European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 04, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes sports wednesday. January 4.1995 gamecocks break spell Cypet Ecobelli Miami a South Carolina has finally banned cursing. The gamecocks Long supposed victims of the mythical Chicken curse Are ready for the charmed life of bowl champions. It Felt great at the end because i knew that the Monkey and the curse was Oft our Back South Carolina defensive end Stacey Evans said monday after the gamecocks Defeated West Virginia 24-21 at the car quest bowl. The curse has been a popular excuse among South Carolina detractors and fans. It had been blamed for everything from South Carolina s 0-8 bowl record to the gamecocks inability to build a consistent football program. But it was the consistency of South Carolina s Backfield that broke the spell. South Carolina quarterback Steve Tan -. R Reyhill threw for one touchdown a for another and was named the game s map. Brandon Bennett rushed for 100 Yards and fullback Stanley Pritchett scored the gamecocks final touchdown with a 1 y Ard Power run. The win was the first in nine bowl tries a for South Carolina 7-5 and the fifth consecutive postseason loss for the mountaineers 7-6j. There was lots of pressure on us but actually people talk about the Chicken curse. We re not chickens we re game Cocks butt kicking chickens South Carolina tight end Boomer Foster said. It looked More like West Virginia was the cursed team. Mountaineers tailback Jimmy Gray fumbled on their opening play and six plays later tarte Hill hit Fos Ter for a 2-Yard to. \ quarterback Chad Johnston was driving West Virginia for a go ahead score in the third Quarter when the Ball glanced off tight end Lovett Purnell and was caught by freshman cornerback Ben Washington. His twisting joking 42-Yard return led to Pritchett s score and West Virginia could t recover. I think it was the most mistakes we had All year. It s just unfortunate it had to happen in a bowl game West Virginia receiver Rahsaan Vanterpool said. Still the mountaineers trailed by three throughout the final period twice giving the Ball up on Downs in the final six min utes. A is by Denne h. Freeman Dallas a Southern Cal s first visit to the Cotton bowl produced a Texas sized Victory for the trojans. In the Cotton bowl s second largest rout no. 21 Southern Cal rolled up a 48 0 Lead monday and went on to a 55-14 Victory Over Texas tech. It could have been worse. I commend us a class Man is coaching that team. The score could have been a lot worse tech coach Spike Dykes said referring to us coach John Robinson. I apologize to our fans. It s not much fun to get your Tail kicked like that Texas tech 6-6 qualified for the game by finishing in a five Way tie for the Southwest conference title. The red raiders were picked because they had gone the longest without a Cotton bowl Cotton bowl loss was the seventh straight for the Sec Champ arid possibly the last for awhile. Starting next year the matchup will be determined by the bowl coalition " South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill goes Over West Virginia s Mike Logan 23 for a touchdown in the car quest bowl in Miami monday. That was definitely the most fun i be Ever had out there because of the fact that our name s going to go Down in South Carolina history Taneyhill said. His 4-Yard scoring leap put South Carolina up 17-7 at the half. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 227 Yards. I think this game was important to us but i think this game meant the world to South Carolina West Virginia cornerback Mike Logan said. The gamecocks had chances to extend the Lead but failed. They went on a 12-play drive that got to West Virginia s 4, but Taneyhill was sacked by tackle Barry Hawkins and a Field goal try was blocked. Pritchett went on a 28-Yard run with 1 14 left and was headed for a score but fumbled the Ball out of the Back of the end zone and West Virginia took Over units 3,. though was sacked for the sixth time and South Carolina Stead was Safe. \"., there were a lot of times that we could have folded the tent said South Carolina coach Brad Scott who took control of the program in december of 1993. Even today things got a Little Tough in the second half. Our team got together especially Pur defense they made some awfully big plays at some important up 10-7, Taneyhill ended a 14-play drive just before halftime with his second touchdown run of the season. The Junior ducked Between two defenders faked a throw at the line of scrimmage and dived Over the top for a 4-Yard score. Reed Morton set a car quest bowl re Cord with a 47-Yard Field goal giving the gamecocks a 10-0 Lead in the second Quarter. / i thought South Carolina played Well but we just kind of self destructed Early West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said. Robert Walker gained 132 Yards including 62 during West Virginia s Only scoring drive of the first half. He bounced through the left Side for a 24 Yard touchdown run to make it 10-7, a badgers Roll with Fletcher byjoe Macenka Tampa Fla. A the Hall of Fame bowl taught Wisconsin s Terrell Fletcher a lesson listen to your coaches. The coaches kept saying this was coming. All week Long they were telling me i could have a 200 Yard game and i never believed them Fletcher said monday after he powered Wisconsin to a 34-20 Victory Over Duke. Fletcher rushed 39 times for 241 Yards and scored second half touchdowns from 1 and 49 Yards. His attempts and yardage both set Hall of Fame records but More impressive than the numbers was How he compiled them. Duke rallied from a 13-0 deficit to tie it in the third Quarter before Fletcher a 5-foot-9 senior who is one of the smallest badgers virtually took Over the game. Both of his scoring runs and 160 of his Yards came on three touchdown drives in the final 23 minutes. We looked up at the scoreboard and it was tied and we said there was no reason for it to be this Way Fletcher said. And the offensive line started doing it in the trenches and the running backs started hitting the it marked the second time in As Many games that Fletcher set a Ca reer High Rushing total. With a bowl berth on the line he had 192 Yards to Lead the badgers past Illi Nois in their regular season finale. Nothing he does surprises me. Hey an incredible athlete coach Barry Alvarez said. I could t be More proud of him. He made some things happen.". The badgers 7-4-1 won four of their last five games 55-14 we moved the Ball Well Early and jumped on tech Robinson said. Southern Cal s total offence of 578 and passing Yards of 435 were Cotton bowl records. _ Rob Johnson threw three touchdown passes and Keyshawn Johnson had three to catches including an 86-yarder from backup Brad Otton. Rob Johnson completed 16 of 21 passes for 289 Yards and left after the first series of the second half 3 Yards Short of the Cotton bowl record. It was a lot easier than i thought it would be after seeing them on film Rob Johnson said. We confused pm and we manhandled pm. I was Keyshawn Johnson caught eight passes for a Cotton bowl record 222 Yards and was named offensive map. Cotton Speyer of Texas held the previous record of 161 Yards set in 1969. Tech players were game. -. R i think Johnson is a very Good quarterback said tech defensive lineman Damon Wickware. In fact i went up to him during the game and told him he was doing a very Good Southern Cal 8-3-1 upped its bowl re Cord to 24-13. The red raiders return ing to the Cotton bowl for the first time in 55 years gave up four first Quarter touchdowns two of them on Rob John son passes in a 4 30 Span. The widest margin of Victory in the Cotton was Miami s 46-3 win Over. Texas in 1991. In Texas tech s Only other appearance the red raiders lost to St. Mary s Calif 20-13 in 1939. The trojans drove 64 Yards in four plays to score on an 11-Yard run by Shawn Walters. Twelve seconds later they scored again. Linebacker Gerald Caruthers recovered Stacy Mitchell s Fumble on the Kickoff at the tech 19. Rob Johnson found Terry Barnum with a to pass on the next play. Coach Robinson told us if we got dazed after the after them hard they would fold but i was shocked How fast it happened Walters said. I Southern Cal cornerback John Herpin then returned a Zebbie Lethridge pass 26 Yards for a to to make it 21-0, he was named the defensive map. After tech punted Walters ran 11 and 30 Yards and Rob Johnson found a wide open Keyshawn Johnson on a 12-Yard scoring pass the 28 Points for the Quarter was a Cotton bowl record Topping the 24 Points Penn state scored against Baylor in the fourth of the 1975 game. Cole Ford kicked Field goals of 22 and 42 Yards As Southern Cal took a 34-0 half time Lead. Rob Johnson found Keyshawn Johnson with a 22-Yard to pass and Otton Fol Lowed with his 86-Yard scoring pass to Johnson. It was the second longest pass in us history beaten out by Only a Yard on a pass from Todd Marinovich to John Jackson in 1989 against Ohio state. With the trojans Victory Robinson in creased his bowl record to 6-1
