TheSunNews.com: Sports

Chants hang on for big win

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:21 EST

After intercepting Gardner-Webb with four minutes remaining, Coastal Carolina corner Josh Norman raised a hand in the air to celebrate as a defender was wrestling him to the ground.

By now the Chanticleers should know that celebrating prematurely is dangerous against any opponent, much less the Bulldogs. Nevertheless, Gardner-Webb should know the dangers of testing Coastal's ball-hawking sophomore.

Norman tied a Big South record with three interceptions, including one in the end zone in the game's final minute, to help the Chants preserve a much-needed 26-21 victory over their conference rivals Saturday.

Waccamaw wins girls tennis title

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:17 EST

When it came down to the final match, Waccamaw's girls tennis team had a pair of aces in the hole as Tolley Rice and Casey Altman teamed up to drop Sarah Seigler and Claire Gillespie 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 doubles to lock up the Class AA state championship Saturday with a 4-3 win over Emerald at the Palmetto Tennis Center.

"I feel like they are the one of the best doubles teams," Warriors coach James Brown said of his No. 1 doubles duo . "We know what they are going to do when they get out there. We felt like [getting to No. 1 doubles] would be a plus for us. [Emerald] saw us play yesterday and saw how talented our girls were."

Rice won early at No. 1 singles and Altman won at No. 3, but Emerald took wins at Nos. 2, 4 and 5 singles and needed to win just one doubles match to take its first title since 1996 after losing to Bishop England in the state final the last two seasons.

Clemson takes control of ACC Atlantic

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:11 EST

C.J. Spiller had a career-high 165 yards rushing and his 20th touchdown of at least 50 yards and Clemson took its biggest step yet toward an Atlantic Coast Conference title with a 40-24 victory over Florida State on Saturday night.

Spiller, the Tigers' star senior, caught a 58-yard TD pass from Kyle Parker and, with 312 all-purpose yards, surpassed the school record of 310 he set in Clemson's 40-37 overtime win at Miami two weeks ago.

He also closed Clemson's fifth victory over the Seminoles (4-5, 2-4) in the past seven meetings with a high-stepping, 5-yard scoring run as the orange-clad fans shook Death Valley.

Briefly: Former CCU player Marrio Norman arrested

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:18 EST

Norman arrested

Former Coastal Carolina football standout Marrio Norman was charged with multiple offenses following a traffic stop early Saturday morning.

Norman faces charges of simple possession of marijuana and possession of a suspended driver's license, said Myrtle Beach officials.

Norman's 3 picks put him in elite group

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Former Coastal Carolina corner Marrio Norman knew his brother was the most likely candidate to match his single-game interception record.

But three picks in one game? Even Marrio couldn't have imagined his brother, corner Josh Norman, accomplishing that feat as a sophomore. Josh intercepted three passes, including one in the end zone with 23 seconds left, to lift the Chanticleers to a 26-21 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday.

"I knew he had a chance, but not this soon," Marrio said. "It was spectacular."

CCU-Gardner-Webb quarter-by-quarter breakdown

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:12 EST

First quarter

Key moment | Coastal Carolina scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but tailback Tommy Fraser fumbled away a pitch on the Chanticleers' next drive. After taking over at Coastal's 9, the Bulldogs needed just three plays to drive nine yards for the tying score.

The man | Coastal quarterback Zach MacDowall was 7-for-10 passing for 78 yards and a touchdown to Akeem Wesley in the opening stanza. He was completing just 56 percent of his passes and throwing for just 121.5 yards per game entering Saturday.

USC comes apart in the second half

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:09 EST

About the only positive to come from Arkansas' 33-16 thrashing of South Carolina on Saturday was there was no evidence of finger-pointing outside the losing locker room.

This was the epitome of a team loss.

USC's defense gave up a season-high in passing yards and total yards, and the offense unraveled in the third quarter. Throw in a botched extra point and a couple of questionable coaching decisions, and there was plenty of blame to go around following the Gamecocks' third loss in four games.

USC notebook: QBs both aim to be elite company

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:10 EST

Stephen Garcia has known Arkansas' Ryan Mallett since they attended the Elite Eleven quarterback camp in 2006.

Having witnessed Mallett's arm strength for a week in California, Garcia is not surprised by his success.

"He's got a cannon. I saw that when I first met him. He throws the ball as hard and as well as I've ever seen anybody throw it," Garcia said. "It's very impressive to watch. He's a good player."

CCU notebook: Reserve back gets his chance

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:13 EST

CONWAY -- Midway through the second quarter, Coastal Carolina reserve tailback Marcus Whitener was pulled from the game in favor of true freshman Jeremy Height. Whitener came to the sideline and ripped the chinstraps unbuckled from his helmet.

"I was just frustrated, because I wanted to show what I could do," Whitener said. "I didn't feel like I was getting an opportunity."

When he finally did get his chance in the second half, Whitener left a big impression. He had just seven career touches before Saturday's 26-21 win over Gardner-Webb, but carried six times and caught four passes, including a touchdown, in the second half to help the Chanticleers extend their winning streak against the Bulldogs.

Column: Gamecocks at a loss to explain latest swoon

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:10 EST

There is a sure-fire way to judge teams this late in the college football season. Some appear to get better from week to week. Others seem to regress.

Put South Carolina in the latter category after Saturday's demoralizing 33-16 loss to Arkansas. It followed a disheartening 31-13 loss at Tennessee.

What makes both losses difficult for USC faithful to swallow is that while the Gamecocks appear to be heading south, Tennessee and Arkansas look to be much improved from early in the season.

After slow start, team gets defensive

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:32 EST

Captain Munnerlyn, the Carolina Panthers' loquacious rookie defensive back, can't remember who it was he was talking to last week. But Munnerlyn was eager to discuss the Panthers' newly formidable defense.

"We were saying how this defense really works," Munnerlyn said. "You get some pressure on the quarterback, get some interceptions and away you go. I guess it has taken a while, but look at how it's working now. Everybody's happy."

"Happy" is not a word to describe the Panthers' defensive situation in September, as the season unfolded with three consecutive losses after a winless preseason. New defensive coordinator Ron Meeks' system remained a mystery to many players. The team was unable to stop the run. Injuries tested the depth. The defense's best player, Julius Peppers, was again being criticized for a perceived lack of effort.

Zero Cup wins for Edwards after nine last year

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Carl Edwards has found a way to try to mask the frustration of his winless NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

"I've kind of tried to think of it differently," Edwards said. "It's not that we haven't had no wins this season, it's just that we've had nine wins over the last two. That sounds a lot better."

That still doesn't erase that very noticeable zero in 2009.

Mare rallies to beat out the boys

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:33 EST

What a gal!

Zenyatta beat the boys in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, running her record to 14-0 in the most impressive effort of her career.

The 5-year-old mare rallied from last in the early going and fought off Gio Ponti in the stretch to win by a length at Santa Anita, beating a loaded field of 11 males and becoming the first female to win the Classic in its 26-year history.

Big South roundup: Flames down VMI to remain perfect in BSC

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:11 EST

Matt Bevins kicked four field goals and seven players scored for Liberty in a 54-14 rout of Virginia Military Institute on Saturday night.

The Flames (7-2, 4-0 Big South Conference) scored three touchdowns on offense, two on special teams and one on defense.

The Keydets (2-7, 1-5) took a 7-0 lead on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Hughes to Mario Scott with 13:43 left in the first quarter.

Auto racing roundup: NASCAR trifecta in reach for Kyle Bush at Texas

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Kyle Busch keeps extending streaks at Texas in search of a NASCAR first.

Busch won his fourth consecutive Nationwide Series race at the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked track Saturday. The dominating victory came a day after he won his fifth truck race in his last five starts in the series.

He will try to complete an unprecedented trifecta Sunday and become the first driver to win all three of NASCAR's national series on the same weekend.

NASCAR notebook: Kyle Busch's new crew chief ready for 1st tirade

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Kyle Busch's new crew chief knows what's coming.

Dave Rogers also knows it won't do any good to worry about being on the receiving end of the demanding driver's first tirade.

"I'm probably going to take some beatings from him," Rogers said. "We all know that he can be verbal, and I'm probably going to have a give a few back. It's going to be a good working relationship."

UNC coach bares his soul in new book

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Even after 64 hours of interviews and months of editing, North Carolina coach Roy Williams says he still found himself tearing up the first two times he proof-read his autobiography, "Hard Work: A Life on and Off the Court" that was released last week.

"Talking about my childhood was the hardest thing," Williams said. "At one point, I thought about not saying anything, but then I thought it would be such a misrepresentation of my life, and it would be such a vanilla book, that it would be untrue. If it was going to be the true autobiography, it's supposed to be what happens to you."

In the $24.95 hardcover book, written with former Sports Illustrated reporter Tim Crothers, the two-time NCAA title-winning coach reveals that he observed his alcoholic father physically abuse his mother while growing up; at one point, a 14-year old Williams pulled his drunk and angry dad off his mom, shoved a bottle under his chin and threatened to kill him if he didn't leave. His parents were separated at the time, Williams writes, and Babe Williams never returned to the house.

Crimson Tide clinch spot in SEC championship

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:14 EST

Julio Jones left defenders grasping at his heels and Alabama's defense was typically immovable. The Crimson Tide are riding that combination to the SEC championship game for the second consecutive season.

The popular Jones made the biggest play of what has been a relatively quiet sophomore season, breaking free for a 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, and No. 3 Alabama locked down No. 9 LSU in a 24-15 victory Saturday.

Leigh Tiffin booted a 40-yard field goal with 3:04 left to seal it and the Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) earned a rematch with No. 1 Florida for the league championship.

Hot Gordon can't close deal

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:16 EST

In many ways, this has been one of Jeff Gordon's best seasons in the Sprint Cup Series.

With three races remaining, he has been in the championship hunt nearly from the start of the season, and he has 16 Top-five and 23 Top-10 finishes - stats almost as good or better than when he won series titles in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001.

He has finished first or second in nine of the 33 races thus far and will start on the pole for today's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Top 25 roundup: Navy ends Notre Dame chances for BCS bowl

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:19 EST

Navy's second consecutive victory at Notre Dame Stadium didn't produce the same euphoria for the Midshipmen as the last one.

Just another win as far Navy was concerned - though this loss to the Midshipmen was much more costly for Notre Dame.

Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left Saturday, and Navy held on for a 23-21 victory, its second in three seasons against the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish.