The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 01, 1999, Page 10, Image 10
USC vs. Mississippi
USC tries for
redemption
by Shawn Singleton
Senior Writer
With Kent's 41-21 victory over Bowling
Green on Saturday and USC's 17-0 loss at the
hands of Mississippi State, the Gamecocks (0-4,0
2 in the Southeastern Conference) now have the du
bious distinction of owning the nation’s longest los
ing streak. They’ll try to shed that honor when
they host the Rebels of Mississippi (3-1, 1-1 SEC)
on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Rebels are an overtime home loss to Van
deibilt away from coming into this game undefeat
ed and are coming off an emotional 24-17 overtime
victory over Auburn and itss former coach, Tom
my Tuberville.
QuNinnMCKi
The Gamecocks will start Mikal Goodman, a
true freshman, at quarterback this week in place of
Phil Petty, who’s out with a painful knee sprain.
Goodman was 5-for-10 passing for 64 yards in relief
of the injured Petty last week and could give a USC
team that has scored 12 points in four games a dif
ferent look.
Quarterback Romaro Miller has proved himself
a reliable leader on the held for Ole Miss, passing for
2,273 yards last season. He can run the option well
and has emerged as a good passer. His experience
_’ over an untested freshman will give him
^HPPSj the edge...
Sean Rayford photo editor
Quarterback Phil Petty passes to running back Derek
Watson. USC runners will face Ole Miss’ tandem of
Deuce McAllister and Joe Gunn on Saturday.
Eqge to Mississippi.
Runnmq backs
Ole Miss will try to pound the Game
cocks on the ground. Behind the rush
ing tandem of Deuce McAllister and Joe
Gunn, the Rebels average 164.8 yards
rushing per game. They will run
against a Gamecock defense that is 11 th
in the conference against the run, giving
up an average of 134.5 yards per game.
However, sophomore fullback
Charles Stackhouse is questionable for
this week's game because of a sprained
knee suffered Saturday against Auburn.
If Stackhouse can’t play, he’ll be replaced
by Toward Sanford, a redshirt freshman.
Sanford caught one pass for 10 yards last
week. Stackhouse has developed into
one of the lop blocking backs in the con
ference and is a huge part of the Rebels’
power-I formation. While Sanford is a
solid replacement, he’ll be hard pressed
to duplicate Stackhouse's blocking abil
ity.
USC will finally be able to use the
services of freshman Andrew Pinnock,
who waited four weeks to get his clear
ance from the NCAA. Along with fel
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Sean Rayford photo editor
The USC defense swarms over Georgia runner Kawlka Mitchell earlier this season.
The Gamecocks’ blitzing defense has been a surprising force In 1999 and Is ranked
near the top of the SEC. They hope to Improve on that record against Mississippi on
Saturday at Wllllams-Brice Stadium. Game time Is 7 pm
low freshmen Derek Watson and Ryan Brewer, and
senior Boo Williams, USC should be able to capi
talize against the Rebel defense.
Edge to USC.
WdeRbcbwbis
The Rebels have senior Cory Peterson, who
averaged 14.7 yards a catch in 1998. Also, senior
Grant Heard collected 559 yards last season. The re
ceivers can be utilized with a good arm to throw to
them, which Miller seems capable of, but only for
a limited time.
USC’s receivers, Jermale Kelly, Kerry Hood,
Ben Fleming and Trey Pennington, are all standouts.
But they can’t be used without a quarterback to throw
to them. Petty couldn’t effectively use them, and
Goodman hasn’t had his chance.
OrbeneUe
The Rebel line boasts Todd Wade, who has played
in every one of his collegiate games. Also, center
Ben Claxton gives Miller enough lime to not only
throw the ball, but also pick from three receivers.
USC’s revolving door of a line has been notori
ously weak this season, often not letting Petty take
one step before being pressured. Offensive guard
Kevin Rivers returns to the lineup after missing all
four games with a sprained knee.
Etjge to Mississippi.
Du mane Lie
Ole Miss has one of the lightest lines in the SEC,
which has allowed opposing teams to rack up sev
eral points. Then again, USC’s offensive ineptitude
just won’t go away, as the team averages just three
points per game.
USC’s line is solid, with Cleveland Pinkney mak
ing most of the key tackles for the team. Also, Matt
Marsters and Cecil Caldwell have shown to be big
playmakers.
EtjgetoUSC.
Lthacmhib
The Rebels have All-SEC candidate Armegis
Speannan, who led the team in tackles last season.
He and teammate Eddie Strong helped anchor a de
fense that won the Independence Bowl in 1998.
USC linebackers, led by John Abraham and Corey
Atkins, has been the team’s biggest surprise this sea
son, stuffing enemy runners and pressuring the quar
terback at every chance. Miller will be running for
his life against USC’s backs.
Edge to USC.
Sbcommry
Ole Miss’ defensive backs aren’t used to the high
flying aerial attack brought by most of the SEC. USC
doesn ’l have that kind of attack, however. The Rebels’
-use SEE PAGE 11
Gamecock soccer invades the big Apple
by Kyle Almond
Staff Writer
If South Carolina’s men’s soccer team
was hoping to catch its breath after a hard
fought tie against No. 14 Furman, it’s go
ing to have to wait awhile.
USC is just getting into the begin
ning of a vicious October schedule where
it faces four schools that qualified for the
NCAA Tournament last season.
This weekend, the Gamecocks
travel to Piscataway, N J., to take part in
the Philips/adidas Soccer Classic. USC
will play St. John’s on Friday and then
host team Rutgers on Sunday. Both teams
promise to give the Gamecocks a strong
challenge.
St. John’s, who has replaced Furman
and is ranked 15th by the NSCAA, comes
into die event with a record of 3-1-3. Last
■
year, they advanced
all the way to the
NCAA Soccer Elite
Eight. Oscar Arauz,
a freshman forward,
brings a potent of
fensive attack to a
veteran defensive
club. Juniors Jeff
Stoklosa and Dan
Popik capably share
the goalkeeping du
ties.
South Carolina
has only met St.
John’s once in his
tory, and that was
last year.
The Red Storm triumphed 2-1 in over
time.
The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers re
lum nine starters from a team that went
12-7-2 last season. They ‘ve had their way
with their opponents thus far, allowing
only 0.6 goals a game while building a
5-1-2 record. Soccer Times ranks Rutgers
19th in the nation.
Goalie Jon Con
way provides stand
out senior leadership
in goal. Conway
posted his third
straight shutout, and
his fourth this season,
against George
town on Tuesday.
More than half
of the Scarlet
Knights’goals have
come from two for
wards, sophomore
Dennis Ludwig and
senior Brian Piesner.
Ludwig leads the team with four goals,
two of them game-winners, and his 20
shots on goal make him a dangerous threat
next to the elder Piesner, who has three
goals. Simon Foster’s four assists are al
so a team high.
“Our schedule is difficult once again,”
said USC head coach Mark Berson,
who also offers history as some solace.
“Last year, we had a very successful
season as far as great performances dur
ing the season and good wins over national
teams.”
In order to win this weekend, the
Gamecocks will need some offense to
break the strong Big East defenses it faces
in both St. John’s and Rutgers. The team’s
attack rests on the shoulders of sopho
more forward Joey Worthen, who leads
USC in five offensive categories, in
cluding goals and overall points (17). Se
nior John Harr mans the front line along
side Worthen, with 11 points of his own.
The defense is coming off a steady
Soccer see page ti
P Iwf
I HE 51ATE (LATE GAMES NOT INCLUDED)
National League
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
Atlanta-x 100 58 .633 - 8-2 L-l
New York 93 65 .589 7 3-7 W-l
Philadelphia 75 83 .475 25 5-5 W-l
Montreal 66 93 .415 34.5 3-7 W-l
Florida 63 96 .396 37 5-5 L-l
Central Division
Cincinnati 95 64 .597 - 7-3 L-l
Houston 95 64 .597 - 4-6 W-l
Pittsburgh 77 80 .490 17 5-5 L-l
St. Louis 74 84 .468 20.5 4-6 W-2
Milwaukee 72 85 .459 22 6-4 W-l
Chicago 65 93 .411 29.5 6-4 L-l
West Division
Arizona-x 97 61 .614 - 8-2 L-l
San Francisco 84 74 .532 13 2-8 W-l
Los Angeles 75 83 .475 22 7-3 L-l
San Diego 73 85 .462 24 4-6 L-3
Colorado 71 88 .447 26.5 4-6 W-l
Note: Cincinnati/Houston lead New York in the wild card
race by 1 1-2 games.
x-clinched divisional title z-clinched playoff spot
American League
Eastern Division W L Pet GB L10 Str
NewYork-z 95 62 .605 - 6-4 W-l
Boston-z 91 67 .576 4.5 5-5 L-l
Toronto 81 77 .513 14.5 4-6 W-2
Baltimore 77 80 .490 18 6-4 L-2
Tampa Bay 68 91 .428 28 4-6 L-2
Central Division
Cleveland-x 96 62 .608 - 6-4 L-l
Chicago 72 86 .456 24 5-5 W-l
Detroit 67 91 .424 29 7-3 W-5
Minnesota 63 94 .401 32.5 4-6 L-5
Kansas City 63 96 .396 33 4-6 W-l
West Division
Texas-x 94 64 .595 - 6-4 L-l
Oakland 85 73 .538 9 3-7 L-l
Seattle 78 80 .494 16 4-6 W-l
Anaheim 66 92 .418 28 5-5 W-l
Thursday’s Top News
• Cardinals outfielder
Willie McGee announces
retirement after 18
seasons
• 49ers quarterback
Steve Young to sit out
Sunday due to his third
concussion in four years
• Rockets forward
Scottie Pippen publicly
criticizes teammate
Charles Barkley, calling
him “fat” and “lazy”
• Tennessee football
being investigated for
possible NCAA violations
• Mark McGwire hits
63rd HR; leads in race
for first time since 8/15
Todd Money
Money in the Bank
the wrongs
of sports
Asportswriter’s job is a dream, for
the most part. We’ll gladly tell
you that. In fact, a lot of us have
spent so much time reading boxscores
over breakfast, staying up till 3 a.m. to
catch a second “SportsCenler” and
building our own fantasy teams (Think:
Fantasy! Magic!) that we’ve never
thought of doing anything else.
For a long lime, I never thought
of doing anything else. But with on
coming graduation comes cold feel, I
guess, and if you really think about it,
a lot of things about sports could eas
ily be changed to make it belter in gen
eral.
Here, then, are some things I’d re
ally like to see happen before I get out
of sportswriting for good. Or a very
early Christmas wish list, if you will:
— Major League Baseball do some
thing right the first time, as opposed to
the fifth or sixth lime. I know that some
day those guys will get their regular
season schedule, designated hitter rule
and interleague play the way they were
intended to be. I just know it.
• (And while we’re on that subject) An
MLB umpire sit down and talk with
me one day. I want him to explain why
his union complains so much when its
members earn a year’s salary for six
months of work and aren’t allowed
to be criticized by players or coaches
without monetary reparations. Oh yeah,
and why they don’t follow the rules of
the book. Their rulebook.
• A college football season go on with
out hearing twice as much about al
ways-overrated Notre Dame as any
other team outside this stale. Is Ron
Powlus still being considered as a Heis
man Trophy candidate?
• Sterling Sharpe, Robert Brooks, Brad
Edwards and Todd Ellis suiting up at
Williams-Brice, just one more time. I
don’t care what style of uniforms they
wear. Maybe they can just run out on
the field and play calch before the game.
Hey -1 bet Edwards can play ofTen
citra lines
• NBA players compete as hard or be
near as much fun to watch as college
basketball players are. For at least, say,
20 minutes.
• Pete Rose, liar that he is, be induct
ed into baseball’s Hall of Fame. He
played harder and longer than anyone
else in the game, ever. Character clause,
schmaracter clause.
• Kevin CosUier star in a baseball movie.
As a really vicious, evil, conniving dude.
Maybe Ritchie Phillips. Or Reggie
White.
• Soccer and tennis get the recognition
each deserves as a major sport. They’re
too physical, too well-managed and too
exciting not to. And, yeah, girls are fun
to watch.
• America produce an Olympic foot
ball team. And some other countries,
too, of course. My media-charged
mind explodes with the publicity pos
sibilities. You name the potential ri
valry. As long as the uniforms don’t
end up like those of the Pro Bowlers,
we'll be fine.
rv yvai gu uy wiuiuui »uiuc mcuium
size cily hard up for a quick econo
my fix having to vote on building a sta
dium to keep its precious pro sports
team. There really is a limit to the num
ber of cities that can support major
sports. If you want to really improve
tilings, pro leagues, dissolve a few teams,
cut your losses and save your quality
of play.
• The NCAA implement a college foot
ball playoff system. There’s no way
that 16 games spread out all over the
country and organized by 16 differ
ent groups make more sense than a nor
mal playoff. And some guy from
MIT with a calculator is responsible
for who’s No. 1 instead of the players?
What?
• Every pro sports stadium outlaw mu
sic being played while actual action is
going on. Some things my granddad
complains about do make sense, after
all.
• (And while we’re on that topic) Some
one come up with another idea for mu
sic blaring out of IA systems for indi
vidual players. Ozzy Osbourne doesn’t
Money see page n