2008 Woodie Awards
Holtz has Gamecocks aiming high
Kyle Almond
Issue date: 8/22/02 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
"I've been tougher and more demanding this year than I ever have been," he said, "and that's a long time."
Thirty years, to be exact, and in every one of those years, Holtz has been an intense, and at times, intimidating presence on the sidelines.
It's hard to imagine Holtz being any more fiery than he has before. After all, this is the same man who put a referee in a headlock during a game while coaching at Notre Dame.
But don't cry for the Gamecocks — Holtz is hard on them because he believes in their ability to win an SEC Championship.
"I will not undersell this football team," Holtz said. "I think we can win the (SEC) Championship."
USC is coming off two of its best seasons ever. After finishing with an 8-4 record in 2000, the Gamecocks finished last season 9-3 and beat Ohio State in the Outback Bowl for the second-straight year. In the final polls, the Gamecocks were ranked No. 13 in the country.
With the tremendous turnaround the team has had since its depressing 0-11 season in 1999, there is reason to believe that the Gamecocks can take the next step and win their first conference title.
"Our fans think we're going to win the championship," Holtz said. "They should feel that way. It's exciting."
For all his optimism, however, Holtz issues a warning: "There are some reasons to be excited, but there are also some question marks."
The Gamecocks lost 13 starters from last year's team, including quarterback Phil Petty, whose leadership and dependability steadied an offense that was the worst in the nation three years ago. Other talented starters gone are running back Derek Watson, go-to wide receiver Brian Scott, center Larrell Johnson, tackle Melvin Paige, linebacker Kalimba Edwards, defensive end John Stamper and defensive backs Sheldon Brown, Andre Goodman and Willie Offord.
Watson was dismissed from the team in the spring after being arrested on a drug charge. Edwards, Stamper and the defensive backs were all taken in the NFL Draft.
"Who do we have coming back?" Holtz asked at the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama. "No real receiver. We lost our center, lost our tackle, lost our quarterback, lost our linebackers, lost our secondary. This is realism. But I love the attitude and the work habits, and this football team is going to make the people in the state of South Carolina very proud."