Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Gamecock Sports Schedule ■ Women’s Soccer at Furman, Wed. 2 p.m. ■ Men’s Soccer vs. The Citadel, Friday, 3 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant Invitational, Charleston ■ Swimming at SEC East Tournament, Fri., All Day USC prepares for ‘Orange Crush’ by Michael haney The Gamecock The Gamecocks are 7-1, and the possibili ty of playing for the SEC Championship and in a New Year’s Day bowl game has become more realistic. Standing in the wings for the Gamecocks, however, is the vaunted “Orange Crush”. This stretch of games is considered one ol the toughest in the country because Carolina faces perennial powers Tennessee and Florida before finishing up with arch-rival Clemson, who has made this stretch even more daunting by being a top-five team. Carolina is 1-15 against this trio since 1995. “I think that this is the hardest stretch that I’ve ever encountered,” USC head football coach Lou Holtz said at Monday’s press con ference. “I don’t know of anyone having anything tougher (right now).” Holtz said he didn’t realize USC would still be in the conference race when it came time to play Tennessee, Florida and Clemson. “When you beat Mississippi State, Georgia and Arkansas at home and Kentucky and Vanderbilt on the road, you would like to think that the difficult part of the schedule is over, but it is just beginning.” Holtz said he thinks the last three games will be tough because two of the teams are ranked in the top 10, and although Tennessee is not ranked, they are “playing like a top-10 team.” The Gamecocks play host to the T«' lessee Volunteers this Saturday in Columbia While the Volunteers (3-3, 1-3 SEC) are having a sub-par year, Holtz said the Volun teers are still the same team. “I think when the bowls are over and the final polls are in, the University of Tennessee will be a top-25 football team,” Holtz said. “Defensively, it is the same team you see all the time. They have some great talent, and the statistics are very impressive.” Looking ahead to the Florida Gators, Holtz is very respectful of the team that has won six SEC East titles since the league changed to di visional format in 1992. “Florida is playing great right now since they found their quarterback (Rex Grossman),” Holtz said. “The guy has thrown 14 touchdowns and one interception. Florida and Tennessee are two of the best teams in the country, but Florida is going to be hard to beat anywhere.” Thinking about the USC’s game against Tennessee on Saturday, Holtz said he is wor ried. “I have trouble sleeping now thinking about Tennessee,” Holtz said. “Whatever the case is, that’s what we’ve got to do.” And doing what they’ve got to do could reap great rewards for this South Carolina team. If Carolina is able to win the remaining games on its schedule, the Gamecocks would be almost assured a berth in a BCS bowl. But Holtz isn’t buying into that just yet. “I think we’ll be in the top 150,” Holtz said jokingly. He said he doesn’t even know how teams are evaluated for ranks. He said it would “be a miracle” if the Game cocks were to win their last three games. But, he said, if they did, “we wouldn’t be 17th in the country. At least, I don’t think we would drop.” The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Sean Rayford The Gamecock Sophomore Derek Watson has been a force for the No. 17 Gamecocks in 2000. Watson is fifth in the nation in all-purpose yards, racking up 170.8 yards a game. Watson also has 10 touchdowns on the season, which leads South Carolina and is tied for third in the SEC. use IN THE SEC Team Rankings (national rank in parentheses) Scoring Offense (55) 26.2 9th Scoring Defense (5) 125 1st Rushing Offense (24) 1825 1st Rushing Defense (23) 104.9 5th Passing Off ense (59) 2108 5th Passing Efficiency (77) 113.1 10th Passing Defense (18) 1788 2nd Pass Efficiency Defense (8) 90.7 1st Total Offense (40) 393.2 3rd Total Defense (12) 283.6 2nd Kickoff Returns (55) 19.7 8th Punt Returns (87) 7$ 941 Net Punting (36) 363 8th Field Goals 667 9th PAT Kicking .880 lift Ttanover Margin (24) +0.75 2nd Sacks By 16 T4th Sacks Against 13 8th Penalties 46 5th First Downs 163 2nd 3nd Down Conversions 43.8% 3rd 4th Down Conversions 41.7% 9th Time of Possession 2955 9th USC IN THE SEC Individual Rankings (national rank in parentheses) RUSHING Derek Watson (16) 109.5 2nd PASSING AVERAGE PER GAME Phil Petty 184.5 6th PASSING EFFICIENCY Phil Petty 116.4 9th ALL-PURPOSE YARDS Derek Watson (5) 170.8 1st TOTAL OFFENSE Phil Petty 195.2 4th INTERCEPTIONS Sheldon Brown (12) 030 2nd KICKOFF RETURNS Derek Watson (33) 219 4<h PUNT RETURNS Ryan Brewer 7.4 10th PUNTING Tyeier Dean 39.4 ah PAT KICKING PERCENTAGE Reid Bethea 94.4% ah SCORING Derek Watson (40) 73 6th SCORING (TOUCHDOWNS) Derek Watson 10 T3td SCORING (KICKING) Reid Bethea 63 5th HELD GOALS Reid Bethea (41) 119 T3rd FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Reid Bethea 64.3% 9th It s the end ot the world as we know it... Kelo-Wits Sports Commentary By Jared Kelowitz After a three-week disappearance from our illustrious sports section, I’m back. The reason for my return is noble. I am here to forewarn all of you to stay in your homes. With the first Hallow’s Eve of the new century approaching, I am positive ly certain that the Apocalypse is upon us. Just a word of advice: If our beloved Gamecocks defeat the “Evil Orange” this weekend, then please, for your own safe ty, stay in doors. The University of South Carolina would then be 8-1 with two games re maining and would be eligible for a bowl. But not just any bowl; USC could be in a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day bowl. If this thought alone doesn’t send shiv ers up your spine, then get this: USC ac tually has a slim chance of playing in a BCS bowl, and even more impressively, if Holtz and the Gamecocks can continue their “Garnet and Black Magic,” they might even have an opportunity to vie for a na tional title. If the Gamecocks can pull off that feat, then even you most holy of the holy rollers should send the Devil a Christmas present because someone must have sold their soul. Here’s an idea. The “Prince of Dark1 ness” will probably need a snow blower because, if the Gamecocks win a nation al title, Hell hath officially frozen over. Well, if Carolina’s success in football isn’t reason enough to believe we all are gonna perish into smoke and ashes some time soon, don’t turn the page yet, I’ve got more for you. Let’s talk baseball. How ’bout this? This year, it’s the first Subway Series in 44 years, and interest in the Fall Classic has dwindled so much that the networks are comparing viewership to that of the Olympics. People, please, it’s the World Series. Yes, I know its two New York teams play ing in it and that will obviously make a lot of you not want to watch. I mean, we all know how the South feels about New York, thanks to John Rocker’s eloquent Sports Illustrated diatribe last year. But back to the issue at hand. If no one continues to watch this series, the first of its kind in 44 years, then something is definitely wrong. We will be punished by a larger force if we allow a few bitter Red Sox and Braves fans to ruin this Ameri can tradition for us all. Ok, now to the NFL. If the first two things weren’t eerie enough, then these KeLO-W|TS see page tt Holtz continues his modest ways by Kyle Almond The Gamecock Lou Holtz is at it again. USC’s head football coach, and a candi date for 2000 NCAA Coach of the Year when this season is finished, continued his same old tricks at Monday’s teleconference: down play the Gamecocks’ success and hype up the next opponent. This week, that opponent is Tennessee. The Volunteers will come to Williams-Brice Stadium with only a 3-3 record and a 1-3 mark in conference play. Most would think that if there were any season to face the perennially tough Vols, it would be this one. Holtz would lead those people to believe otherwise. , Holtz said when he looks at game film on Sunday after the previous day’s game, he hopes the Gamecocks will be better during Monday’s practice. “You come in on Monday and you have Bible study and get positive and then you look at the film (again) and then you walk around the walls and blow the trumpets. I don’t know what else we will do at the pre sent time.” Holtz went on to try and make most be lieve that Tennessee is nothing short of an NFL team. ‘They have a great defense, they play pow er run, but the difference between them and other teams that play power run is that they have two great playmakers at wide receiv er,” Holtz said. “They have great receivers, and now they have a quarterback that is their leader (freshman Casey Clausen), so they have everything in place.” “I don’t think there is anybody in the coun try who wants to play Tennessee right now,” he added. “Right now, they are as good as a football team as there is in the conference. I’m concerned that they may maul us along the line of scrimmage. I’m not sure how we can stop them.” Holtz also said he felt his team was be ginning to digress because of the way they have been practicing. He said the team would practice in pads earlier this week because of it, making for a more physical week. “I think that the fact that I have worried about injuries and backed off a bit in prac tice has really hurt us,” Hoitz said. “We are going to have to make a lot of improvement this week.” Runningbacks shine When Gamecock runningbacks Derek Wat son and Andrew Pinnock ran for more than 100 yards each in last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, it marked the first time since 1996 that two USC players achieved that feat in the same game. That season, Duce Staley and Troy Hambrick each went over the century mark against Clemson. Holtz said Watson might be one of the best ‘go-to’ players he ever coached. “Years from now, if we are successful in turning this thing around, people will be able to point to Derek Watson,” he said. “He came here when he didn’t have to. He told me he wanted the challenge and that he wanted to be someone who helped turn the program around.” “I don’t know of any player that has had a better overall year in the SEC than Derek Watson.” Winning season in SEC The win over Vanderbilt assured USC of its first winning season in the SEC since they entered the conference in 1992. The worst Carolina can finish this season in the SEC is 5-3. The most SEC wins USC has ever had in a single season is four, in 1994 andl996, when the Gamecocks finished 4-4. Injury report Sophomore defensive tackle Langston Moore underwent surgery Sunday to put a pin in his fractured right hand. Moore’s status for this weekend’s game is uncertain as of press time. Moore has been a big contributor to the success of the Carolina defense, which is ranked 12th in the nation in total defense. Moore has two sacks on the season and seven tack les for a loss, which is tied for third on the team. Fullback Travis Lewis and free safety De andre Eiland are both questionable for the Ten nessee game because of knee injuries. Starting offensive tackle Travelle Whar ton is probable with a sore back. Linebacker Kenny Flarney’s status is un known, as he is recovering from a fractured leg. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotinaiLcom.