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Lou's coup Gamecocks-Buckeyes unthinkable in August
Updated: Sunday December 31, 2000 12:00 AM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- No doom and gloom from Lou Holtz on Sunday. South Carolina's coach beamed as he formally accepted the Gamecocks' bid to play Ohio State (8-3) in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on New Year's Day. "Having grown up and coached at Ohio State, I never thought I'd be taking South Carolina to play Ohio State on January 1st," Holtz said. "Of course, I never dreamed that on Aug. 20th, either." The Gamecocks (7-4) have posted one of the greatest turnarounds ever, snapping a 21-game losing streak to make it to a New Year's Day bowl. It's only the 10th bowl game ever for South Carolina, which won its first postseason game in 1995, beating West Virginia 24-21 in the Carquest Bowl. And its a homecoming of sorts for Holtz, who rooted for the Buckeyes while growing up in East Liverpool, Ohio, and was an assistant coach for Ohio State in 1968. "We think we have one of the best stories in college football this year," Outback Bowl executive director Jim McVay said. Holtz said he plans to start with the basics and hasn't even watched any tape of Ohio State. He'll stress fundamentals this week before advancing the game plan. "I'm going to treat this as a one-game season," he said. Holtz said he's worried about how his running game matches up with the Buckeyes. Ohio State's rushing defense holds teams to an average of 91 yards a game, best in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation, while South Carolina averages 157 yards per game on the ground. Several players with nagging injuries, like quarterback Phil Petty and defensive back Andre Goodman, are expected to be healthy by game time, Holtz said. South Carolina in just the latest team Holtz has turned around. The other five teams Holtz coached also went to bowl games by his second year there. Holtz is 10-8-2 in bowl games in his career. Holtz' news conference on Sunday came at the end of a snowy practice, watched by more than 1,000 Gamecock supporters on fan appreciation day. The team planned to sign autographs outside, but athletic officials invited the fans inside a large, heated meeting room at Williams-Brice Stadium. Holtz, who praised the dedication of South Carolina fans several times, said every supporter he met or signed an autograph for has bought tickets and booked hotel rooms in Tampa. "I just hope the fans will leave enough people here to guard the banks," Holtz said.
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