The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 22, 2004, Page 12, Image 12
/ 1 \ 1 /■ LOU SAID IT
/ M 1/1 “You’d have to not know that
■ ■ I ■ / ■ President Bush was elected president
Page 12 VI / 1 I I to not know what my plans are."
Monday, November 22,2004 -A- ■ A ▼ —headfootSSSS!
SOUTH fgAROLINA (6-5) 7 — CLEMS fcN (6-5) 29
= " - — ■■ - ■■ ■ ■ '■■■" ■■ —— ■- " ■ 1— ■ 1 '■ 1 ■■ ^
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Running back Demetris Summers, left, is wrapped up by Columbia area native Tremaine Billie in the Gamecocks' 29-7 loss Saturday.
Tigers continue dominance
By STEPHEN FASTENAU
STAFF WRITER
CLEMSON — Between bench
clearing brawls, the Tigers and
Gamecocks actually played football
Saturday, and the result was all too
familiar for Gamecock fans.
Clemson running back Reggie
Merriweather rushed for 125 yards and
three touchdowns as the Tigers rolled to
a 29-7 win.
The victory granted Clemson bowl
eligibility and completed a turnaround
in which the Tigers went 5-1 in their
final six games after starting the season
1-4.
The loss dropped USC to 6-5 on the
season in Lou Holtz’s final regular
season game as the Gamecocks head
coach.
Momentum quickly swung the
Tigers way as USC running back Cory
Boyd fumbled the opening kickoff,
giving Clemson possession at the USC
9-yard line. From there it took just two
plays for Merriweather to run for his
first touchdown to give Clemson a quick
7-0 lead.
The Tigers took a 14-0 lead on
another Merriweather touchdown with
5:17 remaining.
The Gamecock offense struggled for
much of the game. USC did not convert
a first down until 30 seconds remained
in the first quarter, and it took punter
Josh Brown to get it.
Facing fourth-and-one from the
USC 13-yard line, Clemson defenders
blocked Brown’s punt. In the scramble
that followed Brown managed to scoop
up the ball and run 4 yards for the first
down.
Newton threw for 113 yards, 54 of
which came on a touchdown pass to
Boyd that brought made it 14-7 midway
through the second quarter. Those
would be the last points the Gamecocks
would manage as the Tigers defense
stifled USC for the rest of the game.
The game was still undecided as
Clemson took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
The Tigers received the ball to start
the second half, however, and pushed
their advantage to two touchdowns after
Merriweather scored from 12 yards out.
Clemson kicker Jad Dean tacked on
two field goals to create the final margin.
Holtz, a coaching legend with 249
career wins under his belt, will leave
with a sour taste in his mouth after
falling to rival Clemson by a combined
92-24 margin the past two seasons.
“Disappointing? Absolutely,” Holtz
said.
As it stands, the Gamecocks will still
have one more game to play as they
reached bowl eligibility with their win
against Arkansas. Holtz said he‘.would
“Disappointing?
Absolutely.”
LOU HOLTZ
USC HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
stay on to coach the bowl game.
The USC athletics department issued
a statement Sunday regarding the brawl.
Officials said USC Athletics Director
Mike McGee met with Holtz and SEC
commissioner Mike Slive regarding the
incident. Holtz said he would likely
suspend players after he reviews film of
the game. Film has also been sent to
SEC officials.
Holtz added that his players do not
deserve to play in a bowl game after their
performance and actions Saturday.
Comments on this story ? E-mail
gamecocksports@gumt.sc. edu
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Carolina and Clemson fans are divided among each other
throughout the state, one reason for the intensity of the rivalry.
Clemson-USC
a new experience
As I sat on my couch Thursday
night watching the local news coverage
of the simultaneous Tiger Burn in
Columbia, and Gamecock Funeral in
Clemson, I was struck by how brutal
the imagery was.
□ Searing flesh,
death and
destruction,
soaring flames,
dead animals
everywhere; is the
feeling of
animosity
1
Tnnn between the two
A DC CM schools really
GREEN that great?
GRADUATE Of course
STUDENT IN
SPORTS AND these two events
SSf' are simply proud
traditions aimed
at fostering
school spirit before the biggest game of
the year. “Don’t read too much into it
you dunce”, I told myself, and besides,
I love a good funeral pyre. Still,
sometimes passion can turn ugly.
You should know that *1 am
somewhat of an outsider, a South
Carolina transplant. It was not long
after I arrived in Charleston three years
ago that I was told to take sides,
Clemson or Carolina. It was tough for
me then, I admit, and growing up in
Tennessee made me susceptible to
liking the color orange. All doubts
about the school I would support
quickly faded away after I chose to
continue my education at USC.
Watching the Tiger Burn on
Thursday night made Saturday’s game
seem like it couldn’t come soon
enough. The simple act of going to
class was about as appealing as going to
get my wisdom teeth removed. I could
not wait to experience my first
Carolina/Clemson game.
It was right about the time that
Interstate 26 turns in to 385 that my (
thoughts again returned to the
intensity of the rivalry. In every
direction I looked the cars either had a
Clemson or Gamecock flag flying
above the windows, and it was only
10:00 p.m. on a Friday night.
The game had taken on added
significance after it was announced that
it would be Lou Holtz’s last regular
season game. What better way for him
to finish off a legendary coaching career
than to avenge last year’s embarrassing
loss against the arch rival Clemson
Tigers? A win over Clemson would also
keep the Tigers at home during the
post-season, a fate the Gamecocks had
suffered the previous two years.
I met two of my friends in
Greenville Friday night and we got a
hotel room. We decided to spend the
night before the game by eating at the
<
♦ Please see GREEN, page 10
STAT BOX
GAME 11
119
Total yards
gained by
Clemson in third
quarter
-8
Total yards
gained by USC
in third quarter
12:17
Clemson time of
possession in its
12-point third
quarter
2:43
USC time of
possession in its
scoreless third
quarter
Merri weather not so sunny for USC
By STEPHEN DEMEDIS
STAFF WRITER
CLEMSON — Saturday’s game will
be remembered for the big fourth
quarter brawl and the big
disappointment Lou Holtz experienced
in supposedly his last regular season
game. But perhaps it should instead be
remembered for the play of one rather
small man.
Sophomore running back Reggie
Merriweather, who is listed at 5-foot-8
inches tall, tore his way through the
Gamecock defense to lead his team to
victory in Death Valley.
The North Augusta native ran for a
career-high 125 yards and three
touchdowns. These totals were
surprising as Merriweather came into
the game averaging 58 yards per game
and eight touchdowns on the year. They
are even more surprising considering
what a punishing runner Clemson’s
shortest player is.
“I don’t know how tall Reggie says
he is. He is probably 5-foot-7,”
Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden
said. “He is nothing but neck and ankle.
There is nothing to hit. He is an
extremely tough and hard nosed runner
who finishes runs.”
Merriweather scored all of
Clemson’s touchdowns on runs of 3, 7
and 12 yards. On each scoring play, the
stocky back gained yards despite being
hit at or behind the line of scrimmage
by a Gamecock defender.
At the half, Merriweather, who was
recruited by USC, had run nine times
for 41 yards, but truly came to life on
the first drive of the second half.
Carrying the ball on seven of the 14
plays, Merriweather tore through the
South Cajolina defense for 48 yards,
including his longest run of 13 yards.
By always keeping his legs in motion
and falling forward when tackled,
Merriweather averaged 4.5 yards per
carry.
“Their running back played a tough
game,” said USC defensive lineman
Preston Thorne, a sophomore. “He has
a low center of gravity and that made
him hard to bring down.”
Stopping the rushing attack is not
something USC has had a problem with
this season. The defense ranks sixth in
the SEC in run defense, having allowed
just one 100-yard rusher prior to the
Clemson game. That lone rusher was
Tennessee’s Cedric Houston who
totaled 193 against the Gamecocks.
In the Florida game a week before,
Rick Minter’s unit shut down the
SEC’s leading rusher, Ciatrick Fason.
The junior was held to 20 yards on nine
carries.
Against Clemson, the Gamecock
defense hoped to shut down the pass,
something they failed to do against
Florida and last year against the Tigers.
“We didn’t expect them to come out
and run the ball,” Thorne said. “We
came in more focused on stopping their
passing game.”
On the year, Clemson has thrown
the ball an average of 32 times a game.
♦ Please see CLEMSON, page 10
Lt__- ••• __ _:_
DAVID STAGG/THE GAMECOCK
Clemson running back Reggie Merriweather dives into the endzone for the Tigers’ second touchdown
of the game. Merriweather had three rushing touchdowns and ran for a career-high 125 yards.
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