The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 36

4 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Sun Nrtv I ft1979 IT Pride ACC Title Motivate olfpack 28-7 first Blue Devil team drop to a 2-7- 1 record (0-5 in the ACC) Of course we were very generous The best things we did were in the second half" football title since 1973 "This was something I've wanted for 4 years" said senior center Jim Michel' "To lose today would have been something we'd have to live with for a long time Everybody was trying just a little harder because of that" One who tried a little harder was defensive back Eric Williams A sophomore from Garner Wilhams intercepted 3 times as the Wolfpack defense stole 4 Blue Devils passes and recovered 3 fumbles to frustrate the Duke offense State's offense headed by senior quarterback Scott Smith and running backs Dwight Sullivan and Wayne McLean put 21 points on the scoreboard in the first half McLean a junior from Lit lington scored a touchdown and rushed for 92 yards while Sullivan accounted for 119 rushing yards in 16 carries Smith who scored on keeper l'y WHITEY KELLEY Observer Soores Editor DURHAM Pride wax the mo Ilvation for NC State in Saturday's season-ending victory over Duke assuring what could become a bittersweet ACC championship The once-hot bowl pursuit of the Wolfpack (5-0 in the conference snd 7-4 overall) became cold late Saturday afternoon when the Gator Bowl opted for North Carob0a And NC States best shot at a bowl bid now the Garden State Bowl is frowned upon by some school officials because the game is Dec 15 during exam week at NC State The Wolfpack players however showed no disappointment about the lack of a bowl bid feeling they accomplished what they set out to do at the start of the season: win the ACC championship their first played an outstanding game" Crowd reaction from the Duke side of the field provided a bizarre backdrop to the proceedings The Blue Devils faithful came armed with numerous portable television sets and radios in order to keep up with the Duke-Kentucky basketball game in Springfield Mass Cheers erupted from the stands at the oddest times as the fans listened to basketball and watched foot ball "I thought they were trying to get their defense fired up" Ritcher admitted "I didn't know what they were cheering about It didn't bother us any" A tremendous cheer went up when the overtime basketball game ended in an 82-76 Duke victory State swept 74 yards in 10 plays on its first possession with McLean storming over the right side from the 6 with 9:43 left in the first plays of 2 and II yards upped his season touchdown total to 18 breaking Stan Fritts's record Williams' 3 interceptions also tied a Wolfpack mark held jointly by Art Rooney (1938) and Leslie Palmer (1946) "It was my best game" said Williams who moved into the starting lineup in the North Carolina game "The first two I intercepted weren't thrown that well but the last one was a tight spiral" It seemed as If the third one was headed for a long gain by Duke when Williams at full speed picked the ball off "I didn't even see the receiver I just had my eye on the football Whatever he did Rein liked the was a big effort in a big game" Rein said "Three interceptions and he almost had another one To me his hits (tackles) were as big as his interceptions He just quarter after which Nathan Ritter kicked the first of 4 extra points A 49-yard burst by Sullivan to the Duke 10 set up the second touchdwon with Smith tunneling 2 yards with 13:21 remaining in the second quarter The Pack moved 59 yards in 8 plays after Williams' second interception Smith pierced the right side from the I I for the 210 bulge with 7:05 left before halftime Duke cut the margin to 21-7 when quarterback Stanley Driskell threw a 12yard scoring strike to tight end Joel Patten a minute into the final quarter A Williams Interception at the State 1 started a 99-yard toucdown march all of it on the ground Ricky Adams scored from the 1 with 2:26 left in the game "Too much first half State" said Duke's Red Wilson who saw his State 7 14 0 7 70 Duke 0 0 0 7 i Nme i ccC ssS ssMrc 4211 run a ur nu( net 0tRti ert troitickckikc 12 as from Driskell (McKinney kicl) NCS-4 dams Miller 'uric) A-24100 NC State Duke First downs 21 IS Rusnes-yardS 71-372 42-171 Passing WO Si 55 Return yards 19 5 Passes 5-14-2 4-71-4 Punts 3-36 5-42 Filmbei-lost 4-2 4-3 Penallies-yards 659 4-19 NC STATE Rushing: Smith 21-79 Sullivan 16-119 Canarilt 5- 48 McLean 19-9 Marks 3-18 Passing: Smith 5-10-0 53 yards Johnson 0-4-2 Receiving Quick 44 marks ir(ri) DUNE Rushing: Rhett 7-16 Genet 12-76 Drishen 7-(a 14) Frederick 1-9 Crenshaw 3-1-5) BrOWnn2 I 1-9 Brummitt 1-17 Passing: Drisken 3-18-3 39 yards Clinkscall 03-I Browning 1-1-0 16 12 Rectivin9 Frederick 2-21 Genet 1-22 Patten 1 South Carolina Rolls 35-21 A 16-16 Tie Wake's Mistakes Boost Gal necocks Smith Ends Year I it Upbeat Note out after the first interception giving the Gamecocks a 21-6 lead Following Perlotte's first interception reserve tailback Spencer Clark carried 3 times scoring on a 10-yard run around right end As the fourth period began third-string tailback Percy Reeves went in for a 2-yard touchdown "We had three goals at the start of the season" said South Carolina coach Jim Car len after Hall of 10140 Fame Bowl di- rector RN Fen- :4 nell made the bid official "A bowl game was litar one of them" The others said Carlen were winning 8 --0 iptie games and int- i 1 6 4A proving each '') week South Carolina is 7-3 Carlen with Clemson re 44'4 l'''''- 3V'4t4 '4' 13t :4 c4'-- -I '1' 4'-14' i' -11' V'44-4 A tv k- i 9404 lb 4 4k1 -)' 4 1a 1 0 ilk41 -10oi -4 i --zsoiPast0At" "a -4 f' il4 ii ko) p- 1 N' '4 3tik '4001 s' -'cs 4: At :4:: fi ")1 (v34t kA 4 :::::1::: 1 111 4 ::7" 01 ::::::4 TOT' t'o'' '414v -1 rr-' i A It -IA offe14 4vg'' o- -I :::::1 7 4: i- 1:: i A ii2041a '04 l'i' iiv "1 til 4: K- I4tt 1 ::9: 4 xi'' 't' l' j-- q41'etvi ie i i '''Y -f 4 Irnsi 44' :::4 4 :::0:: 1 -e 42 Ps--ef' 0 1 of4 -e'' -kp: 3 10 -1-5 4 kl 1 Isk i a J00 0 7 3 'iPA t4 By BOB QUINCY Observer Staff Writer COLUMBIA The South Camlina Gamecocks en route to Birmingham's Hall of Fame Bowl kicked frost on the Tangerine Bowl by decisively beating Wake Forest 35-14 Saturday The Gamecocks converted 4 Wake Forest mistakes into as many touchdowns in a 10minute period in the second half embarrassing the ACC team before 54407 Wake Forest agreed to a Tangerine Bowl bid prior to the game and a host of representatives from Orlando watched one of Wake's two poor performances this season The other also was in South Carolina at Clemson (31- 0) "We played poorly and we regret it" said Wake Forest coach John Mackovic "I went over the game in the dressing room with our players Then we accepted the bid to go to Orlando We were thrilled and we are enjoying the offer There is nothing we can do about the South Carolina game" The early going amounted to a stalemate with South Carolina leading 7-6 at halftime and neither team dominating Wake Forest made the first of 4 third period blunders shortly after halftime and South Carolina wasted no time taking advantage After South Carolina cornerback Pat Bowen recovered Albert Kirby's fumble at the Gamecocks' 26 South Carolina drove to the 27 On the next play quarterback Garry Harper connected with Zion McKinney for a 27-yard touchdown pass After Eddie Leopard's kick the Gamecocks led 14-6 Desperate to get back into the game Wake Forest quarterback Jay Venuto followed with 3 wild passes all were intercepted and converted into touchdowns "South Carolina's defensive team played well" said Venuto "but our mistakes gave it to them I take the blame for the interceptions Two were overthrown" Linebacker Scott Wade grabbed the first errant pass while free safety Robert Perlotte picked off the next 2 and made returns of 21 and 32 yards Tailback George Rogers who had 104 yards in 18 carries and remained as the nation's second-leading rusher scored from 2 yards Charlotte High with a 15-yard touchdown pass Then Jesse Butts's fumble recovery set up Gill again at the Trojans' 20 with 11:28 left in the game A holding penalty Immediately took the Bulls out of field goal range and to the fewer than 1000 fans at Memorial Stadium It looked like the same old story They had seen Smith flirt with respectability before only to wind up losing Then a pass Interference penalty gave Smith first down on Virginia State's 9 Three plays later wide re- ceiver Nate McDowell dived for vi Gill's slightly low pass In the end 7 zone and caught it for a touch- down Ray Patterson's extra-point kick was blocked so Smith led 13-10 The blocked attempt didn't look important then but when the Trojans' George Leonard ran 37 yards for a touchdown just a minute later and Virginia State's extra-point attempt failed Smith's missed point loomed larger The Trojans (6-4-1) still might have escaped with a 16-13 victory had they punted on fourth-and- inches at their 40 with 3:29 left But Colder tried the left side was stopped for a slight loss and 6 plays later Patterson boomed a 42- yard field goal Patterson a junior had a wind-aided 42-yarder 2 weeks ago In Smith's 14-10 homecoming loss to NC Central Saturday's game tying effort was kicked with no wind it cleared the uprights with 10 yards to spare then bounced around the empty end zone seats while Smith players celebrated Virginia State 7 3 0 6-16 Johnson Smith 0 0 7 9-16 2 run (Knight kick) 30 field goal IS an from GHI (Patterson kick) nen from Gill (kick talied) 37 run (kick failed) 42 field goal Virginia State JC smith First downs I i 10 Rushing yards 202 106 Passing yards 69 87 Passes 3-20-2 9-24-2 Punts 5-354 8-361 Fumbles-lost 4-4 2-2 Penalties-vardS 5-S5 7-65 VIRGINIA STATE Rushing! Leonard 21-135 Whitaker 9-32 Felton 3-I9 Coiden 11-19 Bradford 1-0 Banks 1(-3) POSSing: Colden 3-20-2 69 yards Receiving: Pierce 2-53 Brown 1-16 JOHNSON SMITH Rushing: Steele 17-47 Sanders 14-32 Gill 1-27 Thomas 5-2 Jones I1-21 Passing: Jones 0-3-1 Thomas 2-4-0 11 yards Gill 7-17-1 69 yards Receiving: McDowell 3-27 McNeely 2-25 Senders 1-22 Hopkins 1-12 Steele 1-6 Goss 1-1-5) i itoo: By LES BOWEN Observer Staff Writer It wasn't a victory Not if you want to be technical But Johnson Smith's Golden Bulls didn't want to be technical After a 1-9-1 season they wanted to get on the bus smiling with dignity So after Saturday's 16-16 season-ending tie with Virginia State at Memorial Stadium there were no frowns In the Smith locker room no grumping about kissing one's sister "It's a good feeling to at least know we could play some football" senior defensive tackle Al Wring said afterward Wring led a Smith defense that recovered 4 fumbles intercepted 2 passes harassed Virginia State quarterback Tony Co 'den into a 3- for-20 passing day and stopped the Trojans on fourth-and-inches on Virginia State's 40 with 329 left But Wring with 6 solo tackles and 10 assists found it hard to concentrate on football Saturday Last Sunday his brother 17-yearold James Wring was hit by a car and killed in Delray Beach Fla James 1 of 10 children was buried at 1 pm Saturday while Al was warming up for his final collegiate game "I blanked my brother out" Al said afterward "I knew James would want me to come back up and perform" Wring performed well And so did a host of other Smith defenders But the big news was Smith's off ense It looked 'as lethargic and ineffective as ever through the first 2 quarters as the Bulls went into halftime trailing 10-0 In the second half however Junior flanker Cal Gill took over at quarterback Gill a sometimes-starting quarterback his first 2 seasons requested the move to flanker last spring Ile prefers catching passes to throwing them But Eddie Jones had a hand Injury John Henry Thomas a bad leg and neither was moving the team So Smith coach Wylie Harris went with Gill Smith freshman defensive lineman John Westmoreland from Garinger High set up the offense with a fumble recovery on Virginia State's 16 Two plays later Gill hit freshman tight end Ed McNeely from West maining Wake Forest once behind performed poorly against the Gamecocks as the Deacs ended the regular season 8-3 "South Carolina is due credit" said Mackovic "We didn't play vell and the interceptions hurt You have to judge a team on its season-long performance and not just one game We will be ready to play in the Tangerine Bowl" Top performers for Wake were tailback James McDougald (122 yards in 20 carries) and split end Wayne Bumgardner (8 receptions for 122 yards) Rogers who entered the game with 2971 rushing yards now has 3075 for his career a team record and an average of 56 per try "We felt our rushing game would go against Wake Forest but we also knew we'd have to pass occasionally when they overplayed the run" said South Carolina quarterback Garry Harper Harper's 12-yard pass to McKinney in the second period capped an 84-yard drive Eddie Leopard's extra point made it 7-0 Wake came back to score just before halftime when Venuto connected 18 yards with tight end Mike Mullen Frank Harnish's kick was wide left Wake's also scored on a 2-yard Venuto-to-Bumgardner pass with 29 seconds left Observer Pho Io By BILL BILLINGS Smith's Arthur Russell Finds A Ilandle he grabs face mask of Trojans' Tony Golden Tar Heels Win Get Surprise 'Upper' Wake Forest 0 0 14 South Carolina 0 21 12 pass from Harper (Leopard kick) 10 Dos from Venuto (kick failed) 27 pass from Harper (Leonard kick) 2 run (Leonard kick) 10 run (Leopard kick) 2 run (Leonard kick) 2 pass from Venul0 (Mullen pass from Venuto) A-56407 North Carolina 0 3 10 0 13 Virginia 0 0 0 7 7 Hayes 47 pass from Kupec (Hayes kick) Hayes 45 70 Pass from Kirtley (Morrison kick) A-31472 NCarolina Virginia First downs 14 10 Rushes-Yards 75-246 39135 Passing yards 17 135 Return yards 38 94 Passes 2-7-2 4-74-4 Punts 8-45 9-41 Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1 Penalties-yards 6-82 7-65 1 044' if '4 l't irtzl' i 74by tl: 0 -04 :440 I -1-'''''''ii1 '7' '4 'k4'- 7' 44 'It: 1 4'' 4 l' 1 04:4441:: rg 4) 4 r- '5' ft' 4 11 11:4 11- l''' 4 i (t-- 114Ilj'' 4 4 144641 Forest 7 LC41'01127 33-189 $8-315 165 76 4 103 15-27-3 9-0 5-45 3-34 2-1 2-1 6-45 4-33 Ftrst downs Rushes-vards Passing yards Return yards Posses Punts Fumbles-lost Penalties-yargS Continued from Page IR who had 13 tackles and an Interception and caused a fumble Added Crum: "The defense was the key They saved the game for us" North Carolina's offense? It beat Virginia but nothing more Given a first-and-goal opportunity from Virginia's 8 in the second quarter the Tar Heels failed to score They suffered 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles giving them 14 turnovers in the last 4 weeks And they emerged' from this game a victory mind you with a disconcerting difference of opinion between their head coach and No 1 quarterback Matt Kupec was the starting quarterback Early In the third quarter he threw an 8-yard touch down pass to Mike Chatham that gave the Tar Heels a 10-0 lead and Kupec an ACC record-tying 17th scoring pass of the season Nonetheless Kupec was bitter after the game And what provoked him was his removal in the first quarter when sophomore Chuck Sharpe took over to guide North Carolina to a 3-0 halftime advantage on Jeff Hayes's 47-yard field goal "I feel humiliated" said Kupec "I know we haven't been scoring that many points hut I feel like I'm being made the scapegoat I feel he (Crum) spit in my face" "The first two series we didn't move the ball so we put Chuck in" said Crum "This is something we planned to do Matt knew that" Countered 1upec: "We put in option plays for Chuck to run and then we didn't call 'etn Our offense is so stinking conservative You can't throw the ball 6 times and expect to score I blame it on play calling" Who calls the plays? Kupec was asked "The coaches" he replied Kupec frowned "This is definitely the low point of my life" he said Ironic For this day surely was the highlight of North Carolina's season Unexpectedly so NORTH CAROLINA Rushing: Kupec 3-(-10) JOhnSOn 19-Re Pavhat 14-46 Lawrence 30-123 Sharpe 6-0 Sturdivant 2- 3 Bryant 1-1-51 14-2 Yards Sharpe 12-0 Receiving: Chatham 2-17 WAKE FOREST Rushing: Kirby 5-35 McDougaid 20-126 Venuto 7-30 Johnson 1-2 Passing: Venuto 77-15-3 165 yards Receiving: Bumgardner S177 Muiien 3-29 MeDougaid 3-9 Cunningham 1-5 VIRG1N1A Rushing: Kirt ley 1-2 Vigoritn 15-5d Taylor 27 Grier 1-2 Whitehead 4-1-11 Manly 3-1 Walker Si Passing: Kiri ley 3-6-2 108 yards Whitehead 1- 5-1 27 Taylor 0-1-1 0 Manly 0-2-0 Receiving: Grier 1-20 Newhall I-18 Marchibrocla 1-27 Taylor 1-70 SOUTH CAROLINA Rushing: Rogers 1S-104 Horner 4-7 Dorsey 34 Clark 17-109 Reeves 12-55 Beckham 1-4 Kondtiorski 1-2 Passing: Harper 6-9-0 76 yards Receiving: McKinney 4-63 Roger 1-11 Scott 1-5 3litit Kure upset with Grunt And You Can Bet On It Sheridan Finds The Winners nob Quincy r1 g4 4'64' 1 c1 ft- iy "1-74z til 74'i'''It'' 'Ike 4444 He gets the most nut of each player Florida State should be in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama" Sheridan has advice for casual bettors: Stay away from the teams you know best "You can pick more winners when they're out of your area" he says "Get too close to a team and you can't be objective "A game I figured was a sure lock last week was Tennessee against Notre Dame Tennessee had lost to Rutgers They were looking ahead Tennessee was an underdog to the Irish Tennessee had the home field Now watch Tennessee lose to Ole Miss They always do" Sure enough the Volunteers fell 4 20 Saturday afternoon to the Rebels Sheridan's clients come in all shapes and forms Some are astute businessmen who enjoy wagers Others are in show busi ness "They're Intelligent people" he says "until it comes to making a football bet They get all emotional I tell them to relax Let me handle it" Sheridan has a good business He can't lose When the sports world gets dull a ring to Danny Sheridan in Mobile Ala brightens the day When Sheridan adviser extraordinaire talks he gets more listeners than LI Hutton Sheridan's business is picking football winners which he does with uncanny regularity It is 'an occupation in which each syndicate bugles itself as the best with garish advertisements hinting a sub scription is a sure path to riches Sheridan who has made numerous national television appearances (including NBC's Tomorrow Show) sneers at most competitors Ile claims no occult powers There are times when he jestingly refers to himself as a garbage man "I've been sending out so many picks featuring garbage teams my subscribers sometimes can't believe I'm serious until the game is played" he says Some call it gut feeling others categorize It as hunch betting but Sheridan loves the underdog He relishes bucking favored teams "Football is a game of emotion" said Sheridan a fast talker who recites num bers and outcomes of games from the past as if they were played this morning "It was that way 50 years ago and nothing has changed" Sheridan adheres to the "elephant syndrome" Under that theory a team thrashed unmercifully by a rival this year will remember it next season with dynamite if necessary "Watch it in the pros as well as In college" he advises "None of those guys forget the past They wait for the opportunity to get revenge It's Important to note those situations "The home field Is vitally Important Why would a team like Oakland he 5-0 at home and get killed on the road? The home field is familiar and fans get them (Oakland) 'up' by appeal to their pride" No one can convince Sheridan there is parity In professional football "There are 8 or 10 teams that will always make the playoffs" he says "When the NFL schedule was increased from 14 to 16 games It paved the way for more upsets "Those better-than-average teams who know they'll make the playoffs play like ''Remember last season when Dallas got off to a poor start (4-4) They suddenly see they may not make the playoffs and they play brilliantly in late season" Sheridan's customers pay $300 and more for his printed tips which they re ceive in good time to wager Sheridan says it is a cheap price for good information Monday night's NFL game Is the grand dame of football betting "I'd guess more money Is bet on Monday than over the entire weekend" says Sheridan "Not in terms of people but in terms of volume A man who bets $100 on Saturday and Sunday might go $1000 on Monday It's a had game for the bettor He will see it and he tries to figure too hard When a bettor gets involved with his own knowledge he is in trouble" Prognosticators normally have little regard for the human side of picking winners Yet Sheridan admits he Is In love The team is Florida State "It's the best college team in the coon try" said Sheridan prior to the unbeaten and fifth-ranked Seminoles ripped Memphis 66-17 Saturday "I love the coach jerks several times each year" he says "Hey they don't care They're almost assured the extra game or games "Take Pittshurgh a team that appears to be the INIF1's hest right now They get pounded by Cincinnati (34-10) It was at Cincinnati The Bengals don't belong on the same field Pittsburgh was goofing off" Sheridan's underdog special last year was Buffalo The Bills beat the point spread 12 of 16 times The "point spread" is the key to Sheridan's line of work Bookmakers give underdog teams points The favorite then must not only win but win by more than the spread "Dallas is a lousy team when it comes to beating the spread" says Sheridan.