TheState.com: GoGamecocks

USC's Archie suffers knee injury

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:05 EST

USC senior forward Dominique Archie suffered a right knee injury early in Sunday's game against Miami.

Archie missed the rest of the game, and South Carolina fell, 85-70, in the championship game of the Charleston Classic.

USC (4-1) led 9-2 when Archie got hurt with 13:30 left in the first half. It trailed by as many as 15 in the second half before a brief, late run.

Archie came down badly after throwing down an open-court dunk, giving him seven points on the game. He had stolen the ball at midcourt.

It was quiet for a few moments in the Carolina First Arena, where the vast majority of fans are cheering for the Gamecocks. USC coach Darrin Horn walked the length of the court as he and athletic trainer Mark Rodger helped Archie off the court. Once on the bench, Archie put a towel on his head.

Gamecocks' Gilmore wise beyond his years

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:24 EST

ROCK HILL - Signs of a football-centric family greet visitors as soon as they pull into the driveway of the two-story, brick home where Stephon Gilmore grew up.

There is a South Carolina flag out front, a football in the yard and a welcoming committee comprised of three of Gilmore's five younger siblings.

Scarlett, 9, and Savannah, 7, emerge from the house wearing temporary Gamecock tattoos on their cheeks from USC's game against Florida two days earlier. Steven Jr., 10, is dressed for his Pee Wee football practice, with one of his brother's garnet-and-black Under Armour shirts stretched over his pint-sized shoulder pads.

Steven informs a visitor he wears No. 5 and plays cornerback, just like his brother down the road in Columbia.

Family members say little Steven could be "the next one" in the family to play major-college football.

S.C. State to play Appalachian State in FCS playoffs

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:59 EST

The South Carolina State football team will get a rematch in Saturday’s first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs against Appalachian State. For the second consecutive season, the Bulldogs will travel to Boone, N.C., for a noon game to be televised on ESPNU.

The Bulldogs dropped a 37-21 decision to the Mountaineers last season. At the time, ASU was the three-time defending national champion while the Bulldogs were making their first trip to the playoffs since 1982.

Both teams enter this game on a roll. The Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 7 in the latest FCS national poll, finished the regular season with a 10-1 overall record, with the only loss coming to FBS opponent South Carolina, and an 8-0 mark in the MEAC. This is the second consecutive season they have won the league title by going unbeaten and have won a conference record 19 straight games dating back to 2007.

Fifth-ranked Appalachian State has won nine consecutive games on the way to claiming the Southern Conference title. The Mountaineers are 9-2 overall, which included an 8-0 conference record, heading into the playoffs, a single-elimination format that involves 16 teams, eight conference champions and eight at-large teams.

The winner between the Bulldogs and Mountaineers will play the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 4 Richmond (10-1) and No. 9 Elon (9-2) the following weekend.

Men's pregame: USC vs. Miami

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:06 EST

When: 6 p.m. (approximately)

Where: Carolina First Arena, Charleston

TV: ESPN2

RADIO: WNKT 107.5-FM

RECORDS: USC 4-0, Miami 4-0

Women's pregame: USC vs. Penn State

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:35 EST

WHEN: Today, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Colonial Life Arena

TV: Fox Sports South

RADIO: WISW, 1320AM

RECORDS: USC 1-1, Penn State 3-0

Live USC football Q&A: 1:30 p.m. Monday

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:57 EST

Join us at 1:30 p.m. Monday for a live and interactive question-and-answer session with GoGamecocks.com's Joseph Person as South Carolina prepares to take on Clemson on Saturday.

USC football with Joe Person

USC tennis wins five matches

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:35 EST

At Auburn, Ala., South Carolina scored five wins in seven matches at the Auburn Fall Invitational.

Senior Diego Cubas and sophomore Ivan Machado remained undefeated in the tournament, while Ivan Cressoni and freshman Harry Menzies posted singles victories as well.

- From staff reports

Kentucky rallies to beat Georgia 34-27

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:45 EST

Kentucky scored 14 points off four Georgia second-half turnovers and the Wildcats rallied to beat the Bulldogs 34-27 on Saturday night for their first win in Athens in 32 years.

Kentucky's Randall Cobb had scoring runs following Georgia turnovers at the Bulldogs' 14- and 8-yard lines.

Joe Cox threw three touchdown passes, but had a screen pass intercepted by Kentucky defensive tackle Shane McCord to set up Cobb's go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 9:55 remaining.

Kentucky (7-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 20-6 halftime deficit.

Washaun Ealey's fumble on a pitch from Cox at the Kentucky 1 stopped the Bulldogs from tying the game with 2:21 remaining. Linebacker Danny Trevathan recovered the fumble for Kentucky.

Clock runs out on LSU in 25-23 Ole Miss win

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:39 EST

So many unusual things happened in the final 3 minutes of Mississippi's victory Saturday against No. 10 LSU, it got confusing.

Even for the participants.

"I don't know what all happened down there at the end," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "I just know the scoreboard read 25-23 Ole Miss Rebels."

Nutt's confusion was nothing compared to what was happening on the LSU sideline as precious seconds ticked off the clock with less than a minute left and the game on the line.

The Tigers were divided over what plays to call, lost 17 seconds when the team tried for a timeout and didn't get it, and there was admittedly no backup plan when LSU went for the end zone on the last play of the game and came up short at the Ole Miss 5 with 1 second left.

Gators rout FIU 62-3, extend winning streak to 21

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:13 EST

Top-ranked Florida moved another step closer to perfection with a 62-3 rout of Florida International.

Tim Tebow accounted for three touchdowns and Brandon Spikes returned an interception for a score to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games Saturday.

Florida improved to 11-0 for just the second time in school history and needs two more wins - against Florida State and Alabama - to earn a shot at repeating as national champion.

After surviving some struggles during Southeastern Conference play, the Gators probably needed an easy week. The Golden Panthers (3-8) played the part to perfection.

Florida scored touchdowns on eight of 10 offensive possessions. The only scoreless drives came when Caleb Sturgis missed a 52-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and when Florida ran out the clock in the final seconds.

Ingram, Tide roll over Chattanooga 45-0

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:13 EST

No. 2 Alabama was still celebrating Mark Ingram's second long touchdown run when coach Nick Saban told his star tailback to take the rest of the day off.

Ingram ran for 102 yards and TDs of 25 and 40 yards in the first 20 minutes, then happily yielded the stage while the Crimson Tide breezed to a 45-0 win over Chattanooga on Saturday.

"Just get in, get a good day's work, execute and have some success. Then let the other people get the playing time they deserve," Ingram said.

Yes, the Tide (11-0) did make it seem just that easy.

Alabama raced to a 35-0 halftime lead and showed no signs of a letdown ahead of games with rival Auburn and No. 1 Florida. That enabled the starters to take a break in the second half against the Mocs (6-5), although Ingram and the Tide still managed a few highlight-reel plays.

USC fends off Bulls' charge

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:59 EST

CHARLESTON - For the third straight game, South Carolina trailed most of the first half then took control after halftime.

This time, however, the mid-game drama and closing minutes were more tense. Luckily for the Gamecocks, the final result was the same: a win - and, in the minds of their coach, another step in their progress as a team.

After trailing by 10 in the first half Friday, South Carolina rallied and held on for a 69-66 victory against South Florida. USC moved on to a Sunday matchup against Miami in the Charleston Classic championship.

"I thought this was a terrific win because of how we had to win it," Horn said. "A great response from our players at halftime. ... We talked about being a team, doing the little things and continuing to play with and for each other."

South Florida (3-1) was picked to finish near the bottom of the 16-team Big East, went 9-22 last year and had not had a winning season since 2003.

Last-second goal ends USC's soccer season

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:04 EST

Wake Forest's Jill Hutchinson sprinted to the corner as the second-half clock ticked down in Friday's NCAA third-round tournament game against South Carolina.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6 ...

With the Deacons' lining up for a corner kick in a scoreless match that appeared headed to overtime, Hutchinson quickly placed the ball on the ground and lofted it to the front of USC's net.

5, 4, 3, 2 ...

There, Bess Harrington had positioned herself for a header as the ball hung in the air. And with a flick of her head at the 89:59 mark - one second before the end of regulation - she scored the goal that stunningly ended USC's greatest season before a record women's soccer crowd of 4,347 at Stone Stadium on Friday night.

Norwood among final five on Butkus list

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:29 EST

Three years after arriving at South Carolina as a defensive end, Eric Norwood is among five finalists for the award that goes to the nation's best linebacker.

Norwood, a two-time All-SEC selection, is one of three SEC players among the final five linebackers in contention for the Butkus Award.

The other finalists are Alabama's Rolando McClain, Florida's Brandon Spikes, Texas' Sergia Kindle and Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon.

Norwood, a senior from Acworth, Ga., who was a defensive end his first two seasons at USC, is second in the SEC with seven sacks and is tied for third with 10.5 tackles for loss. He leads the team with two interceptions and has blocked three kicks.

Norwood is No. 1 on USC's career lists for sacks and tackles for loss, and is the SEC's active leader in both categories.

Kentucky sweeps USC volleyball

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10 EST

At Lexington, Ky., South Carolina (14-14, 5-13 SEC) dropped a 3-0 decision (25-13, 25-19, 25-12) to 10th-ranked Kentucky (27-2, 17-1). ...

Clemson (22-8, 12-6 ACC) defeated Virginia Tech (18-11, 8-10), 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 27-25).

- From Staff Reports

Miami coach had brief USC tie

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:55 EST

Miami coach Frank Haith once had a brief association with the USC basketball program.

Haith was one of the first assistants hired by Dave Odom in 2001. But he left after several weeks to join the staff at Texas, where he stayed for three years before accepting the Miami job.

Archie's goal

Dominique Archie's 3-pointer early in the second half also fulfilled an individual goal: It gave the senior forward 1,000 in his college career. Archie became the 41st Gamecock to reach the mark. Teammate Devan Downey did so last year.

Tip-ins

USC wary of Spiller on kickoffs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:48 EST

For a South Carolina team that struggled with its kickoff coverage for much of the season, kicking it to Clemson's C.J. Spiller next week would seem to be the perfect storm.

Spiller, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is the nation's fourth-leading kick returner with a 33.9-yard average and has three returns for touchdowns.

So why even kick it to him?

Gamecocks special teams coordinator Shane Beamer said the other options are not that great, either. Kicking it out of bounds would give Clemson possession at its 40-yard line, increasing the Tigers' chances of scoring.

USC could squib-kick, but Clemson aligns tailback Andre Ellington and receiver Jacoby Ford, a sprinter on the Tigers' track team, in front of Spiller.

USC holds off La Salle

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:10 EST

After three games, two trends are becoming evident about this year's version of the South Carolina basketball team:

It doesn't necessarily need its star to have a huge game, and it has the ability to turn a close game into a runaway.

Both of those were on display in Thursday's 78-68 victory against La Salle in the first round of the Charleston Classic.

Star guard Devan Downey was held to 10 points, and he might have been better off in the second half hanging out with NBA legend Joe Dumars, who was in the crowd to see his son, a freshman for South Florida, whom USC will play tonight.

Instead the Gamecocks were spurred by numerous players during a 30-5 run that started at the end of the first half and gained steam in the second half.

Tigers toe the line in double overtime

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:15 EST

The Clemson women's basketball team worked the free throw line to close out double overtime and hold off South Carolina, 94-92, at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers (2-1) used 21 points from junior Sthefany Thomas and 20 from sophomore Shaniqua Pauldo to win their second game in a row against the Gamecocks (1-1).

"I came into this game telling the girls they needed to play a hard 40 minutes," Clemson coach Cristy McKinney said. "I didn't realize it would turn into a 50-minute game, but the girls rose to the challenge and played hard."

With the Tigers up one, Clemson's April Parker fouled Valeria Nainima with 7.6 seconds remaining in double overtime. Nainima hit the first of two free throws, but the second rimmed out to Clemson's Kirstyn Wright. After a scrum, Wright found Pauldo, who raced down court, launching a 3-point attempt with three seconds on the clock. However, Pauldo was hit by USC's Kesley Bone while she was shooting, sending her to the line in a 92-92 game.

Pauldo missed the first attempt, but drained the second.

USC women's soccer team bonds, wins despite differences

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:51 EST

Following the South Carolina women's soccer team requires more than a roster. An atlas comes in handy, too.

The goalkeeper hails from Ohio. The leading scorer calls Florida home. The co-captain playing midfield is a New Yorker. The four-time All-SEC defender stayed in state. The Rhoades sisters are from Delaware. In all, the 11 starters have converged in Columbia from nine states, with Georgia, Connecticut, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also in the mix.

Survey the 30-player roster, and 15 states - including California and Washington - and one other country, Canada, are represented. As the Gamecocks prepare to play Wake Forest tonight at Stone Stadium in the third round of the NCAA tournament, one thing is as clear as the voice on your GPS:

A national recruiting effort equals national prominence.

"We've always known that," said USC coach Shelley Smith, who scours the nation with her top recruiter, her husband and associate head coach Jamie Smith. "We try to find the best players we can. That's always been our goal."