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The Pilot / August 29
Ruzmin' Bulldog Sports
Sports Talk
Hello, and welcome to this edition of
Sports Talk. I'm your host, Randy
Capps. Welcome back to "the web!"
School is back in session, and that
means it's time for football. There's your
topic—let's have some calls.
Hey Randy. This is Cary from
Concord. I heard that you don't think
the Panthers are any good. Say it ain't
so!
Sorry, Cary; it's true. And it must be a
huge disappointment to the zillions of
Carolina fans out there. Other
sportswriters know that the Panthers
have problems. I'm just the only one with
enough guts to say it.
First of all, they can't score. Kerry
Collins is out for six weeks with a
broken jaw, but that doesn't matter.
Panthers' receivers have never been
accused of having good hands, so there
is no one to catch his passes anyway.
But they can run the ball, right?
Wrong. Johnson and Biakabutuka are
talented runners, but both fullbacks from
last season have left for greener pastures,
leaving Carolina with a serious blocking
problem.
Defense? Good as always, but with
one huge difference. Kevin Greene and
his 14.5 sacks from last season are at
home on the couch watching television—
probably Monday Nitro. The point is,
he's not playing for the Panthers
anymore, and that's bad news.
So, what’s the verdict? With a little
luck, 9-7. Without it: 7-9 or 8-8. Just
remember, you heard it here first.
Let's take another call.
Hey Randy. This is Nate from
Nashville. I'm a student at the
University of Tennessee, so naturally I
want to talk about college football.
Who's going all the way this fall?
You're going to love this, Nate. Most
of the major powers are missing
something this year. Florida State needs
a tailback. Florida needs a proven
quarterback. The same goes for Penn
State and a host of others.
Tennessee doesn't really have a running
game, but they do have #16. That's right;
Peyton Manning decided to stay in
school (what a novel concept) and try to
win the Heisman and a national title.
Guess what? He's more than good
enough to do both. And if he and the
Volunteers can survive a trip to Florida
on Sept. 20, they'll be the best team in
the land come January.
Next caller, please.
Hey! This is Jay from Johnson City.
I know you go to Gardner-Webb, but
you can admit that Carson-Newman is
the best team in Division H.
That said, how do your Runnin'
Bulldogs and the rest of the South
Atlantic Conference shape up?
Yes, Carson-Newman is the top gun in
the conference and the nation. Catawba
and Mars Hill are solid in the conference
as well. As for GWU, you can read the
preview just like everyone else. I'm
done.’ See you at the games!
Football team looks to '97 and beyond
by Randy Capps
sports editor
Welcome to the program.
The 1997 football season promises to
be a historic one — perhaps not in the
win-loss column, but in other ways that
matter just as much.
New head coach Steve Patton is after
more than just victories on the field.
He's looking for triumphs off the gridiron
as well.
"We want to work hard, have fun and
be more spiritual as a group. We want to
graduate more players and build a
program that everyone associated with
Gardner-Webb can be proud of, win or
lose," Patton said.
But, like it or not, coaches are
ultimately judged on the luster of their
records, and despite a 2-9 mark in 1996,
expectations for the Runnin' Bulldogs
run much higher this fall.
Patton has talent to work with on both
sides of the ball.
Taking the snaps at quarterback and
shouldering a huge portion of the
offensive load will be sophomore Clint
Conner.
Conner was last season's South Atlantic
Conference Offensive Freshman of the
Year. In a '96 campaign that redefined
the expression "baptism under fire,"
Conner showed considerable poise and
talent in the face of an otherwise dismal
season.
Conner will have to master a new,
more complex system this fall, but Coach
Patton feels that he is up to the challenge.
"We'll have to build the offense around
him. He's competitive, smart and very
coachable," Patton said.
Conner is only one part of the offensive
puzzle for this team. Transfer Courtney
"CoCo" Henderson will see plenty of
time at tailback this fall. He played for
Patton last season at North Greenville,
and knows the system well.
Although he is not very big (5' 9" and
185 lbs), he is more than fast enough to
make up for it. He is the game-breaker
that every successful team needs.
The major problem with the offense is
the line. Injuries to Billy Henderson and
Keon Stewart (59) and Chris Mintz (87) work out on the blocking sled in preparation for the
upcoming season. The GWU football team will open the season August 30 at 7:00 p.m. at
Spangler Stadium against Johnson C. Smith University. ^^ Richie Ellison)
Kevin Cruise ha\'e hurt the depth and
chemistry of what is the most vital part
of any offense.
"We moved some people around some
(on the line). They'll improve and
develop as they play together. We'll just
have to make the best of it," Patton said.
Depth is a concern for the coaching
staff on the other side of the ball as well.
The players they have available are
talented. Brian Brooks, a transfer from
N.C. State, and Chris Mintz, a transfer
from UNC, will lead the front four.
The linebacking corps is led by senior
Bo Shannon. In defensive coordinator
Will Holthouser's attcking scheme, look
for players like Wes Schenk, Keon
Stewart and Ventress Williams to have
big years in the new system.
Kareem Jordan and Shon Dawkins are
penciled in at the corners, while Tim
Dasher and Bryant Foster will see action
at safety. It will take time, but Patton
believes it will all come together.
"The defense is making progress. The
line is solid and the linebackers are pretty
good—we just need to cut down on our
mistakes," he said.
Mental errors-killed the Runnin'
Pilot staff: Karen Brower, editor; Randy Capps, sports editor; Richie
Ellison and Amanda Williams, photographers; Kimberly Adams, Sherril Bradey,
Chad Delzell, Richie Ellison, Angela Flanagan, Nic Floyd, Mary Gettys, Cyndi
Higgins, Justin Hutto, Takiya Patrick, Jenny Rogers, Suzanna Saadi, Megan
Setzer, Shannon Spencer, Frank Spurlock and Brianne Taylor
Advisors: Mr. Bob Carey and Ms. Jennifer Carlile
To contact us: Campus Box 313 and Campus Phone 4389
Bulldogs in '96. Coach Patton knows
that in order to be successful, the same
can not happen this fall.
The season kicks off this weekend
against Johnson C. Smith. The Golden
Bulls return a lot of weapons fromlast
season's 7-3 squad. It's been a long
preseason, and Patton and his troops are
anxious to get started.
"We're tired of hitting each other. We
want to get out and hit somebody else.
They're (Johnson C. Smith) probably a
little farther along than we are, but we're
going to go out and play hard, and try not
to make mistakes and see what happens,"
Patton said.
Patton not only has a major rebuilding
job on his hands, but has also landed in
one of the nation's toughest conferences.
The South Atlantic Conference features
Carson-Newman (the trendy pick to win
the Division II national championship),
in addition to tough teams like Catawba,
Mars Hill and Newberry. So, the
possiblity exists that the Bulldogs will be
much improved, but not win many more
games than last season. Patton knows
that long-term success takes time.
"My job is to come in here and build
on what we have and get better every
game. I can't concern myself with what
other teams have because I'm trying to
build a program here," Patton said.
"And even if it doesn't happen this
year, I believe that it will eventually
happen," he added.
One thing is for sure about the
upcoming season: this Runnin' Bulldog
football program will be headed in the
right direction.
How fast they get there is anyone's
guess.
Coming next issue: A complete 1997
Runnin’ Bulldogs fall sports preview