Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Mt 0amecock Sean Rayford The Gamecock USC junior quarterback Phil Petty attempts a pass during the 2000 spring game. - ----—■ Football from page Cl and offensive lineman Phillip Jones. “I wouldn’t say doghouse, I’d say cathouse,” Watson said. “ I was in it a little bit, but right now I’m on my way out.” i Edwards, one of the leaders of the de fense, also let on about a special team meeting the Gamecocks held Wednesday. “We let out some personal feelings,” Edwards said. “Last night was a bonding experience. A lot of us got up and talked about our personal lives, and we bond ed.” According to Edwards, the together ness the team accomplished has done re markable things in practice by making each player preform with emotion. Ed wards thinks this will make a big differ ence in die new season. One of the most competitive mem bers of the squad, Edwards also spoke about his loathing of losing. “We have to show the (younger play ers) the tradition of winning,” Edwards said. “The only way for us to show the younger guys is to win.” Edwards’ enthusiasm for the com ing season seems to have spread through out the team. In fact, the Gamecocks al ready look like a totally different team, although they have yet to take a snap. “We have a chance,” Holtz said. “Last year we didn’t.” USC will begin their season Sept. 2 with at home against New Mexico State. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. i&y&mi <'« *&; mm# / #» a «vss ' m Holtz looks to end 21-game losing streak by Pete Iacobelli The Associated Press It’s a record South Carolina’s Lou Holtz never expected to set and can’t wait to dump. The 63-year-old coach, who gained a national title at Notre Dame and a rep utation as college football’s foremost fix er of ruptured programs, could hardly do anything right at South Carolina in his first year, on the way to a 0-11 season that created a 21 -game losing streak. Holtz still can’t explain what went so wrong. Everyone knows about playing six quarterbacks, using 16 offensive linemen, the injuries and the non-existent offense. There was sympathy and under standing for his son Skip’s viral infection, his wife’s recurrent battle with cancer ous tliroat tumors, his mother’s death and a horrifying plane crash during recruiting that killed his pilot. But no victories? An offense that averaged about one touchdown a game? A program that looks no better on pa per than it did before he came? Holtz knows there’s no explanation for that. “It’s hard to evaluate where we are because of the problems we had,” Holtz said Holtz will earn coach of the centu ry if can get a keep his streak of earning a bowl trip by his second season, some thing he’s done it five times before. Nothing went right for Holtz. His young runners fizzled behind a makeshift and injured offensive line. His quarterback, Phil Petty, got hurt early and nfissed most of the season. The defense, good most of the time, would predictably wilt in the stretch without offensive sup port. “Wfe put in the hard work,” Petty said “We have seen a lot of it pay off yet.” Why should this year be any differ . ent? “Well you haven’t met our coach, he’s Lou Holtz, he doesn’t let you stay worried or get down about things,” said 7~ —“ i ~ defensive lineman Kalimba Edwards. Holtz’s focus this season is off the na tional media who lined up outside his of fice a year ago to ask why he came back as a Gamecock and on creating team spir it and confidence. “Building a good team feeling has been the most difficult thing to do,” Holtz said. He loved what he saw in the team’s finale, a 31-21 home loss to Clemson, when his players circled the Gamecock logo midfield at Williams-Brice Stadi um to keep their arch-rival Tigers from stomping it. Holtz has reminded players how close they came to breaking through at times last year, center Philip Jones said. And Holtz says he’s seeing improve ment. The offensive line, probably the most undermanned and mistake-prone group a year ago, has met frequently on then own during the offseason to study film. Everyone on the line has been there at least a year, hopefully preventing the sev eral shifts from defensive to offensive line that took place in 1999. Petty appears confident and solid after closing the year with two solid ef forts against Florida and Clemson. The defense, led by Edwards and line men Cecil Caldwell and Cleveland Pinck ney, is expected to continue its stellar play of last year, despite losing four starters nowin NFL camps. “We’ve got some reasons to be hope ful,” Petty said. The payoff could come Sept. 2, a home game against New Mexico State. The Aggies, though, defeated Arizona State last year, a nationally ranked team - something South Carolina hasn’t done since 1996. If New Mexico State wins at Williams Brice - remember Marshall in 1998, East Carolina in almost any year- the Game cocks can break the streak two weeks lat er against Eastern Michigan, which was 4-7 last year and hired new coach Jeff Woodruff. But Holtz and his players are look ing for more that a victory. -1 ^- 2 »lf' Shooting for the starsijfg Dancing for the DreamsfjfV Giving Hope to the Kids'jf? /T:' Do it/for the USC Dan February \23-24 Look for more information comiim soo Get ready for the biggest party of 2001! S’ . 4 l