The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 45

The 2 State November Sports Section Sunday, 28, 1982 S.C. State's Stout Defense Manhandles Furman 17-0 Related story, 4-D By HERMAN HELMS Executive Sports Editor GREENVILLE An awesome South Carolina State defense choked the life out of a respected Furman offense as the Bulldogs mauled the Paladins 17-0 in a first round NCAA Division I-AA playoff game Saturday at Paladin Stadium. The final numbers on the scoreboard did not indicate the difference in a game that was expected to be a cliffhanger. Consider these statistics: Furman crossed midfield only twice, the final penetration coming in the final minute of play. State, on the other hand, invaded Furman territory 10 times.

State fullback Anthony Reed personally out-rushed the Furman team, which had averaged 256.6 yards on the ground in 11 regular season contests. The bullish Reed stormed for 87 yards, while the entire Paladin offensive unit collected just 84 yards against those healthy young men on State's impressive defensive team. In other words, the Larry HolmesTex Cobb fight was not the only onesided sports event of this Thanksgiving weekend. A crowd of 13,865 eyewitnesses at Paladin Stadium on a gray late November day can testify to that fact. THE MIGHTY State defense not only shut off the Paladins on the attack, but had: a big hand in the points the Bulldogs put on the board.

The State defense stripped Furman's Steve Bennett of the football, and end Dwayne Jackson's recovery of the fumble at the Paladin 27-yard line set the stage for the Bulldogs' first touchdown. Halfback Mitchell Graves, a senior with a fast motor, sped around left end for the score from two yards out with just nine seconds left in the first half. Linebacker Alan Neal picked off a pass by Furman quarterback David Charpia and returned 58 yards for the Bulldogs' second touchdown early in the third period. That ever-reliable State defense Bulldogs Flexed Muscles By ROBERT ANDERSON State Sports Writer GREENVILLE Oliva Newton-John's hit Let's Get Physical should be the South Carolina State football team's rallying cry. The Bulldogs "out-physicalled" Furman in capturing a 17-0 triumph in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs Saturday afternoon.

Bulldog coach Bill Davis said it was his team's physical edge that was difference in the game. "We did what we had to do," said an elated Davis. "We knew we had to play good defense and control the line of scrimmage. "The determining factor was that we were able to get on the corners. We knew that if we could get on the corners we could get the ball going up field.

We didn't run a lot of options because we didn't have to. "After we started stringing them outside we went back inside. We've got 260, 250 and 245 in the middle, and when they are leaning on people 220 pounds a lot it will get you tired. I think that was the thing on offense." DAVIS PRAISED his defense and said they played a "flawless game." defense, we got our linebackers into the pass defense," he pointed out. "We covered all lanes on pass defense.

They got some passes, but they didn't nickle-and-dime us to death. "I thought our front line played the run well. We gave up some yardage but it wasn't the kind that was going to kill us. We knew that with that type of run they couldn't make it all the way down the field on us." Davis said that this win will rank right up there with some of State's best. But he pointed out that it might not have been one of the team's best efforts.

"It was great win for us," Davis said. "We've come a long way. We started slow and a lot of people counted us out. But I think we played better against Florida and Bethune-Cookman and we played good aginst Eastern Kentucky, except for the kicking game. "But I guess Furman would match with an Eastern Kentucky or a Florida Furman does a lot things that worried us, such as influence blocking.

And they block real S.C.St. Furman First downs 20 17 Rushes-yards 58-192 36-84 Passing 61 167 Return yards 100 0 Passes 16-5-1 29-15-2 Punts Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-3 Penalties-yards 6-30 6-53 Time of possession 34:29 25:31 S.C. State 0 3-17 Furman 0- 011 SCS-Graves 2 run (Gardner kick) -Neal 58 interception return (Gardner kick) SCS-FG Gardner 30 A handcuffed the desperate Paladins and took over on downs at the Furman 30 to set up a 30-yard field goal by Al Gardner which closed out the scoring with 1:32 left. The win sends Bill Davis' Bulldogs against Louisiana Tech in a second round game at Rustin, La. Saturday night.

Tech drew a first round bye. Both of Furman's journeys past midfield turned into nightmarish experiences. The Paladins' first penetration carried to the State 41 in the early moments of the second half. From there, Charpia fired the pass which wound up in Neal's hands, resulting in a 58-yard return and the Bulldogs' second TD. TIME WAS running out when Furman nudged to the State 25.

De- fensive back Barney Bussey intercepted a Charpia pass at the 20 and returned to the Furman 47 as time ran out. "I felt our coaches did a super job of getting our team ready to play," declared State coach Davis. "The late first half touchdown was a confidence-builder, but the real backbreaker was Alan Neal's interception for our second touchdown. "Overall, we played a really good game. This performance would compare with our game against Eastern Kentucky, except for breakdowns in the kicking game against Eastern." Davis termed Saturday's win "the most satisfying one since I've been head coach at State." "State was the best football team today," conceded Furman coach Dick Sheridan.

"We wish them well. I hope they win the national championship. "They have, as we knew, a great defensive team and they really shut us admitted Sheridan. Preparing to fire Furman's Robert Anders (82) well. You don't know how to read pass because the linemen are coming out.

But we made some adjustments and felt good coming into the game. "Furman has an outstanding football team; it's just a shame that somebody had to lose. But I'm happy that we were on the winning end." LINEBACKER ALAN Neal, who intercepted a pass and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown, said it "was a long time "It was my first touchdown," Neal said. "I guess I saved the best for last, since it looked like I might not ever score one." Neal said that one of his teammates picked up something the Furman tight end was doing and, when it happened, he pointed it out. "He yelled 'there he goes' and I 8g to elude grasp of Furman's Steve Mazur (64).

second leading rusher with 56 yards in 20 carries, scored from the two on second down, and Gardner kicked point for a 7-0 State lead with nine seconds left before intermission. Furman drove from its 20 to the State 41 early in the third quarter before Neal picked off Charpia's pass and returned 58 yards for the second Maxie State Striving to escape: Bulldogs' Mitchell Graves attempts Furman turned the football over five times, three times on fumbles and twice on pass interceptions. "That's more mistakes than we're accustomed to making," noted Sheridan, adding that "the State defense might have had something to do with it." Sheridan called State "a very physical team with great athletes. They're impressive." STATE NEEDED just six plays and 45 seconds to move 27 yards for its first touchdown following Jackson's recovery of Bennett's fumble. Graves, who was the Bulldogs' BE Maxie State (82) finds his path blocked as State's Desmond Gatson unloads pass.

just stepped in front of him," Neal said. Neal echoed what all the Bulldogs were saying that State could "outphysical" Furman. "Coach Davis told us all week long that if we came out and played physical football, they couldn't stay in the ballpark with us," Neal said. "We did that both offensively and defensively." Bulldog fullback Anthony Reed, who led State in rushing with 87 yards on 17 carries, felt his team wasted too many opportunties in the first half. "I was worried that we didn't score earlier," Reed said.

"We had a lot of opportunties in the first half, but we couldn't get the ball in the end zone. "But we never lost our confidence, Bulldog TD. Gardner kicked point for a 14-0 lead with 10:56 left in the third period. State surged from its 49 to the Furman 17 late in the third quarter where the drive stalled and Gardner kicked wide to the left on a 35-yard (See BULLDOGS, 3-D, Col. 1) Holmes Sparks Gamecocks To Opening Victory A because we were controlling the game.

When we scored there at the end the half it was a big boost to us and we knew that we could come out in the second half and put them away." Quarterback Desmond Gatson also said the score gave the team a lift. "That score was the key," Gatson said. "We knew we could move the ball on them. From watching the films there was no doubt that we could control the line of scrimmage. "We found as the game wore on that we could also pass on them.

But the first touchdown was the difference. We should have scored at least two or three times in the first half. That touchdown picked us up in the second half." By BOB COLE Assistant Sports Editor They call Kenny Holmes "Mr. Offense" over at the University of South Carolina basketball office. Saturday, he proved it's no misnomer.

Holmes, who has established himself as something of a basketball "relief ace," came off the bench Saturday night in USC's 1982-83 season opener and produced like a Bruce Sutter or a Rollie Fingers. In 24 minutes of playing time, the junior from Savannah, connected on nine of 10 floor shots in leading the Gamecocks to a surprisingly easy 86-68 triumph over Armstrong State, also from Savannah. A Frank McGuire Arena crowd of 6,358 watched as coach Bill Foster's third USC squad showed a combination of inside strength, crisp passing and outside shooting touch in building a 17-point halftime lead and coasting down the stretch with reserves not including Holmes finishing up the final five minutes. It was a solid performance against an NAIA team that had won its first four games but lacked the overall inside strength and depth to contend with the Gamecocks. Holmes, who averaged 9.3 points a game last season, mostly in a relief role, has earned a reputation for being able to come off the bench and get points in a hurry.

He did it again Saturday night, hitting six of seven shots in the opening stanza when the Gamecocks left little doubt who would be the winner ARMSTRONG MP FG Smith 40 16-22 Kukelhan 28 4-8 Kruss 28 1-3 Blastick 40 3-10 Bagley 40 2-12 Madden 24 3-5 Team Totals 200 29-60 SOUTH MP FG Foster 24 4-5 Jergenson 17 1-4 Kendall 17 3-6 Peacock 26 2-5 Martin 28 6-9 Holmes 23 9-10 Darmody 11 1-2 Brittain 16 6-11 Hwthrne 14 1-6 Sanderson 14 1-2 Small 0-2 Thompson 0-1 Troutman 16 2-2 Totals 200 36-65 STATE (68) FT Rb Pts 6-8 9 38 0-0 0 0-0 2-2 00 1-2 1-3 40 MOnTEN 10-15 30 13 18 68 CAROLINA (86) FT Rb Pts 1-2 5 0-0 3 2-3 00 0-0 3-4 15 0-0 18 4-6 0-0 0-0 2-2 0-0 2-4 0 SAONO: 26 18 00-N 86 14-21 Armstrong State 22 46 68 South Carolina 39 86 Turnovers: Armstrong State 22; South Carolina 13. Officials: Wirtz, Russell, Jag. Attendance: 6,358.. and providing Foster with hope that better things await his club than last season's 14-15 record. "I really felt comfortable out there tonight," said Holmes, a 6-5 junior.

"I'm satisfied with the role coach Foster has given me; I like coming off the bench and providing some scoring spark. "Most of what I got was from the baseline and the corner, and that's where I feel most comfortable. They packed it back inside and the shot was open. When that happens, I feel pretty (See MARTIN, 11-D, Col. 4) Clemson Playing Late Clemson's globe- team had to wait even longer before athletic teams engaged in games taking on Vanderbilt in the final that began very late Saturday night game of the Alakasa Shootout in and missed The State's editions.

Anchorage. The Tigers' football team met Coach Bill Foster's club colAtlantic Coast Conference foe Wake lected an overtime victory over. Forest in the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo. Texas in the first round and Should Clemson win, the Tigers win went into a 2 a.m. start this morning the ACC football championship.

for the Vanderbilt contest. Game time was 11:30 Saturday Complete details of both games night. will be run in Monday's editions of Meanwhile, the Tiger basketball The State..