The Week

South Carolina beat North Carolina 31-13 in a game of give-and-take in which the winner did most of the taking. The visiting Gamecocks (5-3) recovered both of the Tar Heels' fumbles and helped themselves to three of their passes. Previously unbeaten North Carolina had committed only eight turnovers in six games. And freshman Linebacker James Seawright picked off one throw for South Carolina and further made a pest of himself with 12 unaided tackles. He assisted on another and knocked away a pass. Noting North Carolina's early three-deep coverage, Quarterback Gordon Beckham took what was available. Beckham completed a series of short passes, often to the sidelines, including a school-record 14 in a row and finished with 16 of 17 for 195 yards. A three-yard touchdown pass by Beckham put South Carolina in front 21-7 in the third period. Tar Heel Punter Jeff Hayes faked a kick and ran 79 yards to make the score 21-13, but the Gamecocks then took charge for good.

"Some teams, like Virginia, line up one way and do something else, but North Carolina didn't," Beckham said as he attempted to explain his uncommon success. "North Carolina played just like it's diagrammed, and our plans worked." It was helpful, too, that Running Back Johnny Wright added some diversity to South Carolina's attack by carrying the ball 27 times for 115 yards. North Carolina, which was still playing without early-season running sensation Kevin Bryant, also had to get along without another vital offensive cog after Quarterback Rod Elkins was sidelined in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

North Carolina State, too, did lots of taking, intercepting three passes at Clemson and pouncing on two Tiger fumbles. The thefts were to no avail, however, as Clemson won the ACC game 17-7. Tiger Quarterback Homer Jordan made up for his three interceptions, lost fumble and paltry 43 yards passing by rushing for 104 yards.

After a rousing start—Maryland led Duke 21-14 at the end of the first quarter—the pace slowed and the Terps prevailed 24-21. Maryland built its early lead around a 92-yard kickoff return by Tim Quander and scoring runs of 17 and 54 yards by Charlie Wysocki. Gary Schofield's three touchdown passes led Wake Forest to a 24-21 triumph over winless Virginia.

A breakdown in Mississippi State's kicking game enabled Auburn to take a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Danny Skutack of the Tigers blocked Dana Moore's punt in the third period, and fellow Linebacker Chris Martin returned it 32 yards to knot the score at 14-14. On the Bulldogs' next possession, an official ruled that Moore's knee had touched the ground before he could field a bad snap. That snafu gave Auburn the ball on the State 41. Minutes later, Al Del Greco kicked a 26-yard field goal. Moore atoned by punting 66 yards to the Auburn 26 early in the final period. When State got the ball back, John Bond came through with two clutch passes to Wingback Danny Knight—a 32-yarder on fourth-and-nine and a 19-yard strike for a touchdown with one minute to play—to give the Bulldogs a 21-17 victory.

That was only the second scoring pass of the season for Mississippi State, the first having come in the second quarter when Glen Young hauled in a 16-yard throw from Bond. All of which was a bit of sweet revenge for the man in charge of the Bulldog passing game—Doug Barfield, who was fired last year from his head coaching job at Auburn. Still, Mississippi State might not have been victorious had it not been for the play of Middle Linebacker Johnie Cooks. Cooks, the ringleader in a tenacious defense that limited the Tigers to 198 yards in total offense, was credited with 11 unassisted tackles and with lending a hand on a 12th.

"There didn't seem to be much enthusiasm," Georgia Coach Vince Dooley said after his team beat Kentucky 21-0. Vince, though, appeared not to be un-Dooley concerned. After all, the 'Dogs earned their third shutout in seven games and Herschel Walker pounded out 129 yards in 33 carries, despite a bothersome cold and an offensive line that seldom opened straight-ahead holes for him to blast his way through. Walker consequently spent much of his time looking for openings while running laterally.

" 'Bama Blast" was the theme of Alabama's homecoming. That's just what it was as the Tide defeated Rutgers 31-7 for its 54th consecutive on-campus victory. Alabama scored on its first three possessions, led 17-0 and used subs for most of the second half.

Vanderbilt broke its streak of 33 SEC losses by overtaking Mississippi 27-23 as Tailback Van Heflin scored on runs of 49 and 13 yards in the fourth period. No one rescued Marshall, however, which blew a 16-0 lead and lost to VMI 20-16. The Herd now has 24 losses and one tie in its last 25 Southern Conference games. In non-conference contests it was Tennessee 28, Memphis State 9 and Miami 31, East Carolina 6.

South Carolina State, which had averaged 33.9 points a game, the loftiest figure in Division 1-AA, needed a 14-yard TD pass from second-string QB Ben Mungin to Marion Brown with 2:43 remaining to edge Florida A&M 16-15. Jackson (Miss.) State, which was second in scoring average (31.7), dropped a 15-7 decision to Grambling (La.) State in a battle to determine which team would be first in the Southwestern Conference.