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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- There was a brief, harmless mutiny in
Arkansas' dressing room after the Razorbacks' 48-14 victory over
South Carolina Saturday night.
Normally, if there is a game ball or two to be handed out, the
coaching staff does the honors. Instead, wide receiver Michael
Williams -- speaking for his teammates -- made the presentation to
head coach Houston Nutt.
"Coach Nutt said there was a lot of pressure on him going
against his old mentor," said linebacker Jamel Harris. "So, we
went out and played for him, not for ourselves."
Nutt was a backup quarterback for a year under former Arkansas
coach Lou Holtz and was a graduate assistant during Holtz' last
year at Arkansas. Saturday night, Holtz was the head coach on the
visitors' sideline.
Quarterback Clint Stoerner was perfect on his first eight passes
for 133 yards and three touchdowns as Arkansas dominated the
Gamecocks.
The Razorbacks (4-2, 1-2 SEC) scored on their first four
possessions as Stoerner threw scoring passes of 41 yards to Michael
Williams, 24 yards to Anthony Lucas and 7 yards to Nathan Norman
and Tony Dodson kicked a 29-yard field goal.
"Clint Stoerner was sharp as a tack," Nutt said.
The Gamecocks (0-7, 0-5) did not make a first down or complete a
pass until they trailed by 17. Senior quarterback Kevin Sides,
making his first start of the year, had one completion and two
interceptions on his first 10 passes.
Holtz said the Gamecocks were far behind so fast "you haven't
even opened your popcorn box."
The first 3½ minutes of the second half was a comedy of errors with a total of six turnovers on 10 plays. Stoerner was intercepted
on his first two attempts of the third quarter. The Gamecocks lost
a fumble on the play after the initial interception and Kenoy
Kennedy intercepted a floater three plays after the second one. On
Kennedy's runback, Antione Nesmith swiped the ball. Three plays
later, Arkansas' Jeromy Flowers flattened Gamecock quarterback
Mikal Goodman, who dropped the ball. Jamel Harris picked it up and
ran 36 yards for a touchdown that made it 38-7.
"I didn't like the first three minutes," Nutt said. "It was
the craziest I have ever seen."
On Arkansas' first touchdown, Stoerner looked to his left and
saw South Carolina defensive backs lined up in the face of both
Anthony Lucas and Michael Williams. He signaled Lucas in a few
steps toward the middle of the field so that Lucas could pick off
the defender assigned to Williams. Williams used the screen to
reach the left sideline, turned upfield and caught Stoerner's pass
in stride.
On South Carolina's second possession, Sides rolled left, bought
a little time with an arm fake and then forced a pass that David
Barrett intercepted. Four plays later, Stoerner watched Lucas as he
worked his way free behind Sheldon Brown and then threw perfectly
over Brown for a 14-0 lead. Stoerner's throw down the middle with a
lot of zip was bobbled and then caught by Rossi Morreale for 37
yards and led to Dodson's field goal.
Sides overthrew Kerry Hood and Kennedy, playing centerfield,
intercepted. His 37-yard return reached the South Carolina 11. On
second down, the Gamecocks failed to pick up Norman out of the
backfield and he was an easy target for Stoerner.
It was Holtz' first game in Arkansas since his Razorback teams
went 60-21-2 from 1977-83.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
South Carolina Clubhouse
Arkansas Clubhouse
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