The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 05, 2004, Page 8, Image 8
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GAME SCHEDULE^
Pao-e 8 MEN’S SOCCER vs. Coastal Carolina, 5 p.m.
T? •J XT k f mn, VOLLEYBALL vs. LSU, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 5, 2004 SWIMMING vs. Clemson, 5 p.m.
Razorbacks,
USC seek to
save seasons
By STEPHEN DEMEDIS
STAFF WRITER
Saturday’s game between USC (5-3,
3-3 SEC) and Arkansas (3-4, 1-3 SEC)
will feature two teams trying to
rebound after tough losses to ranked
opponents. Despite starting the season
off on high notes, both teams have
fallen from prominence and need an in
conference win to get their seasons back
on track.
The Razorbacks came into the
season returning just one starter,
quarterback Matt Jones, but made a
huge statement by trouncing New
Mexico State, 63-13
Head coach Houston Nutt's
Razorbacks also defeated Alabama early
in the season. But since those early
wins, Arkansas has skidded to four
losses to ranked opponents, never losing
by more than two scores.
On national television, the
Razorbacks came up just short of
upsetting No. 7 Texas and No. 6
Georgia at home. Against Florida, the
team rallied to pull within one score of
the Gators before the home team pulled
away on an interception.
Auburn, ranked fourth in the
country, handed the Razorbacks their
worst loss of the season two weeks ago,
38-20.
Arkansas has only been held to less
than 20 points once this season in the
Georgia game and is coming into
Columbia after two weeks
rest.Carolina’s three losses have all
come at home this year.
After playing No. 3 Georgia down
to the wire in a 16-20 loss, the
Gamecocks earned respect in the
national rankings, and a road win over
Alabama put USC in the top 25- Since
earning that recognition, Carolina lost
♦ Please see ARKANSAS, page 9
^ *
DAVID STAGG/THE GAMECOCK
Sophomore running back Demetris Summers tries to break through the Tennessee defense Saturday in the 43-29 loss. Summers, who ran
for 95 yards against UT, and the Gamecocks will try to avoid moving to 6-11 in three seasons when trying to become bowl eligible.
USC bowl chances
hinere on Arkansas
By ALEX RILEY
THE GAMECOCK
Forget all the talk of Demetris
Summers not getting enough carries.
Disregard anything involving Dondrial
Pinkins or Syvelle Newton’s inadequacy.
Set aside the three losses to teams USC
should have beaten. It all means
nothing, nada, zip, zilch.
Everything comes down to Saturday.
In USC’s final home stand of the
2004 season, the team is looking to
knock off an Arkansas team that is a
mere 3-4 and returns only one big starter
in senior quarterback Matt Jones. The
win won’t give Carolina the SEC East or
any big bragging rights. All it does is give
USC win number six, and that’s all the
Gamecocks need.
“This is a tough stretch, but we have
to find a way to rise above it,” USC head
coach Lou Holtz said.
That tough stretch goes all the way
back to 2002, when the Gamecocks
Were riding an emotional high. After
coming off back-to-back winning trips
to the Outback Bowl, the USC football
program looked like it was ready to
continue its rise to the top.
However, Carolina hit a slump and
hasn’t been the same since. Over the
past two years, USC has gone 5-7 both
seasons and are 0-10 in games where a
win would have given them bowl
eligibility.
But with the remaining schedule of
Florida and Clemson, both on the road,
the Gamecocks’ chances of securing a
bowl bid grow somewhat
dimmer if they don’t secure
that sixth win at home this
weekend. The last time the
Gamecocks defeated the
Razorbacks was in 2000,
when USC won 27-7 in
Columbia.
“(Arkansas has) a very
solid team,” Holtz said.
“Matt Jones gives you a lot of
problems at quarterback. He
may be the MW of this
league.”
The Hogs roll into
Columbia after a bye week,
while USC is still recovering
from its second-half
meltdown against Tennessee.
Besides bowl eligibility,
Carolina will look to send its
seniors out on a high note, as
Saturday is Senior Day and
the final home game for the
Gamecocks. This group of /
outgoing seniors hasn’t been to
a bowl since the 2002 Outback
win, so a win Saturday would give the
2004 seniors a postseason appearance to
close out on. This is also the seniors’ last
chance to beat Arkansas, something they
♦ Please see BOWL, page 9
E3_i____9_... - l.; J
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Dondrial Pinkins and 23 other seniors will
play their final home game Saturday.
Carolina needs one complete game
■ Both sides of the ball
need to show up to gain
pre-Clemson momentum
You can call it the chicken curse or
you can blame it on Lou Holtz. You
can say that Carolina just simply will
never beat the big dogs of the SEC.
None of this will help the fact that
USC has had a lead in its last three
games against Florida, Georgia and
Tennessee. None of this will help the
fact that USC is trying to prevent its
. 11 th straight loss when facing bowl
eligibility. None of this will help the
fact that half of USC’s fans are already
expecting the Gamecocks to lose out,
simply because that’s what has
happened the last two seasons.
Let’s all take a step back and put
things in perspective. Carolina is
maybe three plays away from being 7
1. A fourth-down conversion against
Georgia and a stop on fourth-and-10
against Ole Miss is all that separates
the team from where it really is. Last
season, a safety call against the Rebels
and a fake punt against Florida was all
that stood between USC and a major
bowl.
The solution is not a new coach or
quarterback. What the Gamecocks
need is one complete game. Just one.
When I say one complete game, I
mean one period of 60 minutes where
the offense and defense play up to
their potential.
The Carolina defense could not
have played better for the first 29
minutes of the
game against
Tennessee.
The USC
offense could
not have
played better
for the last 10
minutes of the
game. Put
those two units
‘ together for 60
minutes and
you have a
blowout in
favor of the
boys in black.
Need another example? Let’s look
at the Alabama and Ole Miss games.
Against the Crimson Tide, the USC
defense played impeccably,
intercepting Bama quarterbacks four
times. The offense looked nearly
nonexistent in the match in
Tuscaloosa. However, at home against
Ole Miss the next week, the offense
looked strong, scoring 28 points. On
cue, the defense laid an egg, giving up
31 points to the 11 th-rated offense in
the SEC.
Georgia serves as another great
example. USC’s defense held the
UGA offense in check in the first half,
only to see the Gamecock offense
squander red-zone opportunities in
the second half.
The truth is that no matter what
any player says, these struggles are all
in their minds. But all it takes to
alleviate this “curse” is one win, just
JONATHAN
HILLYARD
SECOND-YEAR
ELECTRONIC
JOURNALISM
STUDENT
one win, to push the team to that
sixth win and who knows what else. I
would love to see this team, which has
yet to be proven inferior to anyone,
play without pressure for just a few
games.
A win against an Arkansas team
that has dominated the Gamecocks
recently could be just the start. There
would be no pressure in Gainesville,
Fla., as the Gamecocks would face a
Gator team trying to overcome a
“lame duck” coach.
rinany, a win Derore me i^iemson
game is crucial. The Tigers will —
that’s right, I said will — be 5-5
heading into this game. It is
imperative for USC not to be 5-5.
This would give the Gamecocks a
chance to reverse the favor the
have been so kind in deliverii
past two seasons — sending
rivals home for the holidays.
So when you all enter Williams
Brice Stadium on Saturday, look for
one thing a complete effort. Look
for the Gamecocks to pound a weak
Razorback secondary like they did
against the Vols last week. Look for a
swarming defense to stop the runs
that might have cost them a shot at
an SEC title a week ago. Finally, look
for Josh Brown to continue to shock
us with solid Field goal kicking.
A complete, dominant game is the
one thing the team has lacked all
season, and a home game against a
struggling Arkansas team might be the
Gamecocks’ last chance to prove that
it’s possible.
Hogs hopeful after October meltdown*
DANNY JOHNSTON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
v-l *
Arkansas coach Houston Nutt shouts to his team Oct. 23 during the second quarter against Georgia in
Fayetteville, Ark. Nutt and the Razorbacks are 3-4 on the season with losses to two top-10 teams.
By KYLE PARKINSON
ARKANSAS TRAVELER (U. ARKANSAS)
(U-WIRE) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark^^
—USC head-coach LffirHoItiTonce said,
“How you respond to the challenge in
the second half will determine what you
become after the game, whether you are
a winner or a loser.”
That statement has held true for the
Gamecocks in the second half of their
past two seasons. USC is 0-10 the past
two seasons with bowl eligibility on the
line.
Carolina will seek that bowl
qualifying sixth win Saturday, while
Arkansas will look to get back to .500 on
its way to bowl eligibility.
Arkansas is coming off a bye and was
back on the indoor practice field
Tuesday afternoon.
“Our guys moved around real
good,"Arkansas head coach Houston
Nutt said. “Coach Holtz runs different
formations with four wide outs, five
wide outs, three wide outs. I know him
very well. I know he wants to run the
ball. He uses a lot of formations, and
he’s throwing the balPprobably more
than we thought he would. He’ll try to
keep you off balance with a reverse or a
trick play.”
Nutt and his team are not solely
concentrating on the Gamecocksrtut
_jhemselverarWeir
“We’re trying to be physical and
know who to block and come off the
ball,” Nutt said. “We have to control
the ball. We can’t have three and outs.
We have to be able to stay on the field,
keep our defense on the sideline and
have a good kicking game. It’s no secret
it’s about the same thing each week.
This is a critical week for us, and I think
our players know that and understand it
and we’ve had two really good work
days.”
This is a critical week for Arkansas
after a winless October that left the
Hogs 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC.
“It’s a critical week because it’s
November," Nutt said. “It’s been a
long time since this team has won a
ballgame. They really want to, they’re
anxious and it’s critical that everybody
gets better. We’ve got to play good as a
team. You just can’t have a good
defensive quarter, a good offensive
quarter. It’s got to be all four
quarters.” i
Arkansas senior quarterback Matt
Jones practiced at full speed for the
“It’s been a long time
since this team has
won a ballgame. They
really want too, they’re
anxious and it’s
critical that everybody
gets better.”
HOUSTON NUTT
ARKANSAS HEAD COACH .
first time since before the Auburn
game. The senior has been receiving^®
treatment for leg injuries, including
pulled groin and hamstring suffered
against Auburn and Georgia in
consecutive weeks.
“He looked good,” Nutt said. “It’s
good to have him back.”
Senior defensive end Jeb Huckeba
broke a bone in his right hand last week
during practice, but is expected to play.
“It’s gotten a lot better over the past
week,” Huckeba said. “I feel like by
Saturday it will have improved a lot
more, plus adrenaline. I feel like that will
take ovef; and I probably won’t 'even
♦ Please see HOGS, page 9