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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Even Lou Holtz is amazed at how far South
Carolina has come in two years.
|  | | South Carolina QB Phil Petty completed his first eight passes and had two TD throws on Saturday. |
The 24th-ranked Gamecocks (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference)
were the country's biggest losers coming into the season with 21
straight defeats. But they're going to a bowl game after Saturday's
27-7 victory over Arkansas.
"I can't account for it," Holtz said. "It's almost like a
miracle."
Holtz has made a Hall-of-Fame career of miracles, turning broken
programs into bowl teams by his second year.
He did it at five other struggling schools. He won with the
limited resources at William & Mary, turned North Carolina State on
to football in the mid-1970s and beat Oklahoma in a famous Orange
Bowl game without three of his best players as part of his Arkansas
run. He broke through the Big Ten powers to succeed at Minnesota
and brought the championship glow back to Notre Dame at the last
place Holtz ever expected to coach.
Holtz's job at South Carolina could outshine them all.
"This is what we dreamed about," said South Carolina receiver
Jermale Kelly, a senior who caught one of Phil Petty's two
touchdown passes. "We've waited a long time for this. We couldn't
be sure it was going to happen."
But then everything is possible with Holtz.
"I'm beginning to think we're a little bit better than I or my
players thought," Holtz said. "They have a lot of
self-confidence. But let's not put them in the Hall of Fame yet."
The Gamecocks put this one away with Petty's passing and a
defense that held Arkansas (4-2, 1-2) to 89 yards in the first
half.
It'll be South Carolina's first bowl trip in six years and the
first in five for Holtz, whose final team at Notre Dame in 1996
passed up a bowl despite an 8-3 record.
Petty and Brian Scott took care of South Carolina's first
scoring drive, hooking up on three passes, the last for 23 yards
into the right corner of the end zone past defender Orlando Green.
Petty kept it going on the Gamecocks' next possession, hitting
Scott for 18 yards, Carlos Spikes for 25 and Jermale Kelly on a
13-yard TD pass and a 13-0 lead.
Petty completed his first eight throws to spark an offense that
gained only 14 yards rushing in the first half. He was 12-of-21 for
170 yards.
Arkansas, which easily beat the Gamecocks 48-14 a year ago, had
no answers for Holtz's revived team, which has only lost at Alabama
this season.
Backup tailback Fred Talley returned for the first time in three
weeks for Arkansas, but gained only 27 yards on 10 first-half
carries.
Quarterback Robby Hampton was constantly pressured and run over
by South Carolina. He was sacked for consecutive 10-yard losses on
one second-quarter drive, then was intercepted in Gamecocks
territory just before halftime.
An Arkansas mistake helped the Gamecocks wrap things up in the
third quarter. Richard Smith mishandled a punt that was recovered
by South Carolina's Rachiem Monroe at the Razorbacks 37. Three
plays later, Andrew Pinnock scored on a 13-yard run.
"They're doing better defensively this year," Arkansas coach
Houston Nutt said. "They're getting interceptions and fumbles they
didn't get last year. Offensively, Phil Petty understands the
offense much better."
Derek Watson's 68-yard TD run put the Gamecocks up 27-0. Watson,
who was Holtz's first major recruit for the Gamecocks, finished
with 136 yards, his fourth 100-yard game this season.
"I thought if I went to Tennessee they were going to win no
matter who was there," Watson said. "Coming here, I thought I'd
have a chance to be part of something special."
Holtz promised to yank the Williams-Brice goal posts out himself
if South Carolina won, but he passed up the chance after shaking
hands with Nutt.
"I looked at those suckers again and I looked at my arms," the
skin-and-bones Holtz said. "I thought I might be out there all
day."
It's about the only promise Holtz hasn't kept in his two years
here.
He pledged to rebuild them as he did at William & Mary, North
Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota and Notre Dame before. It was
hard to believe him while the Gamecocks suffered loss after loss
last season.
Now, the Gamecocks can look for even more. South Carolina is
tied for the SEC East lead with Florida. It goes to Vanderbilt next
week before finishing its conference schedule with Tennessee and
Florida.
"It is a tough road ahead," Holtz said. "But I told my
players we're not in the driver's seat, but at least we're in the
car."
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Arkansas Clubhouse
South Carolina Clubhouse
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