The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 05, 2003, Page 13, Image 13
THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, November 5, 2003 J_3
TA S~\ T^| m pN ' GAME SCHEDULE
CONTACT US I-JI 1 I—^ I VOLLEYBALL at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
■ II A I l FOOTBALL at Arkansas, 7:45 p.m. Thursday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I \ / I I Ik/ WOMEN’S SOCCER at SEC Tournament in
E-mailusatgamecocksports@hotmail.com _ I V_' I, I FV-/ Orange Beach, Ala., 12:30 p.m. Thursday
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USC to get no rest before Arkansas
USC at Arkansas
7:45 p.m. Thursday
Little Rock, Ark.
TV: ESPN
BY JOEL WALLACE
THK (iAMKCOCK
The USC football team (5-4,2-4)
faces a shortened practice week
leading up to Thursday night’s
showdown against Arkansas
(5-3,2-3).
The quick turnaround might be
just what the doctor ordered, as
the Gamecocks need to put last
Saturday’s hard-fought loss to Ole
Miss behind them.
“With this game, all of a sudden
we lost a day of preparation and
had to squeeze everything togeth
er,” offensive coordinator Skip
Holtz said.
The early game this week might
also be to the Gamecocks’ advan
tage, as Arkansas is coming off a
grueling 71-63 victory over
Kentucky in which Arkansas tied
its own NCAA record for the
longest game in history by play
ing in seven overtimes. Arkansas
defeated Ole Miss 58-56 in Oxford
in seven overtimes in 2001.
“In a way, I’m glad we have a
short week because I think our
guys play better” that way,
Arkansas head coach Houston
Nutt said. “This is the quickest
turnaround I can remember.”
Thursday’s game will be held
in Little Rock, Ark., where
Arkansas is 15-0 dating back to a
loss to Tennessee in 1997. The
Razorbacks head into the contest
losing three of their last four after
starting the season 4-0.
Running back Cedric Cobbs
leads a potent offensive attack,
averaging 110.6 rushing yards per
game. The Razorbacks’ rushing
attack is complemented by quar
terback Matt Jones, who aver
ages 55.2 rushing yards per game
in addition being an effective
passer, throwing for 1,294 yards
and 10 touchdowns against five
interceptions.
“Cedric Cobbs is averaging six
yards per carry and is one of the
best backs in the country,” USC
head coach Lou Holtz said. “You
put him with that offensive line
and a quarterback like Jones and
they give you all sorts of problems.
When you look at all that, you un
derstand why they are No. 1 in the
conference in rushing and in total
offense.”
For the Razorback defense, ju
nior defensive tackle Arrion
Dixon was named SEC Defensive
Player of the Week this week
for his performance against
'Kentucky.
The Gamecocks must respect
the Arkansas defense, as it is fifth
\
in the conference in total defense
and recorded a shutout against
USC last year in Columbia.
“The closest we got to scoring
was a field goal that we missed,”
Holtz said about last year’s 23-0
loss. “They do a variety of differ
ent things on defense and are very
athletic and talented. Their two
corners are candidates to run as
sprinters in the Olympics and are
the two fastest comers in the coun
try. They cover you well.” .
Despite the loss to Ole Miss, the
Gamecocks’ offense has given
them something to crow about af
ter last week’s performance.
Quarterback Dondrial Pinkins
threw for a career-high 298 yards
in addition to four touchdowns
and no interceptions.
“Dondrial Pinkins has emerged
as a quarterback,” Holtz said. “He
has been through a lot of criticism
and unjustly so, but he has really
stepped up.”
Nutt also gave Pinkins credit
for the job he has done.
“We can’t let this quarterback
stay comfortable,” Nutt said.
“When he sets his feet, he has two
great receivers he can go to. It will
be a great challenge.”
The Gamecocks now have only
three games left to pick up one
more win to become bowl-eligible.
However, the road doesn’t get any
easier with a nasty orange streak
against Florida and rival
Clemson.
The Arkansas contest marks
USC’s second Thursday night na
tional appearance on ESPN this
year. The game is scheduled to kick
off at 7:45 p.m.
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PHOTO BY ANDREW LOGAN/THE MISSISSIPPI
Daccus Turman, right, fights off Ole Miss defenders. Turman had one of the most incredible
scores against the Rebels. He’ll look to do the same at Arkansas on Thursday.
PHOTO BY TRISHA SHADWELL/THE GAMECOCK
Lawson Vaughn, left, scored a goal In Tuesday’s game.
BY STEPHEN DEMEDIS
TJIK (JAMKCOCK
The USC men’s soccer team
(8-6-2) came from behind to tie
College of Charleston (10-3-3) on
Tuesday night on a goal in the
86th minute by sophomore
Lawson Vaughn. The goal was
the first of his career, and the
tie keeps the Gamecocks in con
tention for an NCAA bid.
The first half of play ended in
a scoreless tie. However, the
Cougars out-played and out-shot
the Gamecocks. Charleston
could have easily taken the lead
within the first 10 minutes, but
they failed to convert on two
open net shots.
“We really did not play well
the first half, and we were fortu
nate to get out of there in a tie,”
Berson said. “I give this team a
lot of credit, coming back the
way they did.”
USC took the lead six minutes
after the half when freshman de
fender Makin Hislop drilled a
shot from 30 yards out into the
back of the net.
The slim lead held due to a
strong defensive effort for 20
minutes. But in a two-minute
span, Charleston tied and took
the lead in the 68th and 70th
minutes.
The first goal came on a cor
ner kick. The ball landed in the
box, and the Cougars leading
goal scorer Richardo Diaz
Grando ended a scuffle in the
box by scoring the tying goal.
For the Gamecocks, memories
of the Davidson game, which
was tied in similar fashion,
came to mind.
Charleston’s go ahead goal
was scored by sophomore Keion
Yearwood on a magnificent
header in the box. The forward
dived into the box and headed a
pass from midfielder Sage
Martin into the net.
With the clock winding,
down, the Gamecocks contin
ued to apply pressure and fi
nally answered with Vaughn’s
goal.
“We knew that we could not
afford to lose this game and we
just kept pouring it on.
Fortunately, Josh (Alcala) just
found me in the box and I was
able to keep my composure and
score,” Vaughn said.
For the third consecutive
game, the Gamecocks went into
double overtime. Neither team
was able to score, but each team
had its chances. Carolina’s best
opportunity came on a 3-1 break
away with one minute remain
ing in the second period. Senior
Captain Jack Cummings sailed
a wide-open shot over the cross
bar, and the score remained
tied at two. It was just one of
many open shots missed by
both teams in 110 minutes of
soccer.
Despite the blown chance,
Berson walked away from the
game very pleased with his
♦ SOCCER, SEEPAGE 14
Let anarchy rule
for USC football
TYLER JONES
GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Moral victories aren’t
helping the program.
Where were you on Saturday
morning at 11:45 a.m.? Were you
in Oxford, Miss.? Were you snug
gled soundly in the spooning em
brace of a strange lover? Were you
hovered over a bowl of cereal with
your bookie on the cell and a high
lighter skimming the morning
paper?
Me, you ask? I was digging in
at a bar in Charleston, surround
ed by an army of Ole Miss sup
porters led by a gum-bumping, lip
flapping gambler by the name of
Cash Malloy. You see, I am a man
who chooses his friends wisely;
such is not the case with sports
teams.
I ran into Cash at the Rockville
Regatta this summer, and the con
versation turned to how interest
ing it would be to place a wager on
the Ole Miss-USC game that was
months down the road. “Sure,” I
thought, “we will beat Eli
Manning into mud.”
Of course, Cash, being one of
the most confident Ole Miss alums
in the Milky Way galaxy, agreed,
and the August sun continued to
beat down on our intoxicated bod
ies. Everything looked great when
the season got under way. Ole
Miss struggled to a 1-2 record, and
the Gamecocks had beaten a then
15th-ranked Virginia ball club to
go 2-0.
I thought to myself, “What fun
it will be to take the bread money
from a professional golf hustler
and part-time gambler?” And so
the season progressed: Eli
Manning got hot, Ole Miss killed
Florida, and we fell into our usual
second-half-of-the-season slide.
Which brings me to the second
half of the game on Saturday. I
was genuinely surprised at the
heart of the football team, espe
cially the poise of No. £. There
were freshmen making play s and
a sophomore named Moe who
proved to me that he is, without
any doubt in my mind, the best
football player on the team. So
there I was, with a half-drunk Ole
Miss alum who is as vociferous as
they come, leaving me with an
empty pocket and only a moral
victory in hand.
“You know, Tyler, if the BCS
counted moral victories, South
Carolina would be Sugar Bowl
bound,” quipped my victorious
comrade named Cash.
And then it hit me, like the sev
enth beer before 3 p.m., I was tired
of losing, of racking up moral vic
tories and preparing for the next
season. I want to have a team of
overconfident, wrecking ball
thugs who go into games with a
murder mentality. I want Ray
♦ JONES, SEEPAGE 13
Women’s soccer ready for too-seeded Tenneessee
USC at Tennessee
12:30 p.m. Thursday
SEC Tournament
Orange Beach, Ala.
BY WES WOLFE
THE UAMECOCK
The No. 8 seed USC women’s
soccer team (10-7-3, 3-4-2 SEC)
takes a flying leap into the post
season On Thursday when it takes
on No. 1 seed Tennessee (13-4-1,7-1
1) in the SEC Women's Soccer
Tournament.
“We’re happy to be taking on a
team that’s done so well,” USC
head coach Shelley Smith said.
The Gamecocks shouldn’t de
spair, however. In last season’s
tournament at Ole Miss, No. 8 LSU
upset No. 1 Auburn in the first
round before losing to No. 4
Florida in the second round. Also,
Carolina beat Kentucky in USC’s
final home game, when at the time,
USC was in last place in the SEC
East, and Kentucky was in first
place. Smith said that the Carolina
win was indicative of conference
play all season.
“That’s how the conference has
been all year,” Smith said. “If
things go as they’ve gone during
the season, there should be some
upsets.”
Tennessee comes into the first
round of the tournament buoyed
by winning the SEC East and the
SEC Regular Season
Championship, while sustaining
a seven-game unbeaten streak.
Tennessee is also the defending
tournament champion after beat
ing Florida in two overtimes last
season.
Tennessee will be bolstered in
the opening round by Lady
Volunteer forward Rhian
Wilkinson, who earned SEC
Player of the Week honors by help
ing Tennessee claim the confer
ence championship by beating
Georgia. Wilkinson scored the
game’s only goal and is currently
leading the Lady Vols in points
and assists.
Carolina lost a close match in
Knoxville, Tenn., against the Lady
Vols on Oct. 12 by 3-2 and will cer
tainly be seeking revenge.
“We have to step up and show
we want to continue the season,”
Smith said.
If not for Wilkinson’s goal, No.
2 seed Auburn would’ve taken
the conference crown. The Tigers
(13-2-3, 6-1-2 SEC), who take on
No. 7 seed Georgia (11-8,4-5 SEC)
in first round action, have also
been on a seven-game tear by
winning six games and tying
once on their way to the SEC
West title.
Auburn also has the other SEC
Player of the Week, defender Erin
Hinson. The senior from
Birmingham, Ala., scored the
game-winning goal in Auburn’s fi
nal regular season game against
Alabama and helped hold
Auburn’s opponents to six goals
this season.
No. 3 seed Florida (14-3-1, 6-2-1
SEC) comes into the tournament
after a win over USC and winning
two of its past three games. The
Gators were 3-3 on the road this
season but have yet to play on neu
tral turf, so Florida will be tested
in Orange Beach against No. 6
seed Vanderbilt.
No. 4 seed Ole Miss (13-4-2,4-3-2
SEC) plays No. 5 seed Kentucky
(6-8-4, 4-3-2 SEC) in the other
match-up on Thursday. When the
Wildcats played USC, they were
sitting pretty on the top of the
SEC East. However, Kentucky
has gone 0-3-2 in its past five
games. Ole Miss hasn’t done that
well in its past five games with a
1-2-2 record, but the Rebels have
a respectable 3-2 record on the
road and one win on a neutral
field.
The tournament, to be held in
Orange Beach, Ala., seeds only
eight teams. This means that four
other SEC schools did not make it.
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi
State and LSU, all from the SEC
West, did not have a high enough
conference winning percentage to
make the cut. Georgia, USC and
Vanderbilt Barely made it in with
the lowest winning percentage go
ing into the tournament, tied at
.444. The winner of the tourna
ment automatically qualifies for a
berth in the NCAA Women’s
Soccer Tournament, which fin
ishes with the College Cup in
Cary, N.C.
USC will start tournament play
against Tennessee at 12:30 p.m. on
Thursday.
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