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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, November 19, 2001 GAME SCHEDULE MEN’S BASKETBALL at the Maui Invitational, vs. Chaminade, 2 p.m. Monday, vs. Duke/Seton Hall, TBA, Tuesday VOLLEYBALL vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m. Saturday WOMEN'S BASKETBALL vs. Missouri at Duke Classic, Noon, Saturday use BREAKS FOUR-GAME LOSING STREAK TO UPSTATE RIVAL IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD BY MATT ROTHENBERG THE HAMBCOCK ; A record crowd of 85,000 packed Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday afternoon to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks give a tireless effort and squeeze past the Clemson Tigers 20-15. It was the first victory against Clemson for the Gamecocks since 1996 and the first in Columbia since 1987. Though hobbled by injuries to key players, Carolina was able to send the Tigers home with their tails between their legs. “I’ve been involved in a lot of rivalries,” USC head coach Lou Holtz said. “But I've felt a lot more pressure in this one. I felt that this win was very, very important.” One maih cog in the Gamecock machine was senior quarterback Phil Petty, whose start was a game-time decision. Despite a badly bruised throwing shoulder suffered against Florida, Petty provided a gutsy perfor mance that helped lead the Gamecocks to victory. Erratic ear ly on, Petty regained his poise and sparked a couple of scoring drives. He finished 14 for 23 with 152 yards and an interception. On beating Clemson, Petty said, “It feels real good. I have ' been waiting four years for that to ! happen. I feel like the best team ' won. What a better way to go out? ’I’m happy.” - After each team punted on their first drives, the Tigers took the first score. After starting off from their own 4-yard line , Dantzler found freshman receiv er Airese Currie in the middle, and Currie ran it in for a 54-yard touchdown reception. Currie drew an excessive celebration penalty, which moved the point-after try back 15 yards. Aaron Hunt couldn’t connect, leaving Clemson with a 6-0 lead. The Tigers threatened again on their next possession, but on fourth-and-one Dantzler made an ill-advised pass into the hands of comerback Sheldon Brown for his first interception of the season. “The guys up front gave him pressure, and I just had to catch the ball,” Brown said. On the ensuing Gamecock dri ve, the series was lengthened by a fourth-down conversion by Andrew Pinnock. Clemson defen sive back Toure Francis then picked offra pass from Petty. However, the Tigers went three and out, and South Carolina got the ball back on the Clemson 40. Rushes from Pinnock, Ryan Brewer and Derek Watson led to a key completion for first down from Petty to Brian Scott, who had 73 receiving yards from six catch es on the day. When the drive stalled, Daniel Weaver kicked a 29 yard field goal to make the score 6-3. Woody Dantzler and the Tigers responded with a powerful drive of their own. A 9-yard pass to Zachary and a 22-yard throw to Crosby kept the chains mo ving. Dantzler then kept the ball and gained 24 yards to put Clemson deep in Carolina territo ry. Dantzler had more than 100 rushing and more than 200 pass ing yards on the afternoon. After a penalty, Dantzler tossed the ball to Zachary again for 11 yards, but that’s as far as they got. Hunt came in and knocked in a 24-yard at tempt to widen Clemson’s lead to 9-3. Petty’s shoulder seemed to bear no ill effects when he com pleted a 36-yard pass to Andrea Gause on the next drive. His next attempt to Matthew Thomas was incomplete but drew a pass inter ference penalty. Watson took con trol from there and, with help from a Clemson personal foul, cut into the end zone for the touch down. The Tigers would threaten again, but Brown picked off an ♦ CLEMSON, SEE PAGE 9 Corey Jenkins scores on this quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter, putting the Gamecocks up 20-9. The score came on fourth-and-goal from the Clemson 1-yard line, photo by aaron hark Which bowl will the Gamecocks play in? With an 8-3 record, USC should find itself in one of three bowls. CITRUS BOWL Jan. 1,2002 Orlando, Florida Honda Citrus Bowl (cap. 67,000) Teams: SEC No. 2 vs. Big Ten No. 2 Last year’s payoff: $4 million Most likely if: Florida and Tennessee both land BCS bids. USC should get the nod over the rest of the SEC’s bowl-eligible teams because its fans’ reputation is outstanding. Because of this, USC could get the nod over Tennessee, if the Vols miss out on the BCS. OUTBACK BOWL Jan. 1,2002 Tampa, Florida Raymond James Stadium (66,000) Teams: SEC No. 3 vs. Big Ten No. 3 Last year’s payoff: $2.5 million Most likely if: Tennessee upsets Florida Dec. 1 and the Gators miss out on the BCS. The Citrus might be able to pass up the Vols, but not the Gators, a popular in-state team. PEACH BOWL Dec. 31,2001 Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome (73,000) Teams: SEC No. 5 vs. ACC No. 3 Last year’s payoff: $1.8 million Most likely If: Florida and Tennessee, for some reason, both miss out on the BCS. The Outback could still choose USC over Tennessee, but if not, the Gamecocks would tnost likely make the short trip to Atlanta. Petty heroic in final home game BY PRESTON BAINES THEUAMKCOCK The Gamecocks came into the big game with Clemson having lost four straight to their hated in state foe. Senior Phil Petty had been involved in each loss, either on the sidelines or on the field. Petty came into Saturday’s game ques tionable with an injured throwing shoulder. The injury showed early, as Petty came out and threw some inaccurate passes. But the pain wasn’t enough to keep Petty out of the game. He had to get his first win against Clemson. “I knew by Wednesday I would play,” Petty said. As if Petty wasn’t already injured enough, he damaged his shoulder even more in the first half. But situations like these only make some one like Petty dig down deeper, and he mus tered everything he could to go 14-23 for 152 yards in the game. “There was no doubt I would play in the second half,” said the senior signal caller. “This is Clemson. I wouldn’t miss this. It was very important for the guys to know I would play. A lot of guys play through pain; I'm not the only one. It’s part of the game.” Petty’s statistics weren’t the key to the vic tory, though; it was his leadership and ability to make key plays at the right time. “[Petty] played with his heart today,” ju nior scatback Ryan Brewer said. “Today was something special for him. You could see it out there. In the huddle, he was taking charge a lot more. Everything was pumped up. He was ready to go. His attitude was just different.” Petty obviously took to heart what USC coach Lou Holtz told the team in the locker room beforq-the game. “Coach Holtz told us that the tougher team . would win, and we were the tougher team," Petty said. “We knew the difference in the game would come down to toughness and turnovers. It usually does in the Carolina Clemson series. Clemson’s talked about how they’re the tougher team in the past, and today we were tougher.” On the opposite side of the field, senior record-breaking quarterback Woody Dantzler felt the sting that Petty and the rest of the Gamecocks had felt in the previous four games between the schools. “No one-remembers the past,” Dantzler said. “It’s all about the present and what hap pens right now. It’s 365 days until the next one.” Backup quarterback Corey Jenkins would have started if Petty couldn’t go. Jenkins got spot duty and scored the game-clinching touch down, but Jenkins knew Petty was the man that would get the job done. “He never flinched,” Jenkins said. “He doesn’t get enough credit for anything he does, and he should. He’s a warrior. He plays his be hind off everyday. He takes hit after hit after hit, and he keeps getting up and he keeps fight ing.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Phil Petty played his final game at Wllliams-Brice Stadium with an injured shoulder, but one couldn’t tell by the way he played. Here, he dives toward the end zone leading with his bad shoulder. Petty didn’t score on the play, but Corey Jenkins did one play later, photo by aaron hark