The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 20, 2000, Page 7, Image 7
Gamecock Sports Schedule
■ Men’s basketball vs. Wolford, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
■ Women’s basketball vs. Indiana, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
■ Women’s basketball vs. Montana State at Cancun Basketball Invitational,
Friday, 6:30 p.m.
• Heartbreaker
Disputed catch, last-second field goal take victory away from Gamecocks
■ MM.mi*(i.■■‘■•“■Y.I — I I *II—MWi—■—
Travis Lynn The Gamecock
Shell-shocked from a last-second comeback by Clemson, USC football players react on the bench. The
fourth quarter comeback sealed USC’s fourth straight loss against the Tigers, who lead the overall
series 59-35-4.
by Kyle Almond
The Gamecock
With 59 seconds remaining in Satur
day’s game between USC and Clem
son, the Gamecocks looked to be on their
way to an 8-3 season and a come-from
behind win against their Upstate arch-ri
val.
Four plays later, it was all taken away.
Woodrow Dantzler’s 50-yard com
pletion to Rod Gardner with 10 sec
onds remaining set up a 25-yard field goal
by kicker Allen Hunt, and Clemson
was able to hold on and win the 98th bat
tle between the teams, 16-14.
It was the fourth straight victory
for the Tigers (9-2,6-2 ACC) over the
Gamecocks (7-4, 5-3 SEC), and it in
creased their record in the overall se
ries to 59-354.
After the game, controversy swirled
around the reception that put Clemson
in position to win.
Gardner’s catch on third-and-12 that
put the Tigers on the USC 8-yard line
was seen by many, including Carolina
head coach Lou Holtz, as offensive pass
interference.
“We ran stride for stride with [Gard
ner] until the end,” Holtz said. “There’s
a separation as the arm comes up. Most
of you saw the photo in [The State], I
don’t think I need to say anything else.”
Holtz was visibly upset during the
postgame press conference, shook up by
the wild turn of events in the final minute
of play.
“This ruins everything, losing this
game,” he said.
Hunt’s field goal erased a one-point
Carolina lead that was capped off by a 2
yard touchdown run by Derek Whtson.
USC was down 13-7 when they got
possession of the ball with 2:45 remain
ing in the game.
Their previous drive had seen them
fail to score on fourth-and-goal from the
Clemson 5-yard line, but this time the
Carolina offense was up to the challenge.
USC quarterback Phil Petty com
pleted passes of 14 and 24 yards on the
drive to put the Gamecocks in the red
•zone with two minutes remaining.
Watson gained eight yards on first
down from the Clemson 16, and a pass
interference penalty against the Tigers
on the next play gave USC a first-and
goal situation from the Clemson 2.
W&tson took the handoff, leaped over
the line of scrimmage and stretched the
ball over the plane for the Gamecocks’
go-ahead touchdown.
Clemson had its hands full with Wht
son throughout the game. The sophomore
tailback broke away for a 61-yard touch
down scamper in the first quarter to tie
the game at seven. He finished with
150 yards on 25 carries.
Watson admitted he thought the game
was over after his second touchdown.
“I honestly thought it was over,” he
said. “I was ready to go celebrate and
go over and talk to their fans a little bit,
but I got my parade rained on.”
Linebacker Marco Hutchinson also
thought the game was in safe hands.
“I was jumping up and down on the
sidelines. I thought we had it won,”
Hutchinson said. “Gardner just made a
good play.”
But was it a fair play?
“I didn’t touch him,” Gardner said
of Carolina defensive back Andre Good
man, who was covering him on the play.
“I was playing the ball.”
Whether he was playing the ball or
not, the play stood, and Carolina will have
to deal with yet another last minute heart
breaker. USC had a four-point lead against
Tennessee two weekends ago when the
Volunteers scored with 26 seconds re
maining. Saturday’s loss also marked the
third straight defeat for USC, who start
ed the season 7-1.
Carolina will have to wait to see what
bowl game they will play in. Playing in
the Peach Bowl against an ACC team is
the most probable outcome, but the
Gamecocks won’t know for sure until af
ter next week’s games are played.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com.
Men’s Basketball
USC bombs in season opener
Tennessee Tech upsets Gamecocks 73-67 in Columbia
Sean Rayford The Gamecock
Gamecock guard Chuck Eidson disputes a call during Friday’s opening season loss to Tennessee
Tech. His expression mirrored those of fans at Frank McGuire Arena, confused as to why Carolina
struggled against a team picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Associated Press
Freshman guard Jason Harrell hit a 3-pointer with 58.9
seconds left as the Golden Eagles stunned South Carolina 73
67 Friday, giving coach Jeff Lebo a victory over his mentor
in the season opener for both teams.
The game pitted two coaches who are close friends. South
Carolina coach Eddie Fogler recruited Lebo to North Car
olina when he was a Tar Heel assistant and then hired him
as an assistant at Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
^ Lebo left South Carolina three years ago for the head
coaching job at Tennessee Tech.
The Golden Eagles, who led the nation in 3-pointers a
year ago, were up by as many as 19 in the first half, when
they hit nine of their first 11 3-pointers. But South Caroli
na outscored the Golden Eagles 21-8 in the final nine min
utes, with six different players scoring in a surge that cut
the halftime deficit to 42-36.
Tire Gamecocks tied the game in the first 2:09 of the sec
ond half with 3-pointers by Jamel Bradley and Antonio Grant,
only to see the Golden Eagles bolt back ahead by seven. South
i Carolina then took the lead with a field goal by Chuck Eid
iSon with 13:27 left.
But Tennessee Tech refused to die. The teams battled
back and forth over the next ten minutes, neither able to take
control until the final two minutes.
Tony Kitchings had a layup that gave the Gamecocks a
■ 67-66 lead with 2:17 left. But the Gamecocks failed to score
another point as Tennessee Tech, picked to finish fourth in
yhe Ohio Valley Conference, scored the final seven points of
the game while South Carolina missed all five of its shots and
turned the ball over once.
1 ^
Harrell’s 3-pointer gave the Golden Eagle’s the lead for
good. Larrie Smith added four free throws in the final 22.4
seconds to seal the victory.
USC men’s soccer season ends
with first round loss to Duke
by Casey White
The Gamecock
The South Carolina men’s soccer team saw its 2000 sea
son come to a close Sunday at the Graveyard, losing 1-0 to
Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This was the Gamecocks’ 14th NCAA Tournament ap
pearance and its first since 1998, when they lost in the
second round to Vuginia.
Brutally cold wind combined with steady rain made
playing conditions miserable for both teams. As each team
struggled to stay on its feet, the ball often refused to bounce
in the intended direction, making the game a frustrating one
tor both sides.
“I hate it when you play at home and lose the home field
advantage of the crowd and being comfortable playing at
your own field,” USC head coach Mark Berson said after
the loss. “But on the plus side, I like the fight, spirit and de
termination of our team, and that’s what comes to the fore
front.”
The first half passed scoreless as goalkeepers Henry Ring
and Jeff Haywood posted four saves apiece for USC and
Duke, respectively.
The statistics at halftime were almost even, with Duke
posting one more shot on goal than Carolina and each team
taking two c<>per kicks.
A Gamecock foal in the box on Blue Devil forward AU
Curtis set up a penalty kick that would prove to be the de
ciding goal in the game. Curtis managed to drive the ball
just out of Ring’s reach to give Duke a 1-0 lead at the 71
minute mark.
Curtis led statistically for the Blue Devils (15-5), putting
up a team-high four shots on goal. He leads Duke in total
points this season with 39.
“South Carolina played a great game. We were just able
to capitalize,” Curtis said. “We were fortunate to win the
game.”
Junior forward Joey Worthen put up the most shots
for the Gamecocks (12-4-3) with three. Freshman midfielder
_ Tool/ f"'limmmrrp alrr\ /%/\n
tributed to the Carolina
cause, posting the most
shots on goal with two.
On the defensive
side, USC’s Chris Lock
wood and Ryan Stocking
kept the Blue Devils on ice,
despite the fact both were
playing with injuries. But
they could only look on
helplessly as Curtis con
verted the penalty.
This year’s Game
cock team had the fewest
number of losses since
the 1997 team went into
the postseason with a 15
2-1 record.
This season’s squad
also put up an outstanding
| record against top com
i petition, finishing 1-1-2
against teams that advanced
to the NCAA Tournament.
For their success this sea
son, the Gamecocks were
rewarded with the No. 7
j seed in the tournament.
“I’m leaving on an up
note,” said Ring, a senior
who has played his final
game in a Gamecock uni
form. “This team is the
tightest one I’ve seen since I’ve been here. We put away all
our differences, and I really feel that we’ve come togeth
er. I don’t have any regrets.”
Berson also remained positive about his team’s perfor
mance this season, saying, “I’m not disappointed in them,
I’m disappointed for them.”
“No one hands you the No. 7 seed, you have to earn that,
and I’m proud of their performance this year,” Berson said.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com.
0 &
Travis Lynn The Gamecoc
USC midfielder David Testo tries to slip by a Duke defender in Sunday’s NCAl
Tournament game. The Blue Devils won 1-0, ending the Gamecocks’ season.