailed team
Europe, 10-6. Before yesterday, the
greatest deficit ever overcome in the
final day of the tournament was two
points. So it’s fair to say the American
patrons were rightfully pessimistic.
In order to gain control of the cup,
the United States needed 8 1 -2 points
in the 12 singles matches on Sunday.
Perhaps the only person who believed
it could be done was Ben Crenshaw,
the captain.
“I’m a big believer in fate,” he
warned Saturday evening, pointing his
finger and winking. “I’ve got a good
feeling about this.”
If you’re still reading this col
umn and didn’t turn the page once you
found out it was about golf, most like
ly you’re asking yourself, “How can
this dork get so excited over a golf
match ?”
Wfell, OK. Give me a chance to de
fend myself. First of all, this is not just
agolf match, It’s us vs. them - the Unit
ed States vs. the Europeans.
Do you think it was a coincidence
that the United States selected The
Country Club at Brookline, Mass., as
the site for the 1999 Ryder Cup? Of
course not. What site to better give the
AmpriranQ hnmp fiplH uHvantaorp than
the original place where American
dominance began? Massachusetts is
where the Revolutionary Whr started.
That war was the first time our coun
try took what was rightfully ours.
This year’s Ryder Cup was just a
milder attempt to do that again. It was
a modern-day Boston Tea Party. The
only difference was that instead of a
mob shouting, “No taxation without
representation,” they were shouting,
“I am Tiger Woods.”
Just because the Europeans are bet
ter chefs, artists, playwrights and soc
cer players doesn’t mean they’re bet
ter at everything. One thing we will
always have the upper hand in is golf.
Yeah, you could argue and say that Eu
rope is where the game was invent
ed, but pizza was invented in China,
and I don’t see many China W)ks serv
ing an eight-piece Sicilian.
You want proof that the United
States is the best? Just look at the Ry
der Cup. Not at the score, but the ac
tual competition itself. We’re so good,
they need six countries to beat our one.
The next thing you know, they’ll want
Japan and Australia on their teams, too.
We might not have invented golf,
but we perfected the game, and that
was proved once again Sunday.