The losses continue to pile up for Darrin Horn and his Gamecocks

Potent 3-point shooting guided the Vols to their 10th consecutive victory over South Carolina with a 69-57 win on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.  Junior Skylar McBee nailed four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 18 points to key the trifecta explosion as the Vols made 10 from beyond the arc.

The win evened Tennessee’s overall mark at 12-12 and moved the Vols to 4-5 in the SEC. The Gamecocks dropped their fourth in a row and fell to 9-14, 1-8 SEC.  The Vols have now won 10 straight games over USC which has not won in Knoxville since 2002. 

Trae Golden added 14 while Jeronne Maymon had 12 points and six rebounds. The Gamecocks were led by two-sport athlete Bruce Ellington, who had 12 and six assists.

AUDIO:  Darrin Horn post game press conference

Senior Cameron Tatum became the 44th Vol in history to record 1,000 career points as he netted six with his 1,000th point coming on a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half.

Tennessee led by as many as 15 in the second half, but that lead was short-lived as South Carolina clawed back to within five at 54-50 with 6:36 left in the second half, which finished a 16-5 run for USC. A Josh Richardsonjumper put the Vols back ahead 58-50, but USC scored the next five points to cut the deficit to three at 58-55 on a Bruce Ellington 3-point play with 4:07 on the clock.

The Vols withstood the charge as a pair of 3-point plays by Golden and Maymon moved the lead back to 10 points at 65-55 with 2:20 left.

The Vols used an 8-0 early in the second half to take a 43-30 lead that was punctuated by McBee’s fourth 3-pointer of the game with 16:46 left in the second half. A 3-pointer by Richardson with 13:44 left in the second half extended the lead to 15 at 49-34.

South Carolina got back to within seven points at 51-44 thanks to an 8-0 run keyed by back-to-back 3-pointers by Brenton Williams with 9:39 left in the half.

McBee scored all 11 of his first-half points in the final 2:54 as the Vols went on a 14-4 run to end the first half to lead 35-27 at intermission. Tatum scored his 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in the half.

After being down by as many as five (12-7), the Vols took their first lead of the game since 2-0, at 21-20 on a pair of Golden free throws with 5:38 left in the game. Damien Leonard regained the USC lead on a 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the first half. But McBee answered seconds later as UT retook the advantage at 24-23. The teams traded leads on the game’s next four baskets.

Final Box

South Carolina coaching staff:

Head Coach Ray Stackley Stratford Goose Creek

Coach Kirk Burnett Airport West Columbia

Coach Wade Cooper Blue Ridge Greer

Coach Don Frost Christ Church Greenville

Coach Mike Wells Buford Lancaster

Coach Bill Harvey Newberry Newberry

Coach Tony Smith Stratford Goose Creek

North Carolina coaching staff:

Head Coach Nelson Smith Garner Garner

Coach Adrian Snow West Forsyth Clemmons

Coach Russell Stone Douglas Byrd Fayetteville

Coach Doug Illing Davie County Mocksville

Coach B.J. Lancaster Hendersonville Hendersonville

Coach Mike Byus East Lincoln Denver

Coach David Grant Walter Williams Burlington

Danny Ford

Yesterday former Clemson Quarterback Randy Anderson passed away after a long bout with cancer.  Tonight we welcomed in former Clemson Head Coach and good friend to SportsTalk, Danny Ford, to remember his quarterback.

AUDIO: Danny Ford

Coach Ford recapped Randy Anderson’s football life during his tenure as the QB at Clemson, going into fantastic detail of the man underneath the helmet, and also reminisced on the man beyond the gridiron.

Speaker Bobby Harrell

Turns out we struck a chord tonight with all the talk of college football and the state legislature potentially crossing paths.  Earlier tonight we had Representative Mike Anthony on the show to cool the debate between Korn and KMac regarding the legitimacy of government potentially intervening in NCAA scheduling.  Only moments later Speaker of the House, Bobby Harrell, walked through the door and sat in with us to provide a  little insight as well. 

 AUDIO: Bobby Harrell

 If you work in the media long enough, you’re eventually going to be accused of some sort of bias by someone, but tonight SportsTalk is proud to say we represented both sides of the aisle.

QB Christian Hackenberg of Fork Union, VA makes his first junior day visit later this month when he goes to Penn State on the 18th. Hackenberg recently picked up offers from Penn State and South Florida. Hackenberg said he used to live in Pennsylvania but otherwise has no ties to Penn State. He also has offers from USC, Tennessee, Rutgers, Virginia, Alabama, Connecticut and Miami. This spring Hackenberg plans to visit USC, Miami, Alabama and Tennessee. He talked with Gamecock recruiter GA Mangus last Sunday. “He just wants to get me down there and see the campus,” said Hackenberg who continues to remain open about his decision. “When I get that gut feeling,” he said about when he wants to decide. “Ideally, this summer, but it comes down to that gut feeling and I’m positive about it.”

One of USC’s top offensive line targets for 2013 is Andy Dodd (6-4 310) of Lindale, GA. Dodd, who comes from the same program as USC lineman Kyle Harris, attended USC’s junior day last weekend. “He enjoyed his visit,” Pepperell High coach Jeff Shiflett said. “He liked the facilities and the school. He had a chance to visit with several players and he talked a lot to Harris. He enjoyed the staff and the atmosphere.” Dodd visited Alabama a couple of weekends ago and is going to Georgia Tech this weekend. USC is his only offer but his coach feels more are coming. Dodd lines up as a tight end but is used as an extra blocking tackle in a run oriented offense. Shifflett said he will be a pure offensive lineman in college. “He has real good feet and comes off the ball well and stays after it. He finishes his blocks. He’s a lot like Kyle Harris.” Dodd does not have any favorites.

QB Boeing Brown (6-4 218) of Brookfield, CT has received interest from several schools including USC and according to his father, favors the Gamecocks. “We went down there for a game and something just clicked,” his father Christopher said. “He loved everything about it. He loved the Horseshoe, the students and the friendliness of the people down there. He was recognized by several people walking to the stadium. That’s how serious they take football down there.” Brown will visit again in two weeks and then return during the spring. “We’re going to go down there in a couple of weeks to take a look around and to sit down with the coaches,” dad said. “We’ll go back during the spring for a couple of practices, maybe like a Friday and Saturday.” Auburn has starting showing a lot of interest in the Northeastern signal caller. “They told them they want to talk to him as much as they can and that they really like him a lot,” said his father. “Florida, Penn State, Michigan State, NC State and Wake Forest are some of the schools showing a lot of interest.” Other schools showing interest include Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Maryland, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Brown has taken visits to Penn State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Illinois among others with USC’s campus remaining his favorite. Brown continues to wait for his first offer. “He really wants that one from South Carolina and coach (G.A.) Mangus has asked us to be patient,” he said.

WR Tramel Terry (6-0 195) of Goose Creek visited USC Saturday with teammates LBs Jalen Stevens and Gerald Turner. “It went really well,” Terry said. “We got there early and just hung out with some players in the dorms. We’ve been there like 100 times so we know a lot about it but, this time, I sat down with the coaches to go over some film. They showed me how they would use me if I went there.” Terry said that USC is looking to use him as a “Percy Harvin-type” player. “They would line me up as a wide receiver, as a running back and in the wildcat sometimes,” he said. “I would do whatever they want me to do. I can play cornerback too.” Terry will visit Clemson March 3rd for a junior day. “I’m going to take my parents with me and we’re going to stop by USC so they can see the campus,” said Terry. “Then we’ll go to Clemson and they can see what it’s like up there.” He plans to visit Georgia Tech next Saturday with the same teammates. Terry does not have any favorites and says that Clemson and USC are very strong with him.

By: Rixon Lane

A bill that would require South Carolina and Clemson to play every year in football was shot down today, but not before it sparked heated debate on both sides of the argument. With conference realignment and other significant changes possibly coming to college football, some have argued that the legislation would prevent the schools from breaking off the rivalry game that has gone on uninterrupted for 103 seasons.

SportsTalk spoke with state representative Mike Anthony tonight about the pros and cons of requiring the Gamecocks and Tigers to battle on the gridiron every season.

AUDIO: Mike Anthony

Coastal Carolina released their 2012 football schedule today in anticipation for their new campaign.  The Chanticleers are looking to improve upon their 7-4 record from last season, as well as their 3-3 conference record from a year ago. 

The team will open their season on September 1, at home against North Carolina A&T.  Coastal will then travel to take on in-state rival Furman the next Saturday, September 8. 

Other key dates include a home game against defending conference champion Stony Brook on October 13, their homecoming game October 27 vs. Liberty, and Senior Day on November 17 against Charleston Southern.

The NCAA Football Division I Championship Playoffs begin on November 24.

The full schedule is listed below.

 Coastal Carolina 2012 Football Schedule

Date                     Opponent

9/1                      vs. North Carolina A&T

9/8                      at Furman

9/15                    vs. Eastern Kentucky (Family Weekend)

9/22                    at Toledo

9/29                    at Appalachian State

10/13                  vs. Stony Brook (Hall of Fame Weekend)*

10/20                   at VMI*

10/27                   vs. Liberty (Homecoming)*

11/3                    at Gardner-Webb*

11/10                  at Presbyterian*

11/17                  vs. Charleston Southern (Senior Day)*

11/24                  NCAA Division I Championship First Round

12/1                    NCAA Division I Championship Round of 16

12/8                    NCAA Division I Championship Quarterfinals

12/14                  NCAA Division I Championship Semifinals

12/15                  NCAA Division I Championship Semifinals

*=conference game

The baseball coaches of the Southern Conference announced their first and second Preseason All-Conference teams today.  The teams are headlined by Georgia Southern’s Victor Roache and Chris Beck, who were named Preseason Player of the Year and Preseason Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

Area schools were well represented on the teams.  College of Charleston’s outfielder Daniel Aldrich and pitcher Christian Powell were named to the first team.  They were joined on the team by Drew DeKerlegand, the third baseman for the Citadel.

Six area players were selected to the second team, including outfielder Marty Gantt and pitcher Josh Renfro of College of Charleston, first baseman Konstantine Diamaduros of Wofford, outfielder Nick Orvin of the Citadel, as well as third baseman Alex Abrams and designated hitter Taylor Johnson of Furman.  The full team rosters are listed below.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.  The Southern Conference baseball season kicks off on February 17 with all 11 teams in action.

2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team
SP  Chris Beck, Georgia Southern
SP  Christian Powell, College of Charleston
RP  Lex Rutledge, Samford
C    Trevor Edwards, UNCG
1B  Saxon Butler, Samford
2B  Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS  Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern
3B   Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF  Victor Roache, Georgia Southern
OF  Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
OF  Phillip Ervin, Samford
DH  Daniel Kassouf, Appalachian State

Second Team
SP  Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State
SP  Josh Renfro, College of Charleston
RP  David Port, Appalachian State
C    Alex Swim, Elon
1B  Konstantine Diamaduros, Wofford
2B  Sebastian Gomez, Elon
SS  Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina
3B  Zack Briggs, Appalachian State
3B  (tie) Alex Abrams, Furman
OF  Marty Gantt, College of Charleston
OF  Nick Orvin, The Citadel
OF  Tyler Zupcic, Appalachian State
DH  Taylor Johnson, Furman

The Southern Conference released both their baseball preseason coaches and media polls today, with favorable results for the College of Charleston. 

The Cougars were picked to finish first by the coaches, receiving 6 out of a possible 11 first place votes.  They were selected as being the second best team in the conference by the media, receiving only 3 of the possible 25 first place votes. 

Charleston finished last year with a record of 39-22 (18-12 in conf) and returns its entire starting rotation, as well as outfielders Daniel Aldrich and Marty Gantt, who were both named all-conference last season.

Georgia Southern finished first in the media poll getting 20 of the first place votes and finished second in the coaches poll (4 first place votes).

The Citadel, Wofford, and Furman finished 8th, 9th, and 10th, respectively in each of the coaches and media polls.  Davidson was picked to finish 11th, last in the SoCon.

The Southern Conference baseball season begins on February 17, when all 11 teams will be in action, and will culminate with the 2012 Southern Conference Baseball Championship that will be held from May 23-27 at Flour Field in Greenville.

The full polls are listed below:

2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. College of Charleston (6)  93
2. Georgia Southern (4)        92
3. Samford (1)                     83
4. Elon                               76
5. Appalachian State           62
6. Western Carolina            51
7. UNCG                            50
8. The Citadel                     33
9. Furman                          32
10. Wofford                        18
11. Davidson                      15

2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason Media Poll
1. Georgia Southern (20)      269
2. College of Charleston (3)  246
3. Elon (2)                          220
4. Samford                         198
5. UNCG                            150
6. Appalachian State           149
7. Western Carolina            130
8. The Citadel                     112
9. Furman                            86
10. Wofford                          55
11. Davidson                        35

*first place votes listed in parentheses*

Randy Anderson takes a snap against USC

Former Clemson quarterback Randy Anderson died Feb. 7 in Houston, TX after a long fight against cancer. Anderson, who was 46 at the time of his death, played for the Tigers from 1984-87. Clemson won ACC Championships in 1986 and 1987 during his career.

Anderson was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, in 2006, and underwent a double stem cell transplant later that year. Complications led to leukemia, however.

During the period in which he was undergoing his initial treatments, Anderson founded By His Stripes Ministry – a sports-centered Christian outreach project – and remained active in the ministry for the rest of his life.

Anderson was back on Clemson’s campus last April, when he participated in the annual alumni Son’s Game prior to the Tigers’ Orange-White spring game.

Anderson is survived by his wife, Angelia, and daughter Savannah.

The former Broome High School (Spartanburg) product was Clemson’s starting quarterback for the first four games of the 1985 season. He led the Tigers to a thrilling victory at Virginia Tech when the Tigers won 20-17 on the last play of the game, a 36-yard field goal by kicker David Treadwell. Anderson completed 17-30 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in that victory.

Anderson was the backup to Rodney Williams on Clemson’s ACC Championship team of 1986. He missed most of the 1987 season with a back injury, but did play in the win over Penn State in the 1988 Citrus Bowl.

For his career, Anderson completed 76-145 passes for 866 yards and three touchdowns. He played in 22 games in his Clemson career.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

**STORY FROM CLEMSON SID**