The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 17, 2003, Page 7, Image 7
-|-v -pi p-pi /—Ni GAME SCHEDULE
PAATTAPT TIO I 9 m ■ I 9 ' I ' ' WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. Friday
UUlNlALii UO I ^ ■ ■ I—< ■ VdLLEYBALLvs. Arkansas, 7 p.m. Friday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I I / I 1 I L J MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING vs. Qemson, 5 p.m. Friday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com \_L FOOTBALL vs. LSU, 7:45 p.m. Saturday
USC to rumble with Tigers
Upset over LSU would get Carolina
one step closer to bowl eligibility
LSU at USC
7:45 p.m. Saturday
Columbia
TV: ESPN2
BY JIM ROCHE
THE GAMECOCK
Halfway through the college
football season, Gamecock foot
ball fans can smell an upset in the
air as the lOth-ranked LSU Tigers
(5-1,2-1 SEC) take on USC (4-2,1
2) in a nationally televised game
Saturday night on ESPN2 at
Williamc-Rnpo
defenses. The Gamecocks are
ranked first in the SEC and sixth
in the nation in pass defense. The
Tigers are ranked first in the SEC
and fourth in the nation at stop
ping the run, and the team is only
giving up an average of 10.3 points
a game.
USC head football coach Lou
Holtz said: “LSU is very talented
and well-coached. Coach Saban
has done a very good job there.
They have a lot of talent and a
great defensive scheme and will
try to intimidate you. We will see
a lot of pressure.”
LSU has spent all week trying
to focus on Carolina and forget the
shocking loss to the Gators last
week.
“I know it’s going to be a tough
game on the road because South
Carolina is a tough place to play,”
T.STT head
Stadium. Kick- «. k -r tfninK tn Hp a coach Nick
off is set for 7:45 1 Kn0W 11S S0mS10 De 3 Saban said at
p.m. tough game on the road Wednesday’s
lsu is com because South Carolina news cod
ing off its first ^ a tough place to play.” fnce “They
loss of the sea- ° ^ w have some
son against NICK SABAN good football
Florida last lsu head coach players and
wppV TTSP are nlavinp
coming off its first SEC win of the
season against the Kentucky
Wildcats. But for the Gamecocks,
this midseason clash could poten
tially have bowl implications.
LSU has been troubled with in
juries as of late. LSU’s top running
backs, Joseph Addai and Shyrone
Carey, have both sat out of prac
• tice the entire week and are ques
tionable for the game Saturday.
Both are suffering from medial
collateral-ligament injury to their
knees. If those two are not able to
play Saturday, LSU will turn to
true freshman Justin Vincent,
who has carried the ball 30 times
for 132 yards and one touchdown.
For the Gamecocks, defensive
tackle George Gause is doubtful,
and Holtz said running back
Demetris Summers could see a
limited amount of carries against
the Tigers on Saturday because of
a lingering groin injury.
Saturday’s showdown will fea
ture two of the SEC’s top-rated
very well on defense. We certainly
need to improve the consistency
that we are playing with on of
fense, and I think it is really im
portant to learn to focus on the
next play.”
LSU leads the all-time series
13-2-1, winning last year’s contest
38-14 in Baton Rouge after trail
ing 14-6 at halftime. LSU’s wide
receiver Michael Clayton caught
five passes for 77 yards.
Quarterback Michael Randall
threw for 183 yards and ran for
a touchdown in the Tigers’
victory.
For the Gamecocks, a victory
against the Tigers this Saturday
is essential, as the Gamecocks will
make journeys to Ole Miss and
Arkansas at the beginning of
November before returning home
to wrap up the season against
Florida and Clemson.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail. com
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THF. GAMECOCK
Hart Turner, left, will need to make big catches against LSU like he made against Kentucky.
• Odom ready for tough offseason to end
BY WES WOLFE
THE GAMECOCK
USC head basketball coach
Dave Odom held his first news
conference of the year Thursday,
in which he spoke about the off
season and what the team has to
do to be ready for this year’s
schedule.
Still, questions surround the
eligibility of center Rolando
Howell and recruit Renaldo
Balkman.
A major issue for the
Gamecocks will be how they will
get over an offseason that has in
cluded the possible loss of Howell
because of his criminal domestic
violence conviction and
Balkman’s possi
ble academic inel
igibility.
Also, guard
Jon Land is out
for the season be
cause of a medical
issue involving
his bones. Land
Odom will stay on the
team, but in a ca
pacity that will be
decided by the coaching staff.
Odom said that losing a star
player like Howell and a recruit
like Balkman would be a
problem.
“When you’re dealing with
teams that have got 25 and up
wards of 30 or 40 or 50 people on
their team, one player is impor
tant,” Odom said. “But when
you’re dealing with 13 players —
or like we are scholarship-wise —
and you lose one or two of them,
you’re down.”
The Carolina coach wasn’t
surprised by the problems,
though.
“Trying to get, as I’ve said
many times, from the end of one
season to the beginning of anoth
er season — which we are now on
the doorstep of — with your team
intact is almost impossible,”
Odom said.
The USC administration, in
cluding athletics director Mike
McGee, is in the process of decid
ing whether Howell can play with
the Gamecocks this season. Odom
said a decision will be coming
soon, but right now Howell is not
practicing and will not play with
the team.
Even with the possible loss of
an All-SEC-team candidate like
Howell, Odom isn’t changing his
plans.
“I’ve been in meetings all week
with my staff to get ready for
practice, and that decision does
not play into how we practice, be
lieve me,” Odom said.
The university is appealing the
decision by the NCAA Academic
Eligibility Clearinghouse on
Balkman, who hasn’t been ad
mitted to the university. The
NCAA is expected to give a ruling
on the appeal soon, allowing
Balkman to enroll Monday and be
eligible to practice.
The Gamecocks open play in
the Guardians Classic against
Gardner Webb on Nov. 17.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
BRIEFLY
Men’s soccer team
breaks losing streak
The USC men’s soccer team
(8-5) got back on the winning
track Wednesday with a 1-0 win
at Charlotte (4-6-2), breaking the
team’s five-game losing streak.
Jack Cummings won the
game on a penalty kick 25 sec
onds into the match, giving him
four goals this season. Ayo
Akinsete was taken down in
side the penalty box, setting up
• Cummings’ goal that was
enough to give Carolina the
win. Brad Guzan picked up his
fourth save and sixth shutout
this season.
“I’m very proud of our team,”
USC head coach Mark Berson
said. “We played with a great
deal of determination, and we
were able to put together two
good halves. It is nice to come
away with a win on the road.”
The Gamecocks get right
back to action Sunday when
they visit the Furman Paladins
in Greenville at 2 p.m.
Women’s soccer to
finish home season
The USC women’s soccer
team (8-5-2,1-2-1 SEC) is return
ing to Eugene E. Stone III
Stadium for its final home
games of the season this week
end, against Vanderbilt (5-5-2,
1-3-1 SEC) and Kentucky (6-5-2,
4-0-1 SEC).
USC assistant women’s soc
cer coach Jaime Smith will re
ceive the AFLAC Assistant
Coach of the Year award before
the Vanderbilt game, and
Sunday’s game against
Kentucky will be senior day for
the Carolina women’s soccer
players.
USC’s game against Vander
bilt will be at 7 p.m. tonight, and
the Kentucky game will be 1
p.m. Sunday.
SPORTS CHALLENGE
THE CHALLENGE:
The Gamecock’s readers and
staff test their sports knowledge
with predictions of the
weekend's games. (Rankings
are from The Associated Press.)
Brad
Senkiw
Sports
Editor
(41-29)
Wes
Wolfe
Asst. Sports
Editor
(41-29)
Charles
Tomlinson
Editor in
Chief
(42-28)
Adam
Beam
Managing
Editor
(47-23)
Alexis
Stratton
Asst. News
Editor
(44-26)
Jason
Stewart
Reader of
the Week
(34-34)
Texas Tech at 23 Okla. St Okla St. Texas Tech
15 Michigan St. at 25 Minn. Minn. Mich. St.
13 Purdue at 14 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin
9 Iowa at 8 Ohio St_ Ohio St. O.iioSt
24 Missouri at 1 Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla^ma
5 So. Cal. at Notre Dame_ Notre Dame So. Cal.
Florida at 11 ArkansasArkansas Arkansas
Alabama at Ole Miss Ole Miss Alabama
Clemson at N.C. State N.C. State N.C. State
10 LSI) at use ~ use USC
17-14 22-21
Texas Tech Texas Tech Okla. St. Okla. St
Mich. St. Minn. Minn. Minm,
Wisconsin Purdue Wisconsin_Wisconsin
Iowa _OhioSt__Ohio St. Ohio St.
Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma
So. Cal. So. Cal. Notre Dame So. Cal.
Arkansas Arkansas Florida Arkansas
Alabama^ Alabama_Ole Miss Ole Miss
O. State N.C. State N.C. State N.C. State
. use use use
19-i4 28-0 "M; 01
SPORTS CHALLENGE’S EIGHTH-WEEK OUTLOOK: Sports Editor Brad Senkiw and Asst. Sports Editor Wes W'-tio
tied for first place last week, in a spectacular return to the top of the standings after several subpar weeks.
Previously unstoppable Managing Editor Adam Beam came back down to earn, however, going 4-6. Editor in Chief
Charles Tomlinson, selected staff member Gabrielle Sinclair and Reader of the Week Jonathan DuPre all made
respectable 5-5 showings on the day. Be sure to get your picks in next week by Thursday at 2 p.m.
WANT TO BE READER OF THE WEEK? E-mail your selections next week to gamecocksports@hotmail.com. If
you’re picked and have the best record, you’ll win a free Gamecock T-shirt and be able to talk all the trash you want
I
Younger
Holtz’s
decisions
crucial
JOHNATHAN IIILLYARD
GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Running game is key to
second half of season.
The Gamecock football team,
boasting a 4-2 record, is at a criti
cal stage in the season where its
success, or failure, has yet to be
determined. This makes
Saturday’s game against LSU ex
tremely crucial. Will Carolina
sttunble as it did last season and
close its season with a losing
“record? The truth is that this
might not even be in the players’
control, but m the hands ot olten
sive coordinator Skip Holtz.
The defensive unit for Carolina
has been solid throughout the sea
son. As a team, USC has allowed
just an average of 16.5 points per
game and given up 11 touchdowns
in six games. Carolina’s pass de
fense is ranked first in the SEC,
while the overall defense ranks
I third in the conference. Even in
its two losses to Georgia and
Tennessee, the defense held the op
ponent’s offense to well below
their average offensive produc
tion. Needless to say, defense is
not the problem with this team.
Many would say that success
lies with quarterback Dondrial
Pinkins, who is now 4-4 as a
starter for the Gamecocks. His
completion percentage is last in
the SEC and is tied for fourth in
the SEC with five interceptions. It
is easy to point the finger at
Pinkins for deficiencies in the of
fense, and after the Georgia game,
many Gamecock fans did.
However, let’s take a look at the
other aspect of the USC offense:
the rushing attack.
Thirteen of Carolina’s touch
downs have come on the ground,
and the team is second in the SEC
for yards per game. The running
game is, without a doubt, the
strength of the Carolina offense.
Skip Holtz’s play-calling will be
the difference for this team. In the
first game of the season, Carolina
ran the ball 34 times and passed
the ball 36 times with no USC run
ning back having over 11 carries.
In the opener, Carolina escaped
with a 14-7 victory against an over
matched Louisiana-Lafayette
team. In game two, USC threw 24
passes and ran the ball 49 times.
Daccus Turman ran the ball 18
times for 124 yards. The result?
The Gamecocks demolished then
15th-ranked Virginia 31-7. Against
Georgia, Carolina ran the ball 37
times and threw it 36 times. No
back got more than 12 touches,
and the Gamecocks were embar
rassed 31-7.
I think we are starting to see a
pattern here.
Since the Georgia game, the run
to-pass ratio has been 134 rushes to
80 passes, and the USC offense has
benefited greatly. In the one loss to
Tennessee in that stretch, a blocked
punt turned out to he the difference
m a game mai i^aroima uommaiea
in the second half. Minus that block
and a few key penalties, we would
be talking about a 5-1 Gamecock
team that would need ope win to be
come bowl eligible.
Skip, the moral of the story is
simply this: Run the ball, run the
ball, run the ball, and give a back
enough carries to make a differ
ence. Sure, an occasional pass is
necessary, but why put the game
in Pinkins’ hands when you don’t
have to? In the last three games,
he has thrown one interception.
Y-o, i.e’s getting better, but the
pressure is no longer squarely on
his shoulders. Continue this and
Carolina will be fine It won’t hp
easj, h r' ie last six teams
on USC’s schedule 1.^.0 .* __.
bined 22-15 record and include two
top 15 teams. Will we see a repeat
of last year, or is this team des
tined to be different?
What do you say, Skip?
IHillyard is a first-year electronic
y journalism student. i