Smelley leads
offense and Gamecocks defense blank Wolfpack 34-0
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South
Carolina overcame four interceptions by first-time starter Tommy Beecher to
give Steve Spurrier his 16th-straight opening game victory, 34-0 over North
Carolina State on Thursday night.
Mike Davis and Taylor Rank had rushing
touchdowns, and Dion LeCorn and Jared Cook caught TD passes from backup
Chris Smelley to lift the Gamecocks and keep alive Spurrier's first-week
streak which began in 1990 at Florida.
The Wolfpack, shutout 37-0 by Maryland to
end last season, were held scoreless in consecutive games for the first time
since 1956.
For Spurrier, it was also the first taste
of victory since last October when a 21-15 win at North Carolina pushed the
Gamecocks to 6-1 and had him cocky about bigger things ahead.
Instead, South Carolina collapsed with
five-straight defeats, the longest stretch of Spurrier's stellar career.
And for three quarters, this had to be
torture for South Carolina's head ball coach, famed for his quick trigger on
bad quarterbacks.
Beecher was given the job by Spurrier in
April despite throwing three interceptions in South Carolina's closing
spring scrimmage. Ever since, Spurrier has stood solidly in Beecher's corner
repeating the junior would have a chance to go the distance for the
Gamecocks this season.
Beecher looked shaky from the start. He was
intercepted by Jimmaul Simmons less than three minutes in, then took the
first of his five sacks to end South Carolina's next series.
Beecher was picked off twice more before
the half. Spurrier finally showed his trademark fire, tossing his visor,
headset and game notes after Beecher's third interception sailed over
receiver Moe Brown and into the hands of Justin Byers.
Maybe he bit his tongue, or repeated a
calming mantra, but Spurrier continued to send Beecher back out in spite of
the mistakes.
Beecher finally left in the final quarter,
with the Gamecocks citing a head injury.
Beecher finished 12 of 22 for 106 yards. He
was two interceptions shy of the Gamecocks single-game mark, set by Glenn
Morris in a 17-7 loss to Clemson in 1971.
Lucky for the Gamecocks' their defense was
there to clean up the mess.
The group, headed by new coordinator Ellis
Johnson, bottled up the Wolfpack throughout. North Carolina State had just
117 yards and eight first downs through three quarters.
The closest the Wolfpack came to scoring
was Josh Czajkowski missing a 49-yard field goal attempt.
South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood
recovered a botched shotgun snap at the Wolfpack 9 right before halftime
that led to Ryan Succop's 29-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Then on the Wolfpack's second play after
halftime, Carlos Thomas stepped in front of a Daniel Evans pass for an
interception at the North Carolina State 9. Four plays later, Davis lept
into the end zone.
Succop added a 46-yarder at the end of the
third quarter.
That was more than enough points to hold
off the Wolfpack.
Smelley made a push to regain the starting
job he had for six games last season, leading three touchdown drives in the
fourth quarter. His 5-of-5 performance included sharp scoring throws of 20
yards to LeCorn and 13 yards to Cook.
Davis finished with 101 yards, the senior's
fourth career game of at least 100.
The game's most frightening moment came
when Wolfpack freshman Russell Wilson, starting his first game, was carted
off the field. Wilson was motionless as he was strapped to backboard and
rolled onto a cart. He extended his thumbs upward to acknowledge the cheers
of the players and fans at Williams-Brice Stadium.
North Carolina State officials announced
Wilson had a grade-three concussion and was doing well after going to the
hospital. He was scheduled for more tests.
