1987 USC Football--The Joe Morrison Show--November 1987

travelled on behalf of the gate of association our officers and executive directors and the people the City of Jacksonville it is a great honor for me tonight to extend to you coach Joe Marcin his fine staff and outstanding football team the new champions of the ACC compa we welcome you and extend to you Marty December 31st [Applause] Bob from the University of South Carolina will be there thank you I guess you could call the 1980s the decade of the Gator for the Gamecocks after a 34 year hiatus this will be Carolina's third Gator Bowl trip in seven years Carolina's first bowl appearance ironically was the very first Gator Bowl that was back in 1949 the Gamecocks took an unimpressive 2 3 and 3 mark into that game and before a capacity crowd of 7000 362 dropped this 26 the 14 decision to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons the Gamecocks second Gator Bowl trip wasn't much better than the first as fourth ranked Pittsburgh blitz the Cox 37 to 9 in the 1980 game this games attraction was the Carolina Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers against Pitts Outland Trophy winner Hugh Greene neither disappointed their fans Rogers carrying the ball 27 times for 113 yards while Hugh green keyed the strong Panther defensive unit with five tackles four were solo efforts the 1984 game had all the thrills any ball game could ask for the Gamecocks coming off of their best season ever and ranked seventh nationally were matched against ninth rated Oklahoma State the Gamecocks turned out to be their own worst enemy this night six Carolina fumbles stopped promising drives and helped the Cowboys build a 13 to nothing halftime lead however the Gamecocks roared back in the third quarter Carolina's first score came on a Quintin Lewis 24 yard pass to Chris Wade then just minutes later the Gamecocks offense was rolling again this time quarterback Mike hold hooked up with wide receiver IRA Hillary for 57 yard pass and run and a 14 to 3 Carolina advantage the Gamecocks however couldn't hold on and eventually drop to 21 the fourteen decision their sixth consecutive Bowl loss Gamecock offensive tackle David point-set remembers the frustration only thing I really remembered about that game outstanding was that last pass and I was completed by rusty Hilger and when the go-ahead touchdown for Oklahoma State and they beat us in in the feeling of accomplishment for the whole season felt like it just went down the drain that last 30 seconds and that wasn't a good feeling you know after that game with with these players coming along now they've never been to a ball game what kind of eyes would you give them well take it as it comes enjoy it you certainly worked hard enough to get there you know all year long I think we've had great help from everywhere from our walk-ons up to our scout teams and the people that haven't played I think they've done just as much in getting us to that Gator Bowl is people that are on the field so I I'd say for them to enjoy it to enjoy their accomplishments you know hope hopefully they'll get to go back but some of them might not go back to another bowl game so enjoy all they can well hello everybody and welcome to our coach Jim Morrison show we've all had at opportunity now to sit back and enjoy the eight and three football season and get ready for the Gator Bowl game which is now very rapidly approaching and it seems like the players have that feeling that they want to get back into it again and break that string of losses in bowl games but coach I know it's coming upon us now and it is kind of a fun time though and well it is but it's also time for some hard work and preparation for getting ready for the bowl game LSU is a fine football team and I think we have a fine football team and we're going to work hard and preparation for the ballgame and I know our young men are looking forward not only practicing but playing in the ball game as well there's something now they've had an eight and three season that's been a good year is there that feeling that this is the year that you really want to break through that you want to break that string well I think this particular ballclub has accomplished so much over the course of this past football season and South Carolina not having a victory in a bowl game I think it would be appropriate really if we were able to go down there and and have the first bowl victory in the school's history because you have so much time at the end of the season from the last game to a bowl game is a difficult to get ready and get everybody back in that metal frame that you need to be in well I think this is something that's going to take place probably a couple weeks prior to the vowel game once we get into our serious preparation for it it's a tough time of year for a young man coming off a couple emotional vowel games going through finals which is of the utmost important and get all that behind them and then start focusing on the Gator Bowl okay the Gator Bowl is coming up week away from us now and we hope that all of you can of course be in Jacksonville to be on hand for that spectacle we've got more to go on our pre Gator Bowl show we're gonna meet a special young man also get a scouting report on the Tigers of LSU when we returned the Jill Morrison show right after this there's a young man that has been very special to University of South Carolina's football program and it certainly meant a lot to the program over the last couple of years and his sterling sharp and the Joe I know something that they had an opportunity to have a special presentation to this young man week or so ago at the banquet well sterling is a very special individual he's over the course of his career has received 163 passes for 2444 yards he's caught a pass in 33 consecutive ballgames he has a degree in business and he's also well on his way towards receiving the second degree and retailing so he's accomplished a great deal not only on the athletic field as well as off and I think sometimes statistics can be misleading it's doing individuals worth to a football team I think his practice habits is attendance and concentration intensity and in the meetings and just his knowledge of the game and people learn from watching sterling perform out there on the practice field as well as in the ball game and it's really with a great deal of pleasure that dr. Haldeman and Bob Markham and the University of South Carolina and as well as the coaching staff retired number two and that is a great honor and it's one that he's going to be with him the rest of his life and no one can ever take that away from it that's got to be a great great feeling story as you come down the stretch now with one more game to go in your career what kind of thoughts go through well it was a wonderful career first of all and had a lot of fun you're gonna chance to meet a lot of quality people and the coach being open honest and fair with each and every one of us and really making us grow up to be the type individuals that we want to be and really going out and working hard in the practice field and I think doing everything right the first time is something that I'll always that'll always be with me and I just - pleasure playing with a group of guys that didn't really care about getting the glory but did everything that they could so the shot could receive some of that where's number to go now well hopefully gets a chance to play in the NFL and hope everything works out well for me and it's just a spinning up and up career so I don't think anything can really put a damper on that well there's a number you can't call next year coach well that's fine this is just the fourth number that's been retired and I think this is a very deserving one okay sterling sharp certainly very very deserving he's got one more team to look at though and that's the Tigers of LSU and the Tigers of LSU are coming up in the Gator Bowl here's an opportunity to take a look at that Club the LSU Tigers will roar into the Gator Bowl for the first time ever on New Year's Eve but the Tigers do have a rich but not all that successful Bowl history the Gator Bowl represents LSU's 27th bowl appearance their Bowl record is 1015 and one the Tigers have lost their last four postseason games and eight of their last nine so like the Gamecocks the times want a victory after a third straight nine wins season LSU brings the nation's seventh ranked team to Jacksonville the Tigers are guided by first-year head coach Mike Archer at age 34 the youngest head coach in Division one play Archer was no stranger to LSU talent he was defensive coordinator under bill arns Barker for three seasons Mike archers team is among the best in the nation throwing the football but Archer says success comes from running the ball effectively when opponents know you're going to run it and run it effectively they do averaging over 208 yards per game over five yards per carry and scoring 24 rushing touchdowns their tailback tandem of Harvey Williams and Sam Martin named as the second best running back tandem in the nation by the Sporting News unfortunately for LSU only half of that tandem will be available for the Gator Bowl leading rusher harvey williams strong fleet-footed sophomore went down with a serious knee injury in the Tigers final game against Tulane his final carry a 7 yard gain put him over 1,000 yards for the season Williams scored eat 11 rushing touchdowns in the Gator Bowl most of the rushing load will fall on 511 175 pounds senior Sam Martin well not as powerful as Williams Martin can fly rushing for 576 yards and 6 yards per carry when the Tigers get close to the goal line look out for number 34 name is Victor Jones he's a power runner who scored 7 touchdowns and was particularly tough against Alabama as good as the LSU ground game was this season it was the air attack that excited Bengal tiger fans it all starts with number 13 Tom Hudson the six 395 pound sophomore quarterback who is rewriting the LSU record books the Sporting News calls Hudson the best passing quarterback in the nation he was named honorable mention all-america by The Associated Press and first-team all-sec signal caller Hudson has already established an LSU record of 34 touchdown passes Hudson is completed 61 percent of his 553 aerials for nearly 44 hundred yards a primary reason for Hudson's incredible success is split-end Wendel Davis one of the nation's premier past catchers the six flow 286 poundage that school records for most career receiving yards most career receptions and most career touchdown receptions is twenty seven hundred and eight career receiving yards is a Southeastern Conference record this season Davis caught 72 balls averaging nearly 14 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns Davis isn't the only capable receiver on this team tight end Bryan khinchin is and of honorable mention all-american the 6-3 230 pounder caught 17 passes this year including a game-winning TD pass against Georgia for LSU it's what's up front that counts and the Tigers have two of the finest players in the nation start with center not show al Bergamo number 56 he's a consensus All America at 62 260 pounds Albert Gamow has been known to bury his defensive opponent his talents are high on the National Football League shopping list another all-america up front is number 76 offensive guard Eric endl SEC he's a powerful blocker who's equally efficient either pass blocking or run blocking while the LSU defense didn't exactly live up through preseason expectations this unit wasn't exactly chopped liver either like the Gamecocks the Tigers like to put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks lmg defenders are credited with 29 quarterback sacks and another 30 hurries that helped the Tigers pick off 11 opponents passes the sack leader its outside linebacker Ron Sancho number 52 the 6-3 225 pound junior at nine sacks this past season for minus forty yards the team's fourth leading tackler sansho also has a nose for a loose ball leading the team with three fumble recoveries upfront the Tigers have all SEC nose guard Darrell Phillips he's the team's second leading tackler Phillips uses his quickness to get into the opponent's backfield he has nine tackles for losses and five quarterback sacks the Tigers have a couple of good ones in the secondary to the leader of this group is veteran safety Cris carrier he's an honorable mention all-american and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award presented with the nation's most outstanding defensive back and of course all good teams in July good kicking games the Tigers are no exception here David Brown Dyck has not missed an extra point in two years and has proven to be an outstanding field goal kicker especially from inside 40 yards the first team all-sec performer in late field goal that enable the Tigers to salvage an early season tie with Ohio State coach Archer likes big plays from his kicking game and first-team all-sec punter matt de Frank delivers the Franks averaged just under 42 yards and includes a record 69 yards against Kentucky like the Gamecocks Tiger players want to end their bowl game losing streak but they know that they're against a quality opponent you know I think a lot of people who've heard a lot about Alison in South Carolina saw offense but they're sort of a very good defense at one point in the season I know who ranked second in the nation statistically anyway on defense they like the Blitz and it was just good defense of a good team overall and a good close game and South Carolina's very good in tough opponent oh I guess it's gotta be a challenge so I thought all team and I ranked nationally on defense our offense is a great offense but this we're gonna have a challenge that we're gonna have to really prepare well and on defense what can I say you know we face a a do love Terrence generals magazine or not at Tulane and Todd Ellison sterling shop is probably better than they are and Tulane gave us a lot of problems on defense and we just have to go back and reassess our our defense and the coach is gonna have a good plan for us and we'll just have to go out and execute from looking at them playing against Miami they deserve that rating because they have a great defense have a great defensive backs great linebackers and how they played good sound defense and it's just something we have to work at look at film and you don't really pick up their keys and pick up their places and do it do what we have to do against them well there you have it a look at LSU and the team that somewhat looks a little bit like the Gamecocks the things they try to do coach well they're very aggressive defensively they won't hesitate to bring those defensive ends or the strong safety and show you a lot of different coverages in the secondary offensively they have a good balance between the run and the pass and they're pretty big up front so it's going to be a good matchup to a great quarterback a couple of great receivers and some defenses that like to really run around out there on the field we'll continue with our pre Gator Bowl show and a little bit of a rap session when we return to Joe Mortensen show right after this Gator Bowl is fun time and the football team has a couple of I guess what they call ref Tama trysts if you will so we asked John McLaughlin and Ken Watson to do their thing for us here for the coach Jim Morrison show hope you'll enjoy okay before we get started I feel that it's only appropriate that I introduce myself I go by the code name of C Ely and what that name signifies is that I'm the higher arc of hip-hop the talented Triple Threat not only the master of mixology and the Royal Rock rule on wine but I'm also a virtuoso of volka manipulation in other words I'm legit and this is not more drug he's the physician of wine the Surgeon General of lyrics the PhD of poetry and he's a certified rap Thomas in other words he's also legit anyway in a couple of weeks we played his team call LSU and I'm sure alive you out there are wondering what LSU really stands for so doc let's tell them yo well the analyst illusion mix they will do look the S stands for suckers tell about the you yo are used for unable to defeat the cops yo see we musta missed Roxie winning the cosplay ball we attacking a beautiful say the Tigers like kitties back to back in room because the cops are strong and we have to steal chop my baby I opponents to Jacksonville yes Fla is where we'll be a 7-game cops making history cuz when the game is over we'll have the title top you're going let's finish this recital okay alright let's finish this rhyme but let me check my Rolex I'm pressed for time yes I understand but that's okay you think we're done no we still got lots to say this is the final test with into the line I've done homeboy compliment Ron not only will i complement I'll invent some immense style of rap smooth and eloquent yo this ROM is over it's time to go so check us out cold chillin on the Jomo show word well that's your group well they got a great deal of talent they certainly expressed their Jim McLoughlin and Ken Watson there they're ready to go they're ready to go to the Gator Bowl football team ready to go the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville now preparations what goes on well they have a lot of activities for our young men we're going to have dinner with LSU on a couple of occasions and we'll be working in the afternoons down there from 2:00 to 4:00 and so we'll get I guess know the LSU Tigers through those dinner engagements and practice at bowls high school down there in preparation for the Gator Bowl well there's no question this is a fun time it's certainly a payment for a great day year eight and three for the Gamecocks coach again congratulations best of luck now in the Gator Bowl well thank you and our young men have been exciting all year and I'm sure they're gonna be exciting this ballgame as well indeed we thank you for joining us hope you can make it to Jacksonville and enjoy the Gator Bowl game [Music]