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"Che (Samtcock Sports Extra Aggies first team to face Gamecocks The Gamecocks are looking forward, as opposed to backward, to their game against New Mexico State Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Standing in their way is an offensive pow erhouse in New Mexico State. Six starters return from last year's 31 st ranked Aggie of fense, including the entire starting backfield. New Mexico State’s K.C. Enzminger is one of the best signal callers in college foot ball. In 1999, he threw for 1,878 yards and 14 touchdowns, while gaining 358 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Many are saying with his savvy he could be of of the premier quarterbacks in the nation. The Aggies feature a three-headed mon ster at tailback in the form of Kenton Kei th, Chris Bames, and Walter Taylor. These three backs combined for over 1,200 yards rushing last season and are the focal point of the Aggies' I-Formation. Bames led the team in rushing yards (512) despite missing considerable playing time with a shoulder injury. Keon Johnson (385 yards, 5.4/carry) will start at fullback. The receiving corps of NMSU is the only offensive question mark heading into Saturday's game. The top two receivers from 1999 have departed, leaving the Aggies thin at this position. Leon Oloya and P.J. Winston will be the starting duo for the Aggies, who caught just 21 passes combined last year. The Aggies' offensive line features All Conference center Matt. Hancock,as well as All Conference Honoree Tony Wragge. i ne omer returning starter is mick Rodeyemer. Each" player has started for at least a full year within the Aggies and is a sol id performer. The rest of the offensive line is inexperienced. The defensive line of NMSU suffered in the off-season, losing three starters. The lone returning players shared time at defensive end last year. Rashaad Williams and Mike Boganowski are the strongest of the returning players, but lack experience. Ira Ross and Oliver Souk oup fill the tackle positions. The line is more than likely going to be a weak spot in the Aggies' defense. The linebacker is the heart and soul of NMSU's defense and they have three good ones. D'Wayne Tay lor and Raul Anaya are both outstanding play ers with good range and agility. Junior Mawuli Davis, who stands only o v tail out possesses excellent strengm and run-stopping capability, joins them at outside linebacker. The Aggies return three starters front last year's defensive backfield and call the sec ondary their strongest area. Starting Saturday will be Jascon Williams and Corey Paul at the cornerback position and Donald Malloy joins Marsey Hawley as the two safeties. All four players are excel lent cover men with good speed. If USG can play its game they should be able to stop the streak at 21. The running game needs to have a big day and buy Phil Petty time to adjust to the new offense. The defense should stifle the Aggies' of fense and set the tone for the rest of the sea son. "We are very excited about Saturday and feel we have something to prove to all of the fans. It will be an emotional day for every one" Petty said. by George Simpson The Gamecock GAME l September 2 Wiluams-Brice Stadium 7 P.M. 1 ..mm--1 Enzminger and the Aggies look to extend Carolina’s 21-game skid. GAME 2 September 9 Williams-Brice Stadium 3:30 p.m. w-mmm The time is now for the Georgia Bull dogs. Though they haven't won a confer ence title in 17 years, Georgia is consid ered by many the favorite this year to win the SEC championship. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 10 in the nation by the AP, return 18 starters from last year’s squad that finished 8-4 and de feated Purdue in the Outback Bowl. The talent they have returning, cou pled with the belief that the SEC East’s perennial powerhouses, Florida and Ten nessee, aren't as strong as seasons past, has many thinking that this is the year of the "Dawgs". "We can compare with anyone in the nation," said offensive lineman Jon Stinch comb, a freshman All-American. "I don’t know if any Geoigia team of the past has had as much talent or was as deep in talent as this year.” Heisman trophy candidate Quincy ■ Carter is the unquestioned leader of an 1 High expectations in Athens by Kyle Almond The Gamecock offense that led the SEC last year with 416 yards a game. The junior quarterback, who compiled 2,713 yards and 17 touchdowns passing last season, is also a threat on the ground, rushing for five touchdowns last sea son as wen. The offense isn’t one-dimension al. When Carter and company aren’t airing it out, junior Jasper Sanks will carry the load on the ground. Running behind a stacked offensive line that in cludes Stinchcomb and standout sen ior tackle Jonas Jennings, Sanks could post big numbers. While their offense looks to be their strength once again, the key to Georgia’s success this year has to be their play on the other side of the ball. The Bulldog defense looked shaky at times last season, most notably in their loss to in-state rival Geoigia Tech, when the Yellow Jackets lit up Geor gia for 51 points. Head coach Jim Donnan re sponded by hiring his third defensive coordinator in as many years, Gary Gibbs. Gibbs was a former head coach at Oklahoma from 1989 to 1994. "Our goal for this year is to cut down on all the big plays that we let happen last year," said Donnan. The secondary is the question mark. Geoigia allowed the most passing yards in the SEC last year, and Donnan knows that can’t happen again if the Bulldogs hope to win any big games. However, the entire defensive backfield does return with an extra year of experience under their belt. In his previous four years at Georgia, Dorman’s record against Tennessee and Florida is a combined 1-7. To win the SEC, Geor gia has to break their form of late and beat those teams. Stroud, who like Carter and Seymour passed on the NFL to return for another season at Georgia, remains confident of his team’s chances. "This team could very easily be an SEC champion," he said. "That’s the main reason I came back, because of the potential this team has. I want to go out a winner." The ‘Oawgs are hungry for their first SEC title since Herschel Walker won the 1982 Heisman. ___tm-r «nr .nin r I lunior Heisman candidate Quincy barter and the Georgia Bulldogs are hinking SEC championship this year.