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Boise Gamecocks take on Boise State on Saturday night CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 will be junior flanker Lou Fanucchi. Fanucchi led the Broncos last season in receptions (43), yards (828) and touchdown re ceptions (8). Accompanying Fanucchi will be wide receiver Jay Swillie (602 yards, five TDs) and tight end Jeb Putzier (627 yards, 3 TDs). Another target to keep an eye on is running back Brock Forsey, who had nearly 500 yards receiving last season with seven touchdowns. Although the Broncos are for midable in the air, the Gamecocks have one of the SEC’s best secon daries. Senior cornerbacks Sheldon Brown and Andre Goodman lead a very deep squad of defensive backs. Rashad Faison, Willie Offord and Jonathan Martin head an overload at the “Spur” position. Adding to the strong secondary are talented free safeties Antione Nesmith and Deandre Eiland. Eiland was one of the defensive heroes in last year’s Outback Bowl victory with two intercep tions, giving him four during his freshman campaign. Holtz has made it clear in pre season press conferences that he is “scared” of the BSU passing game. He and defensive gurus Charlie Strong and John Gutekunst should have the perfect game plan prepared. ADVANTAGE: USC RUSHING: For the Broncos to have success, they must run the ball effectively. Last year, Forsey compiled 982 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Forsey will run be hind an experienced offensive line anchored on the left side by senior tackle Peter Naumes and senior guard Jeff Cheek. Forsey will share time with an other comparable back - sopho more David Mikell. Mikell gained 352 yards rushing and averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2000. BSU does have experience on the offensive line, but it is under sized, averaging only 291 pounds on the starting team. In compari son, the USC starting offensive line averages 304 pounds. What most people seem to ques tion is the Gamecocks’ defensive line. Senior John Stamper and ju niors Dennis Quinn and Langston Moore will be the ones attempting to answer that question. Junior college All-American Shaun Smith won’t start, but he is ex pected to make a bigger impact as the season moves on. Senior Willie Sams will split time with Quinn at right end. Seniors Kalimba Edwards and Kenny Harney will man the line backing corps. Edwards is a pre season All-American and is seen by many as a future first-round draft pick. When senior linebacker Shannon Wadley went down for the season, the Gamecocks were put in a hole. But the problem ap pears to be solved. Junior Rod Thomas seems to have filled in nicely and other players such as junior Jermaine Lemon and red Special Teams KICKING/PUNTING: USC goes into the game with junior Tyeler Dean handling punting duties. Sophomore Dan Weaver willkick field goals, he has been having hip problems. Joey Bowers will be in charge of kickoff duties. Weaver connected in one of two field goal attempts last season. BSU ' junior kicker Ryan Calaycay is one of the best in the nation. Last season, Calaycay con nected for 15 of 16 field goals, in cluding eight of nine from 30 to 49 yards. Junior punter Keith Schuttler will be on duty for the first time in his collegiate career. ADVANTAGE: BSU RETURNING: In the return game, Holtz has made room for several players. Speedy senior wideout Corey Alexander will be in the mix for kickoff returns with two other players. Donnings and Watson will return kicks because of their ability to make big plays. Donnings and Brewer will be available to receive punts. The dangerous running back duo of David Mikell and Forsey will return kicks for the Broncos. Speedy sophomore Tim Gilligan is scheduled to field punts. USC has a threat they might not have had before in this area in Chavez Donnings. Donnings and Watson could be one of the most lethal kickoff return combinations in the country, barring problems holding onto the ball. ADVANTAGE: USC Overall outlook: A new team and a first-time head coaching staff hope to leave town with an upset that could spark smother very successful sea son for the Broncos. But their in experience on offense and defense should lead to a cakewalk for the Gamecocks. FINAL SCORE: use 34 Boise St. 7 Want to write for Gamecock Sports? Callus at 777-7182 or write to gamecocksports@ hotmail.com Foy BCS changes bowl formula CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 and ESPN polls is that even if fans didn’t agree with them, they understood them. When the NCAA decided to let the BCS determine who has the right to play for the title, they should have devised a system more comprehensible to the av erage fan. When they released the rank ings for the first time last year during a Monday Night Football game, I was appalled to see Clemson with such a high rank ing. Of course they were unde feated at that point... who had they played? Let’s face it, the ACC doesn’t offer the same level of competi tion that the SEC or the Big 10 of fers. Record isn’t everything. Just because you can blow away a Duke or a Wake Forest ■doesn’t make you a great team. Beating a Miami would show you deserve to be listed at the top. The key to the turnaround for this system is that we will see what kind of people really run the better football teams. Don’t get me wrong, I like to see blowouts. It would be nice to see USC blow out a good team every now and then. And sometimes teams just can’t help it. Last season, the Gamecocks tried to run down the clock against Eastern Michigan but ended up scoring a touchdown because Trevin Smith broke loose. The 41-6 score wasn’t ex actly a blowout, but you get the idea. Coaches, at least, won’t be able to blame countless slaughters on the computers in the BCS. They may just have to fess up and ad mit they’re just flexing their mus cles. Or maybe it’ll encourage them not to look like jackasses by con stantly destroying lesser football teams. Good ol’ fashioned sports manship just might re-enter the college ranks, and while we will still see good football, weaker teams won’t suffer as much em barrassment. AROUND THE SEC' «*• Alabama volleyball opens in New Mexico TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama volleyball team starts the 2001 season Friday night in tournament ac tion at the New Mexico State Hilton Classic. The Tide, the defending SEC Western Division champions, open play against Nicholls State. UA will also face NCAA-touma ment participant Ball State at 4:30 p.m. in first day action. Alabama's slate on Saturday in . eludes matches with Pittsburgh (2 p.m.) and host New Mexico State (7 p.m.) “I am looking forward to us fi nally playing against somebody other than ourselves,” said sixth year UA head coach Judy Green. “We have had a solid fall practice and are ready to begin our pre season schedule. This weekend looks to be a very exciting field of competitive teams.” Following the Hilton Classic, the Tide will remain on the road for two more in-season tourna ment trips. Mixed in that stretch, Alabama will host Mercer on Sept. 11 in the squad's 2001 home opener. Former Razorback leads heptathlon BEIJING, China — Former University of Arkansas Lady Razorback track athlete Gi-Gi Miller is in first place in the hep tathlon after the first day of com petition with 3,586 points at the World University Games in Beijing, China. Miller, competing for Team USA, leads the competition by 36 points over Jane Jamieson of Australia in the first interna tional competition of her post-col legiate career. “Gi-Gi is incredibly blessed,” Arkansas associate head coach Rolando Greene said. “To take seven weeks off from competition between the USA Championships and the World University Games and then score that many points is a testament to her abilities. I am very proud of her.” Miller got off to a great start at the games by winning the 100-me ter hurdles with a time of 13.61 seconds. Miller would bookend the start with another first-place finish in the 200 meters at 24.02. In between her first-place finish es, Miller found time to tie the Arkansas school record for a hep tathlon in the high jump.when she cleared a season-best 5-91/4, good for sixth overall. In the shot put, Miller tossed 38-7 to round out the first day. The 3,586 points would have set an Arkansas record for first day score had she not already crushed the record at the U.S. Championships on the way to her second-place finish in that com _ petition. At the championships, Miller scored a career-high and Arkansas school record 5,925 points, a mark she is currently chasing. “I think that Gi-Gi has all the abilities to reach 6,000 points in Beijing,” Greene continued. “If she can long jump around 20 feet, throw the javelin 110 feet and run the 800 meters in 2:10,1 think that she can not only win a gold medal at the games, but also break 6,000 points.” Miller will conclude the hep tathlon competition at the World , University Games on Wednesday afternoon but won’t be done com peting until the weekend. She also participates in the triple jump competition with prelims on Friday, Aug. 31. Miller’s Arkansas teammate, Tawa Babatunde, competes for Team Canada in the 400 hurdles on Thursday, Aug. 30. Auburn swimmers bring home medals BEIJING, China — The Auburn swimmers have done it again, capturing four medals in the fi nal day of competition here at the 2001 World University Games bringing their total to 14 medals in the meet. The 2001 Games is by far the most successful international meet in Auburn swimming his tory, with the Tigers earning 14 total medals including eight gold, three silver and three bronze. "The primary determining fac tor of success is typically shown in how many medals a team has won,” said head Auburn swim ming coach David Marsh. "If that is the case, then certainly this is the most successful international meet ever for Auburn.” "They won’t need a wheelbar row to carry their medals home, but it will definitely add some weight to their luggage. ” On the final day of competi tion, the Tigers captured two events, including incoming fresh man Clay Kirkland taking the 200-'meter freestyle and Andy Haidinyak and Dave Denniston taking gold in the 400 medley re lay. Kirkland, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., took first in the 200-meter freestyle with a per sonal-best time of 1:50.03 for the U.S. team. He also is taking home a silver medal in the 400 free re lay for his participation in the prelims. "It was my goal to win a gold medal here, and I’m excited to have done so,” Kirkland said. "I know that if I go out too fast on that first hundred, I won’t be able to hold on, so it’s my strategy to go out conservatively and then really turn it on the last 100. It worked for me Since I posted my best time ever. I will be training at Auburn for the next four years and aiming to make some teams and then hopefully make the Olympic squad in 2004.” Also winning their event on the day was Denniston and Haidinyak, with Denniston swimming the breaststroke leg and Haidinyak contributing in the fly. The team combined for a time of 3:39.49, which is a new Universiade record. Denniston split a time of 1:01.96 in the breast while Haidinyak split a 53.42 100 fly. FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS shirt freshmen Jack Johnson and Brian Brownlee will see playing time behind Thomas. Sophomore Jeremiah Garrison is suspended for the BSU game and will return to fill the void at Georgia next week. The Broncos’ offensive line shouldn’t be able to handle the Gamecocks’ combination of strength and depth. ADVANTAGE: USC Junior tailback Derek Watson takes the handoff from Erik Kimrey against Mississippi State last season, file photo Dorm Room Carpet Cheap! _ EXAMPLE: 12x9 room = $63.72 gqpj COGDILL Carpet Mill Outlet OPEN MON-SAT 9AM TO 6PM www.cogdills.com • E-mail Address: flooring@cogdills.com T-r-7 * BRADLEY* Introducing Ming Largest Selection of Vera Bradley in downtown Columbia Cblumbia Luggage 1111 Lady St. 765-9010 r d Advantage Alarm Systems, your authorized ADT dealer is currently hiring for full and part time positions in our Columbia branch (No Experience Necessary)\ We are looking for a few fun-loving people with great attitudes to join our next training class. 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