The State du lieu suivant : Columbia, South Carolina • 31

The EState Sports Columbia, South Sunday, Sept. 17, 1989 HERMAN HELMS Sports Columnist Harris foreshadows long days for USC MORGANTOWN, W.Va. West Virginia University lost a lot of football players off its unbeaten (regular-season) football team of a year ago. Unfortunately, for the University of South Carolina and other opponents on the 1989 schedule, Major Harris was not one of them. Harris, West Virginia's gifted junior quarterback and a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, was very much a presence Saturday at Mountaineer Field.

He ran a little. He passed a lot. When coach Don Nehlen removed him from the game in the fourth quarter out of pity for the Gamecocks, the busybody from Pittsburgh had run for one touchdown, passed for three and accounted for 296 yards in total offense. Harris is a headache for the best of defenses. He is a holy terror to a unit having the kind of problems South Carolina's is experiencing.

Harris' heroics played a huge role as 12th-ranked West Virginia wasted the Gamecocks 45-21. It can be said with more than a trifle of truth that the Gamecocks were in this game for 16 seconds. That was all the time it took the Mountaineers to score their second touchdown and take control after USC had tied the score at 7 in the second quarter. Naturally, Harris was the main man in the spectacular counterpunch that, for all practical purposes, put the Gamecocks on the canvas to stay. Don't be misled by the final score.

The Mounties surged to a 38-7 advantage before USC came to life on Todd Ellis' passing and registered its last two touchdowns against West Virginia subs. Long pass sealed verdict The contest was really history after Harris, on a faked reverse, rolled right and fired a long pass to wide receiver Greg Dykes, who caught the ball with no USC defender within shouting distance of him and sped into the end zone, completing a play of 51 yards. It was not the only time during the mismatch that a Mountaineers receiver got lost from the confused USC secondary. Reggie Rembert had time to place a long distance call to the folks at home before catching a twoyard flip from Harris in a corner of the end zone for a third-quarter score. Which brings us to a disturbing question.

Are the problems the Gamecocks show on defense, particularly against the pass, incurable? West Virginia rolled up 589 yards in offense, 258 of them passing. The Gamecocks have yielded a mere 1,398 yards to three opponents. Where are the Rambos and John Waynes, the fearless headhunters that all successful defensive teams must have? Touchdowns came easy The modest Harris would say afterward that it was not his intention to pick on the Gamecocks through the air. But when he tried it and found it so easy, he wasn't fool enough to put his gun in the holster. He was too nice to say it in those words.

His version was, "We simply took what they gave us." Harris says he has no preference when it comes to handling the football. He doesn't get any more thrill out of throwing it than running it. "I just like to put it in the end zone, and passing turned out to be our best bet." He said the faked reverse and delivery to Dykes and the short flip to a wide-open Rembert were cases of "catching them off guard. I wish all touchdowns came like that in all games." The Rembert play was supposed to be a run, he explained, but when Reggie got free, the choice was to zip the ball to him. Rembert will never make an easier catch, although Harris joked that "he made a great diving grab." After taking his place in the end zone, Rembert turned and patiently waited for Harris' throw.

You can bet that play won't make South Carolina's highlight film. Incidentally, Harris and Rembert are the only returning offensive starters from last year's squad. The Gamecocks, 1-1-1, have experienced it all the joy of a victory over Duke, the blah feeling from a tie with Virginia Tech, the pain of being hammered by West Virginia. Unless some terrible weaknesses on defense can be corrected, there will be more sad Saturdays than pleasant ones in Columbia this fall. USC absorbs Major-league lashing 45-21 By DAVID NEWTON Sports Writer EVANS Tim The State Major Harris (9) hurdles USC's Stephane Williams for a touchdown.

Tigers use defense, lightning bolts to rip Tech MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Welcome to "Major" college football, Sparky Woods. Major Harris football, that is. West Virginia University's Heisman Trophy candidate 12 way passed to 296 and yards danced Satur- his AP RANKING day University afternoon of to South hand Caro- the lina coach his first Division I-A loss, 45-21 in front of 66,015 fans at Mountaineer Stadium. In slightly more than three quarters, Harris completed 17 of 20 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns.

He also rushed 11 times for 57 yards. "Major Harris is certainly everything that was ever said about him," Woods said. "He's a great player. I'm not disappointed in any of our kids because he made some great plays. He does that against anybody he sees.

"The thing that disappoints me is when we break down and don't give ourselves a chance." Most of those breakdowns came in the first half when Harris did most of his damage. He totaled 221 yards as the 12th-ranked Mountaineers, 3-0, built a 24-7 advantage en route to their 14th consecutive regular-season victory. The breakdown that bothered Woods most came 16 seconds after the Gamecocks, 1-1-1, had tied the score at 7 with 13:14 left in the half. Harris faked to his tailback, faked again to wide receiver Reggie Rembert on a reverse, then rolled right and passed to a wide-open Greg USC vs. West Virginia USC WVU First downs 29 5-yards 30-82 58-331 Passing 256 258 Return Yards 56 Comp-Att 21-40-2 18-24-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-3 Penalties- yards 6-32 7-50 Time of poss.

29:27 30:33 South Carolina West Virginia 9 7 NO 14 -45 WVU Rembert 10 pass from Harris (Carroll kick) USC Brooks 7 pass from Ellis (Mackie kick) WVU Dykes 51 pass from Harris (Carroll kick) WVU Harris 3 (Carroll kick) WVU FG Carroll run, WVU Rembert 3 pass from Harris (Carroll kick) USC Brooks 25 pass from Ellis WVU Hayes 3 run (Carroll kick) (Mackie kick) Miller 21 pass from Ellis (Mackie kick) WVU Hayes 26 run (Carroll kick) A 66,015. Dykes for a 51-yard touchdown. Dykes finished with five receptions for 128 yards. "An example of what we were talking about," Woods said. "We were in man coverage and a guy (right cornerback Erik Anderson) decided to leave his man and tackle the guy on the reverse.

"In man coverage, if you've got a man, you run chase the man. He was trying to make a play, but he didn't do like he was taught and we ended up losing a touchdown that put us See USC, 8-C By JIM Sports Writer It wasn't likely won't 7 AP RANKING McLAURIN BLACKSBURG, Va. especially pretty, and it kick the seventh-ranked Clemson University football team further upstairs next week, but Tigers coach Danny Ford didn't snub his team's 20- 7 victory over Virginia Tech Saturday night. "Basically, we're just glad to win," Ford said. "I would have taken a one-point win before the game.

Whatever it was tonight, I'll take that." Take it, they had to. Virginia Tech wasn't handing anything over without a battle. The Tigers, 3-0, won the in-fighting, then showed Virginia Tech, 1-1-1, they could swap haymakers with anyone. Clemson slugged it out with their workmanlike rushing game in the first half against a game Virginia Tech defense, then sandwiched a pair of lightning-bolt touchdowns around the Hokies' only score in the last 34 seconds of the third quarter. Clemson, taking advantage of a Tech fumble late in the first period, scored on a short four-play, 24-yard drive to take the lead.

For all practical purposes, the Tigers were never threatened. Clemson vs. Virginia Tech Clemson VT First downs 13 12 Rushes-yards 55-202 28-83 Yards passing 88 160 Return Yards 133 10 Comp-Att-Int 8-3-0 42-18-3 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-2 Punts Penalties-yards 4-19 3-35 Possession time 33:25 26:35 Clemson 17 0 -27 Virginia Tech NO 0 7 0 7 Clem Allen 16 run (Gardocki kick) Clem FG Gardocki 40 Clem FG Gardocki 37 Clem Cooper 66 pass from Allen (Gardocki kick) Tech Mickel 90 kickoff return (Thomas kick) Clem Kirkland 47 interception return (Gardocki kick) Clem Mauney recovered blocked punt in -8 end (Gardocki kick) A 47,152 Tailback Terry Allen, who rushed for 74 yards, capped that scoring drive with a 15-yard jaunt. Allen entered the game needing 26 yards to pass Chuck McSwain: as Clemson's No. 4 all-time rusher.

He got that in the opening period, but finished 19 yards short of fullback Wesley McFadden's total. Clemson scored again before halftime on a field goal from Chris Gardocki to go ahead 10-0. That would be it, excitement-wise, for the bulk of the game. But the two teams crammed about as much scoring into that final 34 seconds of the third period as you could ask. Allen and wide receiver Gary Cooper began the spree.

After Gardocki put Clemson ahead 13-0 with a 37-yard field goal, Allen took a pitchout around the left side from the Clemson 34 on the Tigers' next play. But he pulled up short, then lofted a bomb to Cooper. Cooper caught it in stride at the 25 and outran Greg Lassiter for a 66-yard touchdown. But the Hokies returned the blow just as quickly. Marcus Mickel took Jon Kubu's kickoff at the 10, got past the first wave of tacklers on the left sideline, then raced the remainder of the 90 yards untouched.

With 21 seconds left in the third quarter, Tech trailed 20-7. The Hokies then may have tried to get back too much, too quick. Scott Fruend recovered his own onside kick to give Virginia Tech the ball at its 45. On the first play from scrimmage, however, Will Furrer could not get his pass over Clemson tackle Otis Moore, who tipped the ball into the hands of linebacker Levon Kirkland. Kirkland See Tigers, 10-C Notre Dame remains No.

1 By DICK SHIPPY Knight-Ridder Newspapers ANN ARBOR, Mich. Unlike the Roadrunner, Raghib Ishmail does not honk as he speeds away from his wolfish pursuers. "Rocket" Raghib just goes "whooosh!" The effect is the same, of course: maddening for those who do the chasing. The Wolverines of UniverAP RANKING sity of Schembechler Michigan chased coach Notre Bo Dame's barely subsonic Ish2 mail seconds for 180 Saturday yards the over Irish 23 jet's two kickoff returns for AP RANKING touchdowns giving Notre Dame a 24-19 victory before 105,912 onlookers in Michigan Stadium. That throng, having watched the Irish take a 7-6 lead into halftime, had barely taken root in the seats again when Ishmail fielded the second-half kickoff at his 12, tore upfield just right of center, broke free from the containment at the 35, cut to the right sideline and whoosh, 14-6.

His 11-second journey was the first time anyone had run back a kickoff for a touchdown against the Wolverines since Jeff State Terry Allen scores on fourth-down play. No. 1 "He's faster than the speed of sound. He may be the best I've ever seen. We couldn't tackle him." Bo Schembechler on Raghib Ishmail Minnesota's Ron Engle did it in the second Eisenhower administration.

All right, October 1957. The Wolverines, whose specialty teams have suffered more breakdowns than the Long Island Railroad while trying to defend against Irish kick returners in recent seasons, had just pulled within 17-12 with 12:58 remaining. When the stadium clock had hit 12:46, it was 24-12. Yeah, that thing went whoosh again. Ishmail took the ensuing kickoff at the eight, blew through a hole at the 25 and was long gone.

Ishmail took a second longer 1 this time, having bumped into one of his blockers when he tore through that gap. Still, he was easing up by the time he hit the Michigan 20. Schembechler may not believe this, but Ishmail may have more whiz in his afterburner than he showed Saturday. "He's faster than the speed of sound," Schembechler said. "He may be the best I've ever seen.

We couldn't tackle him." And so, this battle for No. 1 came down to No. 25 his burning speed behind obliterating Irish blocking that funneled him into the yonder. "We worked very hard on our kickoff returns and special teams play," said Irish coach Lou Holtz while trying to figure out some way to make this victory look a little less than the sensational way it was achieved. "It's just all timing, and it takes 11 guys working together.

We gave Rocket a game ball a and he wanted to give everyone else one, too. "There are a lot of people who are track people who are playing football, but he (Ishmail) is a football player who also runs track." Schembechler, who watched Tim Brown run back two punts for touchdowns in '86, then saw Ricky Watters burn the Wolves for a touchdown return two years ago, said of Ishmail's gallops, "They did us in. I was hoping we wouldn't make so many See Irish, 9-C Associated Press Notre Dame's Ricky Watters cuts loose early against Michigan..