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| INSIDE | | INFO |
Vol. 112 No. 1 Friday, January 1, 2016 $
100
The Journal
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
CU in Arizona
REX BROWN | THE JOURNAL
Clemson receivers Hunter Renfrow, left, and Artavis Scott celebrate after Renfrow scored a touchdown during the Tigers’ 37-17 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Capital One
Orange Bowl on Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Second-half surge sends Tigers to national title game
• Tigers’ defense clamps
down to punch ticket to
Glendale. C1
• Notebook: Watson came to
Clemson “for moments like
this.” C1
• Column: Have Tigers finally
fully earned respect? C1
• A quarter-by-quarter
breakdown and statistics
from Thursday’s game. C6
• Alabama punches its ticket
to championship game
with blowout win over
Michigan State. C4
Inside
BY ROBBIE TINSLEY
THE JOURNAL
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. —
lemson came out of the locker
room for the second half running,
and the Tigers won’t stop until
they get to Glendale, Ariz.
Clemson running back Wayne
Gallman finished with 150 yards — 111 after
halftime — with two second-half touch-
downs and quarterback Deshaun Watson
added 145 yards on the ground to send the
Tigers to the national championship game
with a 37-17 victory over Oklahoma in the
Orange Bowl on Thursday.
“The second half was my time,” Gallman
said afterward. “I knew the defense was
worn down and it was time to go to the
run.”
All in all, Clemson (14-0) finished with
312 rushing yards compared to Oklahoma’s
run total of just 67. Thirty-four years after
Clemson’s lone national championship in
1981 — with a team Danny Ford built on
the importance of run offense and defense
— the Tigers will play Alabama on Jan.
11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in
Glendale, Ariz., with a chance to put “2015”
amongst “1981” in program lore.
SEE TIGERS, PAGE A2

Saturday, March 12, 2016 The Journal C1
SportsSportsSports Editor: Robbie Tinsley | rtinsley@upstatetoday.com | 864-882-2385
Sports Writer: J.D. Elliott | jdelliott@upstatetoday.com | 864-882-2386
JOHNNY BE GONE
Browns officially part
ways with former 1st-
round pick Manziel. C4
INSIDE
College hoops C3
NASCAR C3
High schools C4
Outdoors C5
Brownell,
Tigers have
reason for
optimism,
but not
satisfaction
Stricker
shareslead
atValspar
asSpieth
makescut
Tigersdrop
ACCopener
toDeacons
thanksto
Craig’sHRs
THE JOURNAL STAFF
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
Wake Forest hit three home
runs, including two two-run
homers by Will Craig, to
jump out to a 6-0 lead and
held on to defeat No. 20 Clem-
son 6-4 on Friday night.
Wake Forest (11-4, 1-0 ACC)
scored three runs in the first
inning, capped
by Craig’s first
long ball of the
game. Gavin
Sheets led off
the second with
a homer before
Craig’s second
home run of the
night and sev-
enth of the season
in the third.
The Tigers
(9-3, 0-1) chipped
away with a
two-run homer by Seth Beer,
his fourth of the year, in the
fourth inning and Chase
Pinder’s solo long ball, his
team-leading fifth of the year,
in the seventh inning.
Tiger starter Charlie
Barnes (1-2) suffered the loss
despite a career-high nine
strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
The series continues today
at 4 p.m.
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
CENTRAL — Despite the fact
that his team trailed for most
of Friday’s 9-6 loss to Palmetto
High School, Daniel baseball
coach Randy Christmas was
pleased with the grit of his team.
“Teams in the past wouldn’t
battle like we battled tonight,”
Christmas said. “There were
three or four times when we
could have hung our heads, but
our guys competed.”
The Lions pitching strug-
gled for much of the evening,
forcing Christmas to trot out
five different pitchers to record
the 21 outs necessary to finish
the game, but Daniel responded
with runs in three of the four
frames that Palmetto scored.
The top of the Mustangs
order was especially deadly.
The first three hitters — Pay-
ton Young, Grant Houston
and Gehrig DeFronzo — went
a combined 6-for-10 with six
runs, 3 RBI, two tri-
ples and a double.
“The top of the
lineup set the table
for us,” Palmetto
coach Matt Frazier
said. “Young had
a great game for
us with a couple
triples and scored
some runs, Houston
has been battling a
hamstring injury,
so it was nice to
have him in the
lineup and he had a couple
clutch hits for RBI.”
Down 9-4 in the bottom of
the seventh inning, the Lions
made it interesting in the final
frame.
Daniel shortstop Jacob Maloney leaps for a high throw as Palmetto’s
Luke Cothran slides into second base during their game on Friday
night in Central. The Lions scored three in the seventh, but lost 9-6.
Danielshowsgrit,butfall
tohot-hittingMustangs
Central success
BY ROBBIE TINSLEY
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — Shaq Lawson
is eager to find out where his
new home is going to be.
With the exception of a year
at prep school in Virginia in
2012, Lawson has called either
Central or Clemson home for
all of his 21 years, but by the
end of April, he’ll know where
he’s going to be spending the
next chunk of his life.
That’s when the 2016 NFL
draft will be held in Chicago,
and Lawson — along with his
mother and younger siblings
— will be right there to find
out where his new home will
be.
“I just can’t wait for that day
to come,” he said after partici-
pating in Clemson’s pro day on
Wednesday. “It’ll just be spe-
cial to hear my name called.”
Lawson will be the eighth
Clemson defensive end in 10
years to get drafted — a rather
startling streak that includes
five taken in the first two
rounds, another group Lawson
should join.
But it’s another tradition
Lawson has continued that
hits closer to home — he’ll
be the fourth Daniel High
School football alumnus in
less than a decade to make
the journey from Singleton
Field to Clemson’s Memorial
Stadium to the professional
ranks, joining Jarvis Jen-
kins, DeAndre Hopkins and
DeShawn Williams.
It’s a run that their Daniel
football coach Randy Robin-
son calls “unprecedented.”
“It’s hard to believe that
a school of Daniel’s size can
have four guys in the NFL at
the same time,” Robinson said.
Lawson called his time at
Daniel “a great experience.”
“The program at Daniel is
great,” he said. “We follow the
same thing we do at Clemson.
Great football team, great
coaching staff — they put
me in the right position to be
successful.”
H
oward Stern’s “Private
Parts” was the reigning
No. 1 at the box office,
the Spice Girls’ annoying yet
catchy “Wannabe” was atop
the Billboard charts, and I
was a senior in high school
the last time Clemson won a
game in the NCAA Tourna-
ment proper.
The Tigers’ second-half
collapse Wednesday ensured
the drought
will con-
tinue for
at least an-
other year.
(Not that
they were in
any danger
of making
the field, but
it was still
technically
possible.)
The Tigers
did win a
game in the
First Four
in 2010, but for the purposes
of making an apples-to-ap-
ples comparison to other
Clemson teams and coaches,
they haven’t registered a
victory as one of the final 64
teams since 1997.
In the wake of Clemson’s
88-85 ACC Tournament
defeat to Georgia Tech,
there was a noticeable vibe
around the program that
reminded me distinctly of
what took place with the Ti-
ger baseball program about
a year ago.
Much like the tail end of
Jack Leggett’s tenure, the
fan base is divided … and it
makes the team, well, not
much fun to follow.
OFF THE
BEAT |
STEVEN
BRADLEY
SEE BRADLEY, PAGE C3
LawsonthelatestLiononNFL’sdoorstep
SEE DANIEL, PAGE C5
‘Not many people make it
from where we’re from.
To have people from Central
be in the NFL is just
great. We know
we’re doing
something
right.’
Shaq Lawson
BY DOUG FERGUSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PALM HARBOR, Fla. —
Jordan Spieth holed three
shots from off the green and
made the cut with one shot to
spare Friday in the Valspar
Championship.
Now he has to figure out
how to catch up to Steve
Stricker and Will MacKenzie.
Stricker, playing for only
the fifth time
this year, holed
out from the
10th fairway for
eagle and made
a 60-foot birdie
putt across the
fourth green for
a 5-under 66 that
gave him a share
of the lead with MacKenzie,
who had a 67.
They were at 5-under 137,
one shot ahead of Bill Haas
(67), Graham DeLaet (66) and
Daniel Berger (68).
Spieth is just happy to be
joining them. He opened
with a 76 and was in danger
of missing the cut, espe-
cially when the wind began
to pick up just as he was
starting his second round
on the Copperhead course at
Innisbrook.
And then he hooked his
tee shot on the par-5 opening
hole into a bush, had to take
a penalty shot and made
bogey on the easiest hole on
the course.
“I’m walking off that
green going, ‘Oh, boy. We
can either somehow flip
this one around today or ...
I don’t want that to be the
key of me not being able to
be here for the weekend.’ I
thought it was really strong
what we did after that,” he
said.
Nearly five hours later, af-
ter he nearly holed a bunker
shot on the 17th to save par,
Spieth exhaled on the 18th
tee and said with a smile,
“This was grinding today.
I’ve got some good stuff com-
ing on the weekend.”
He wound up with a 68 and
was at 2-over 144 to make the
cut by one shot. That’s all
he was thinking about until
he chipped in from behind
the green on the 15th for a
birdie, and his tee shot on
the 16th narrowly cleared
the water.
It was hard work, and
there is plenty left.
Stricker
SEE STRICKER, PAGE C3SEE LAWSON, PAGE C3
6
4
9
6
A consensus first-round
draft pick for April’s
NFL draft, Shaq Lawson
looks to be the latest
high draft pick for a pair
of successful traditions
— Clemson defensive
ends and former Daniel
High School standouts.

Saturday, March 19, 2016 The Journal C1
PURE MADNESS
Double-digit seeds
rule the day as upset-
heavy first round
comes to an end. C8
INSIDE
High schools C2
Scoreboard C3
Outdoors C5
NASCAR C7
Relationshipwithcoachleads
Taylortospecialseniorseason
West-Oak’s Ajah Taylor is the Mountain Lakes’ Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
WESTMNINSTER — First-year
West-Oak High School girls’ bas-
ketball coach Natosha Rucker
knew what she had in senior
Ajah Taylor long before she
accepted her new position.
As an assistant at
Seneca, Rucker witnessed
firsthand what the versa-
tile Taylor could bring to the
court.
And as her first season as Taylor’s
head coach, the combo guard didn’t
disappoint. In her final season as a War-
rior, Taylor led the team to the playoffs
and averaged 17.3 points per game, 11.1
rebounds per game and 2.8 steals per
contest on her way to All-Western 3A
and All-State honors, as well as being
named The Journal’s Mountain Lakes
Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.
“It’s shocking, I didn’t think I would
see myself in this position — ever,” Tay-
lor said of her three big honors.
When asked about the biggest factor
in elevating her game, Taylor’s
answer was simple — her new
head coach.
“She never let me stay
down on myself for too
long — she always tried to
pick me up,” Taylor said.
“That was something that
I’ve been dealing with ever
since I got here.”
Whether it was a missed layup or
free throw or even a foul call, Taylor
would quickly get down on her self, but
Rucker encouraged her player to forget
about it and focus on the next play.
The process of developing Taylor into
a star began long before the season
opener.
Bracket
busters
Top-seeded
Gamecocks
bully J’ville
in tourney
opener
Missingout
on most of
March
Madness
T
here was a time in my
life when the first two
days of the NCAA Tour-
nament would have meant
setting up shop in front of a
TV for every potential upset
and bracket-buster that came
on.
And by “there was a time
in my life,”
I mean
the first 36
years. Many
of you who
are longtime
readers of
our newspa-
per might
remember
me writing
in this spot
how much I
enjoyed the
Big Dance.
But so far
this week,
for the 37th March Madness
of my lifetime, I haven’t
watched a single game.
That’s something I never
thought I’d say.
I’ve seen the final seconds
of a few contests when the
guys gathered around the TV
in the newsroom got rowdy
enough to grab my attention,
but not an actual game. Prob-
ably won’t watch much more
today or Sunday.
This thought occurred to
me as a sat down to write
this column about the Big
Dance and realized, well, it
was gonna be tricky.
One of the things that
regularly occurs to me
these days is how intoler-
ant people can be of others’
opinions — even simple likes
and dislikes — and that
seems strange to me because
one would hope most of us
change and mature over our
lifetimes.
There are many things I
don’t understand why some
folks enjoy — Donald Trump
as a presidential candidate,
steaks cooked past medium,
bro-country, flat-billed caps
and any TV show featuring a
Kardashian or their former
step-dad come to mind.
But that doesn’t mean I
look down upon people who
appreciate those things.
Heck, I might wake up
tomorrow and realize I’m
ready to take the plunge on
any of them.
(OK, I’m probably not
going to suddenly start
liking overdone steaks,
but the others are within
the realm. I once enjoyed
pro wrestling and the band
Creed, so I’m not ruling
anything out.)
OFF THE
BEAT |
STEVEN
BRADLEY
SEE BRADLEY, PAGE C6
BASKETBALL
ALL-MOUNTAIN LAKES
BASKETBALL
Girls’Girls’
SEE TAYLOR, PAGE C4
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — Friday
nights have been a
struggle for the Clemson
baseball team through
the first few weeks of the
2016 season.
Entering this week-
end’s series against
Boston College, the Ti-
gers were a perfect 12-0
on the other six days of
the week, but just 1-3 in
Friday games.
With that in mind,
first-year Clemson skip-
per Monte Lee made a
change which paid huge
dividends as the Tigers
took care of business
against the Eagles with
a series-opening 6-2 win
Friday night at Doug
Kingsmore Stadium.
After sophomore lefty
Charlie Barnes garnered
the first four Friday
starts of the
season, Lee
elected to
start se-
nior right-
hander Clate
Schmidt in
the premier
weekend
rotation spot
against BC,
and Schmidt
pitched sev-
en innings of
two-run ball
while strik-
ing out a career-high 11
batters to lead his team
to the victory.
Left-handed reliever
Patrick Krall continued
his devastating start
to the season, tossing
two scoreless innings
to relief to shut the door
on the Eagles (12-4, 2-2
ACC).
“We felt like our best
chance to win game
one was to run Clate
out there, and then run
Krall out there behind
him,” Lee said. “We
thought that was our
best combination, and
it worked out tonight.
We will definitely move
forward with that next
weekend, and hopeful-
ly we will leave it like
that the rest of the year,
because if we pitch like
that, we’re going to win
a lot of games.”
It wasn’t all smooth
sailing for Schmidt.
After Clemson (14-3,
3-1 ACC) scored a pair of
runs in the bottom of the
second, Boston College
responded by smacking
a pair of solo home runs
in the top of the third.
Clemson’s Seth Beer holds a celebratory sledgehammer
after hitting a two-run home run during the Tigers’ 6-2
win over Boston College on Friday.
Schmidt,homerunshelpTigerssolveFridayhex
ASSOCIATED PRESS
M
arch Madness’ biggest upset in the Round of 64 came at the expense of one of the NCAA
Tournament’s stalwarts. Jaqawn Raymond and 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State never
trailed in their shocking 90-81 win over No. 2 seed Michigan State on Friday in St. Louis. It’s
only the eighth time a No. 15 seed has defeated a No. 2 seed in tournament history. For more from
Friday’s upset-heavy action, turn to page C8.
6
2
SEE TIGERS, PAGE C6
BY PETE IACOBELLI
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA — South Car-
olina forward Alaina Coates
said coach Dawn Staley
had a stern, succinct mes-
sage for her cold-shooting
Gamecocks early on against
Jacksonville.
“She told us to pound the
ball in the paint,”
Coates said.
It’s worked for
the top-seeded
Gamecocks all
season — and
it worked once
more to start the
NCAA Tourna-
ment as twin post
powers Coates
and A’ja Wilson
each had double
doubles to lift
South Carolina
to a 77-41 victory over Jack-
sonville on Friday night.
The 6-foot-4 Coates had 22
points and 10 rebounds while
6-5 Wilson had 15 points and
11 boards.
The Gamecocks (32-1) next
play No. 9 seed Kansas State
on Sunday for a spot in the
Sweet 16.
South Carolina started just
2 of 9 from the field against
first-time NCAA participant
Dolphins (22-11), often set-
77
41
SEE GAMECOCKS, PAGE C2

Saturday, April 2, 2016 The Journal C1
HOUSTON, WE
HAVE TIP-OFF
Wildcats, Sooners,
Tar Heels and Orange
prepare for Final Four. C5
INSIDE
Scoreboard C2
NASCAR C3
Outdoors C3
MLB C4
Frank Martin
given 4-year
extension by
SouthCarolina
BY PETE IACOBELLI
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA — South Carolina
men’s basketball coach Frank
Martin has received a four-year
contract extension and a raise af-
ter tying the Gamecocks’ record
for most wins in a season.
Martin’s new deal was ap-
proved by the
school’s Board of
Trustees on Friday.
He received a raise
of $350,000 and will
make $2.45 million
next season. The con-
tract keeps Martin
at South Carolina
through 2021-22. He
had two years remaining on
the six-year contract he signed
after arriving from Kansas State
following the 2011-12 season.
Martin’s salary will increase
by $50,000 each year throughout
the life of the contract.
The Gamecocks started 15-0
this season and went 11-7 in
the SEC to finish the year 25-9,
matching the most wins in
program history. The last time
South Carolina won 25 games
was the 1969-70 season.
Even though South Carolina
did not receive an NCAA Tour-
nament bid this year, athletic
director Ray Tanner believes the
program is heading in the right
direction.
Martin
SEE MARTIN, PAGE C5
LastseasonatTurnerField
figurestobebleakforBraves
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Opening Day starting pitcher Julio Teheran figures to
be one of the few bright spots for the Atlanta Braves
in 2016.
BY PAUL NEWBERRY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves
are looking forward to a shiny new
stadium and the bounty of a replen-
ished farm system.
First, they must get through 2016.
Coming off a 95-loss season, their
worst in a quarter-century, the
Braves are likely to endure another
difficult year while slogging through
a major rebuilding job.
New general manager John Cop-
polella has largely accomplished
the goal of hoarding top young tal-
ent, including an impressive trade
with Arizona that brought in 2015
No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swan-
son. A farm system that ranked
among the worst in baseball just a
year ago is now considered one of
the best.
The big league roster is filled with
holes, however, from a woefully thin
rotation to a glaring lack of power
hitters.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez tried to
sound optimistic.
“My expectation is for us to always
be a playoff team, to get in there
somehow,” he said. “A lot of stuff’s
got to go right for us to do that, obvi-
ously.”
Back to reality.
The once-powerhouse franchise
is clearly aiming toward a return to
contention in 2017, when the Braves
move into their new suburban home,
SunTrust Park.
“I just know that last year what
we went through was the start of a
process, and this year we’re in the
second year of that process,” catcher
A.J. Pierzynski said. “I’m sure there
are people around who don’t believe
we’re any good.”
But team’s future
at new suburban
ballpark is brighter
SEE BRAVES, PAGE C4
Column: As
Tiger fades
away, let’s
not forget
his greatness
BY PAUL NEWBERRY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
T
he azaleas are blooming, the
pollen is swirling, and green
sport coats are about to be in
vogue for one whole week.
Yet something is missing at
this dawning of spring.
Tiger Woods.
Whether he shows up at
Augusta National to play in the
first major of the year is beside
the point.
—
Editor’s note:
Woods announced
Friday night that he
will not play in the
Masters. See page C3.
—
What’s missing
is something that’s
never coming back.
Tiger in his prime.
While there’s no question the
future of the game is in good
hands with Jordan Spieth,
Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and
Rickie Fowler, none of those
young guns is likely to match
— or even come close — to what
Woods did at the height of his
dominance.
Spieth gave it a run last year,
winning the Masters and the
U.S. Open, just missing out on a
playoff at the British Open, and
taking the runner-up spot at the
PGA Championship.
Now, let’s see if the young Tex-
an can keep it going for another
decade or so.
“It’s hard to explain to Jordan
coming out now how (Woods)
was just so much better than
everyone,” says Adam Scott,
a Masters champion himself.
“We’re all quick to forget that
sometimes.”
Woods
SEE WOODS, PAGE C6
Friday night fireworks
| CLEMSON BASEBALL |
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — The Clemson
baseball team hasn’t lost a
game at Doug Kingsmore Sta-
dium since the season opener
against Maine, and that trend
continued as the Tigers beat
Pittsburgh 14-6 on Friday
night.
Clemson’s home winning
streak reached
lucky No. 13, as
the Tiger batters
knocked 16 hits
and every player in
the starting lineup
reached base at
least once. It’s
the longest home
winning streak
since the 2009-10
seasons, when
Clemson (20-6, 6-4
ACC) won 18 home
contests in a row.
“You’re not supposed to lose
at home,” said left fielder Reed
Rohlman, who went 4-for-5 at
the plate. “This isn’t surpris-
ing to us — this is our place.
We want people to fear coming
in here, and we’ve done a
great job of that so far. I think
teams are starting to realize
that we love playing here. It’s
a special thing — we have
some of the best fans in the
country, and it’s exciting.”
After plating one run in the
second, the Tigers scored in
every remaining frame against
Pittsburgh (12-10, 4-6), produc-
ing multiple runs in the third
(3), fourth (2) and sixth (5).
Pittsburgh starter Josh Falk
(2-3) escaped trouble in the
first inning by forcing Seth
Beer to hit into an inning-end-
ing double play with a pair of
runners on first and second,
but the right-hander gave up
five hits and two walks —
allowing four runners to cross
the plate in 2.1 innings.
His replacement, Jextin
Pugh, didn’t fare much better,
surrendering two runs in 1.2
innings, and the wheels fell off
for Garrett Wrambel, who was
roughed up for six runs in just
1.1 innings of work.
Rohlman was one of six
Tigers with a multi-hit game,
driving in three runs and
scoring a pair in the rout.
After failing to record a hit
in the final two games of last
weekend’s series against
Miami, Rohlman has had a
bounce-back week tallying
seven hits in 11 plate appear-
ances in his last three games.
“I haven’t really changed
much — it’s baseball,” Rohl-
man said. “Hitters are going
to go through droughts, but
(I’ve been) talking to the
coaches every day, making
PHOTOS BY REX BROWN | THE JOURNAL
Top: Clemson’s Reed Rohlman led the offensive charge with four hits as the team racked up 16 base
knocks in Friday’s game against Pittsburgh. Bottom: Chris Williams high-fives Chase Pinder after
scoring one of the Tigers’ 14 runs, which powered the team’s 13th win in a row at Doug Kingsmore.
Thanksto
offensive
outburst,
Tigerskeep
Rohl-ing
athome
SEE TIGERS, PAGE C5
14
6

BY EDDIE PELLS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — One good shot
deserved another.
Kris Jenkins of Villanova wasn’t
about to be outdone.
Jenkins overcame the shock of
watching North Carolina’s Mar-
cus Paige hit a double-clutch 3 to
tie it by spotting up behind the
right side of the arc and draining
a 3 of his own at the buzzer to lift
Villanova to a 77-74 victory and the
national championship Monday
night.
What a shot. What a game.
The second-seeded Wildcats
(35-5), had a six-point
lead with 1:52 left,
but watched it slowly
trickle away. Then, it
was gone, when Paige
jumped — and with
Ryan Arcidiacono run-
ning at him — double
clutched and pumped
one from beyond the
arc to tie the game at 74
with 4.7 seconds left.
After a timeout,
Arcidiacono took the
inbound pass from
Jenkins, worked the ball upcourt
and got it back to the junior guard.
He took two quick stutter steps and
swished it from about two steps
behind the 3-point line.
Jenkins’ range is anywhere in
the gym, as he showed earlier in
the tournament by nonchalantly
draining a shot from the edge of
the midcourt logo.
When this one went up, he never
had a doubt.
“I think every shot’s going in, and
this one was no different,” he said.
He finished with 14 points — the
last three as memorable as any
that have been scored in the histo-
ry of this tournament.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 The Journal C1
LOOKING FOR A
BREAKTHROUGH
Fowler among those hoping
to end major heartbreak
at Augusta. C4
INSIDE
College hoops C2
High schools C3
MLB C3
Daniel attacker Kit Schleifer tries to get past West-
Oak’s Carlos Beatriz during their game on Monday
night in Central.
| NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP |
SUPER ‘NOVA
Clemsonlookstoimproveredzoneoffense
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — It’s tough
to have qualms when
your team scores on
90 percent of red zone
opportunities, but nev-
ertheless, the Clemson
football team has focused
on red zone offense this
offseason.
The coaching staff
isn’t dissatisfied with the
percentage — the total
was good for 14th in the
nation — but they would
like to improve upon the
Tigers’ 60-percent touch-
down mark in red zone
opportunities. The Ti-
gers cashed in 34 touch-
downs and converted
24 red zone
field goals in
60 red zone
chances.
For com-
parison,
Clemson op-
ponents fared
just slight-
ly worse,
scoring touchdowns on
57 percent of red zone
opportunities.
“We have all the ingre-
dients (to be great in the
red zone),” Clemson head
coach Dabo Swinney said
following Monday prac-
tice. “If you’re going to be
a team that can score in
the red zone, you need an
athletic quarterback. The
field shrinks — every-
thing’s tighter — (and)
you don’t have near as
much room for error.
“You have to be able
to run the football, you
have to have an athletic
quarterback and (you
have to have) guys that
can win 1-on-1 matchups.
We have those things, so
we should be a very good
red zone scoring team.”
Swinney was pleased
with the high percentage
of points in the red zone,
commenting the total
could be even higher if
Clemson didn’t decide to
take a knee on three trips
inside the 20-yard line.
With quarterback
Deshaun Watson at the
helm and a healthy stable
of running backs, the
Tigers can cross the first
two things off the list. A
Heisman Trophy con-
tender, Watson is a work-
aholic who is devoted
to fine-tuning his craft,
and that includes scoring
more points at the end of
drives.
“(We need to work on)
just finishing the drive
and capitalizing on the
opportunities,” Watson
said. “Last season, (we
had to settle for too many
field goals), so we need to
Lions struggle to break
down West-Oak, pull
away after halftime
BY ROBBIE TINSLEY
THE JOURNAL
CENTRAL — After
a week off from com-
petition due to spring
break, the Daniel High
School boys’ soccer team
certainly lacked the
cohesion and clinical
nature the Lions usually
possess.
But Daniel’s 3-0 win
against West-Oak was
less about what the de-
fending region champion
Lions struggled to do
and more about who they
struggled with.
In conjunction with
a well-organized War-
rior defense, West-Oak
freshman goalkeeper
George Dioguardi made
28 saves in a valiant at-
tempt to keep the Lions
from scoring. It took the
home team 48 minutes to
break the deadlock and
Dioguardi was hardly
at fault for the first two
Daniel goals — a John
Martin penalty kick and
an own goal by a War-
rior defender.
While Daniel head
coach Phillip Boyer
bemoaned his team’s
rustiness, he was also
quick to give credit to
West-Oak’s defending —
particularly Dioguardi.
“They didn’t give us
many gaps to work with
in the final third, and
when we did find a gap,
their keeper had a really
great game,” Boyer said.
“I just told him (after the
game) that was probably
the best keeper perfor-
mance I’ve seen against
us this season. I thought
he had a phenomenal
game.”
West-Oak head coach
Eddie Cliffe said he’s
come to ex-
pect that lev-
el of perfor-
mance from
Dioguardi.
“G is going
to be a big
asset —
he’s only a
freshman,”
Cliffe said.
“We have a
tendency at
West-Oak to
have good
keepers, so we hope that
he keeps that tradition.”
Going up against a
team that has yet to lose
in region play, West-
Oak made a conscious
decision to play a
defensive-minded game
and force Daniel (9-1, 7-0
Western 3A) to break
down the Warrior de-
fense piece by piece.
“We knew Daniel
hadn’t lost and that they
were going to be proba-
bly the toughest compe-
tition we’ll face all year,”
Dioguardi said. “We
knew we had to come out
strong.”
The Lions fired a cou-
ple long-distance shots
at Dioguardi early in
the match, but their first
big chance came when a
corner dropped to Bilal
Karanfil. The striker’s
snap shot in the 14th
minute was forced out of
the danger area by the
Warrior keeper. Six min-
utes later, Kit Schleifer
caught a left-footed
strike sweetly, only for
Dioguardi to make a
leaping save.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington Nationals’ Jayson Werth scores the game-tying run on a
sacrifice fly as the ball gets past Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski
in the ninth inning on Monday in Atlanta.
BravesletOpeningDaywinslipaway
BY CHARLES ODUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Gordon Beck-
ham and the Atlanta Braves
threw away chances to win their
opener.
Jason Grilli couldn’t hold a
one-run lead in the ninth inning
and Beckham’s throwing error
set up Daniel Murphy’s run-scor-
ing double in the 10th that sent
the Washington Nationals to a
4-3 victory Monday.
“You let a good team hang
around and they end up scoring
a run,” Braves manager Fredi
Gonzalez said.
New shortstop Erick Aybar
also had a throwing error in
his Atlanta debut as the Braves
wasted a solid start by Julio
Teheran, who allowed two runs
and five hits in six innings.
“I did everything that I could
to keep my team in
the game,” Teheran
said, adding he made
“a couple mistakes”
on homers by
Murphy and Bryce
Harper.
“But I felt really
good,” Teheran
added.
Freddie Freeman
and Adonis Garcia
homered against
Washington ace Max
Scherzer.
The Braves took a 3-2 lead in
the eighth. Washington’s Shawn
Kelley, who replaced Felipe Riv-
ero with the bases loaded, threw
four straight balls to Garcia to
force in a run.
Washington got even in the
ninth on Michael Taylor’s
sacrifice fly to shallow center
field. Atlanta nearly escaped
with a game-ending double play,
but Jayson Werth scored when
catcher A.J. Pierzynski dropped
Ender Inciarte’s accurate throw
that beat Werth to the plate.
“It was a tough play at the
plate there, you know?” said
Gonzalez, a former catcher.
“First of all you’ve got to get a
good throw and you’ve got to
make a great tag and it’s tough.
It’s not as easy as you think.”
Murphy’s one-out double to left
off Eric O’Flaherty (0-1) drove in
Ryan Zimmerman from second
base in the 10th. Zimmerman
reached on a two-base throw-
ing error by Beckham, playing
second base after walking as a
pinch-hitter in the eighth.
Swinney
4
3
3
0
77
74
SEE LIONS, PAGE C3
SEE CLEMSON, PAGE C4
ASSSOCIATED PRESS
Villanova players collapse on Kris Jenkins after his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to top North Carolina in the NCAA
men’s basketball championship game on Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Wildcats win instant classic with buzzer beater
SEE BRAVES, PAGE C3

Friday, April 8, 2016 The Journal C1
WORKING FOR ONE
LAST WEEKEND
Watson flirting with cut
line in final Masters. C4
INSIDE
High schools C2
NASCAR C2
MLB C3
Bob Hill Realty| www.BobHillRealty.com
donna@bobhillrealty.com • (864) 247-0213 • 528-D ByPass 123 • Seneca, SC 29678 • 864-882-0855
Donna took the stress out of home buying.
Working with Donna Absher of Bob Hill Realty was a pleasure from start to finish. Knowing the
quick turn-around required for my move, Donna never wasted a moment of my time showing prop-
erties that were in any way unsuitable to my tastes or circumstances. Donna was always prepared
to answer any questions I had regarding the homes shown and her knowledge of the county was
and still is a great help. I had two weeks to pack up and leave my home of 20 years in New Jersey,
during that very stressful time, Donna kept every arrangement moving forward as well as
keeping me constantly updated on the progress. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Donna
and Bob Hill Realty and would recommend them without reservation.
Peggy McGrady, Westminster, SC
Seneca’s Maria Molloseau delivers a pitch during the
Lady ‘Cats’ 5-1 victory over Walhalla on Thursday.
| 2016 MASTERS TOURNAMENT |
Guess who?
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jordan Spieth pumps his fist after making a birdie putt at the 18th hole of the Augusta National on Thursday.
Spieth fired a first-round 66 at the Masters as he begun his bid to repeat as champion at golf’s first major.
Spieth’s repeat bid at Augusta off to dream start
BY DOUG FERGUSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jordan Spieth
is off to another great start in the
Masters because of the way he
finished.
His two biggest rivals were left
behind because they couldn’t.
Spieth capped off the only bo-
gey-free round in the wicked wind
at Augusta National by making a
15-foot par putt on the 16th hole and
hitting an 8-iron into 6 feet for bird-
ie on the final hole for a 6-under 66
and a two-shot lead, the first step in
his bid to win another green jacket.
Jason Day couldn’t keep pace.
On the verge of tying for the lead
late in the round Thursday, Day
dropped five shots in three holes
and had to settle for a 72. Rory
McIlroy pulled to within two shots
of the lead until he made two bo-
geys over the last three holes.
When a day of big wind, big num-
bers and far too many putts for
Ernie Els was finally over, it felt as
though nothing had changed from
last year.
Spieth is the man to beat at the
Masters.
He was atop the leaderboard for
the fifth straight round, and he has
had at least a share of the lead in
six of the last seven rounds at the
Masters. One more and he matches
the longest streak since Arnold
Palmer in 1960 and the opening
two rounds of 1961.
And just like last year, now it’s
time for the rest of the field to try
to catch him.
“We’re through one round,”
Spieth said. “There’s going to be a
First Round Leaderboard
Jordan Spieth 33-33—66 -6
Danny Lee 35-33—68 -4
Shane Lowry 31-37—68 -4
Paul Casey 34-35—69 -3
Justin Rose 34-35—69 -3
Ian Poulter 34-35—69 -3
Soren Kjeldsen 37-32—69 -3
Sergio Garcia 37-32—69 -3
Billy Horschel 36-34—70 -2
Scott Piercy 33-37—70 -2
Danny Willett 34-36—70 -2
Rory McIlroy 34-36—70 -2
8 golfers tied at -1
During the NBA scouting process, Jaron Blossomgame
hopes to prove to scouts he can play on the perimeter.
Blossomgameeagertohearscouts’verdict
BY ROBBIE TINSLEY
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — Jaron
Blossomgame says it’s his
dream to play in the NBA.
But he’s still a long way
from knowing whether
he’ll get that chance this
year or the next.
Blossomgame is current-
ly wrapping up his senior
year of academic work at
Clemson, while preparing
to work out in front of pro
teams in a couple weeks.
However, the Tiger
basketball team’s leading
scorer from the 2015-16
season could still return
for his final year of college
eligibility on the hardwood
if he doesn’t like the draft
verdict, thanks to a new
NCAA rule which allows
players to go through work-
outs while maintaining
college eligibility.
Despite playing most
of his basketball in the
post for the Tigers, Blos-
somgame feels like his best
position at the next level
is the three — along the
perimeter or the wing. The
lack of time spent at his
future position is making
it difficult for draft advi-
sors to put a projection on
where he could be selected
in June’s NBA draft.
“A lot of teams haven’t
seen me play on the perim-
eter or on the
wing, because
most of my
time here I
played around
the rim or 15
feet away from
the basket.”
Blossomgame
told The Jour-
nal on Thursday. “They
don’t have a good feel for
me because they haven’t
seen enough of me (on the
perimeter) yet.”
Tiger out to prove he can excel on perimeter
Blossomgame
Defending champ takes early 2-shot lead
SEE BLOSSOMGAME, PAGE C3
Big inning, Molloseau
lead Lady ‘Cats to win
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
WALHALLA — The
Seneca High School
softball team has had
trouble scoring runs of
late, so head coach Rick
Pate decided to make it
the focal point of prac-
tice on Wednesday.
The move paid off,
as the Bobcats rode a
four-run fourth inning
to beat Walhalla 5-1 on
Thursday evening in
Walhalla.
“We manufactured a
few runs, and we worked
hard on it yesterday,”
Pate said. “Our bats have
been a little slow here of
late. Pitching is getting
better, but you have to be
able to score runs.”
After the Razors (8-10,
3-6 Western 3A) scored a
run in the bottom of the
first, the ‘Cats (10-8, 5-4)
responded in the top of
the second.
Addie Pate singled to
begin the frame, followed
by a single by Jasmine
Morse to advance Pate
to third, and Morse was
able to take second on the
throw. Natalie Windham
executed a bunt to score
Pate from third, and as
the Razors unsuccessful-
ly tried to get Windham
at first, Morse was able
to sneak home as well.
As the throw went to the
plate, Windham ad-
vanced to second.
After a lineout to
short, Jess
Sparks bunt-
ed for a hit
and Wind-
ham went
to third, as
the ball was
thrown to
the plate to
hold Wind-
ham at third,
Sparks
advanced
to second.
Windham
scored on a wild pitch,
and Sparks was brought
in by a Michaela Preusz
groundout for the fourth
run in the inning.
“We’ve been playing
well here lately, but
today we didn’t play
our ball game,” Wal-
halla head coach Rob-
bie Morris said. They
took advantage of some
situations the way that
they should have. We
just have to keep moving
forward.”
Meanwhile, Seneca
starting pitcher Maria
Molloseau was flaw-
less after allowing an
unearned run in the
first inning, going the
distance while scatter-
ing four hits. She also
walked three, recording
five strikeouts.
“I was spinning the
ball and hitting my
spots,” Molloseau said.
SEE MOLLOSEAU, PAGE C3
SEE SPIETH, PAGE C4
5
1

Saturday, October 24, 2015 The Journal C1
Sports Writer: JD Elliott | jdelliott@upstatetoday.com | 864-882-2386
BACK TO BACK
Cain’s dash helps
Royals clinch 2nd AL
pennant in a row, another
trip to World Series. C6
INSIDE
MLB C3
NFL C4
NBA C5
Outdoors C8
| HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL |
BY ERIC SPROTT
THE JOURNAL
SENECA — For a program
that prides itself on its football
tradition, it had been a painfully
long time since the Seneca High
School football team had claimed
a championship.
But on Friday night, it didn’t
take long for the Bobcats to start
celebrating their first Western 3A
region championship in nearly
two decades, as they raced out in
a hurry and never looked back in
a 56-6 butchering of West-Oak at
Tom Bass Field.
In securing their first region
crown since 1996, the Bobcats (9-0,
6-0 Western 3A) jumped out to a
35-0 first-quarter lead over the
Warriors (0-9, 0-6) and held a com-
manding 56-0 halftime advantage,
as the championship was secured
for all intents and
purposes in the game’s
opening moments.
“They’ve worked,
they really have, and
these kids weren’t
even born the last
time a region champi-
onship was won here,”
Seneca coach Brett
Turner said. “They’ve
been dreaming about
this moment for quite
some time, so it’s just
a special night.
“I’m so thankful to be able to
work with these kids and be a part
of it. This is great for this commu-
nity, the school and these kids. It’s
just a special time.”
PHOTOS BY REX BROWN | THE JOURNAL
Seneca senior wide receiver Daquan Mackey celebrates the Bobcats’ region-clinching 56-6 win over West-Oak on Friday at Tom Bass Field.
JOSHUA S. KELLY | THE JOURNAL
Daniel wide receiver C.J. Scott dives for the endzone during the
Lions’ game against Walhalla on Friday night at Razorback Stadium.
Scott’s 42-yard first-quarter score was part of a 49-0 rout.
Earnhardt
looking
for big run
to continue
Cup hopes
BY JENNA FRYER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TALLADEGA, Ala. —
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has
struggled in the second
round of NASCAR’s playoffs
and needs a good run at
Talladega Superspeedway
to avoid elimination in the
Chase for the Sprint Cup
championship.
Luckily for Earnhardt,
he’s pretty good
at Talladega.
And he’s head-
ed into Sunday’s
race with a
proven car.
The No. 88
Chevrolet that
Earnhardt will
race Sunday
won a qualifying race at
Daytona in February, won
here in May, then won at
Daytona again in July. A
fourth win in the car will
automatically move him
into the eight-man third
round of the Chase.
Still, he’s not exactly
breathing easy.
“It’s real intense, there’s
no denying the intensity
and the pressure it puts on
drivers like myself to be
in a cutoff situation where
you’re eliminated if things
don’t go perfectly on Sun-
day,” Earnhardt said Friday.
Earnhardt is 11th in the
12-driver field after sub-par
races in the second round.
He finished 28th at Charlotte
and was 21st — lowest of all
Chase drivers — last week
at Kansas.
But Talladega is his track,
and the crowd will be firmly
behind him.
They root for him in these
grandstands like no other
driver, and the roar when
he charges to the front can
make the ground shake.
Earnhardt is a six-time win-
ner at Talladega — tied for
most among active drivers
with Hendrick Motorsports
teammate Jeff Gordon — so
having this track play such
a big role in his title chances
gives him confidence.
Earnhardt noted Sunday
that there’s no other track
than Talladega that he’d
rather be at this week facing
elimination.
“We’ve won here this
year and we’ve ran good
and won at Daytona over
the last several years,” he
said. “So when we come to
all the plate tracks, we feel
confident we can do well and
feel confident in the car. The
confidence that you have in
the car is really where it all
stems from.”
He sits at the bottom of the
standings with Kyle Bus-
ch (ninth), Ryan Newman
(10th) and Matt Kenseth
(12th). Busch was in solid
position this race a year
ago — he was second in
the standings — only to be
caught up in a wreck and
eliminated.
So no one heads into Sun-
day feeling safe, and only
Joey Logano has earned the
automatic berth into the
third round. Logano won
the last two races — he had
contact last week at Kansas
with Kenseth that spun
Kenseth out of the lead, and
denied Kenseth an auto-
matic berth into the third
round.
“There are certainly going
to be some people that race
scared and racing scared, to
me, means sometimes you
race not to win, but to not
lose as far as the points are
concerned,” said Brad Kesel-
owski, who is seventh in the
standings.
Batson, Lions throw
past Walhalla in shutout
BY J.D. ELLIOTT
THE JOURNAL
WALHALLA — The Daniel
High School football team op-
erated as a well-oiled machine
both offensively and defensively
in a 49-0 rout of Walhalla Friday
night at Razorbacks Stadium.
The Lions (4-5, 4-2 Western
3A) had no problem moving
the ball against the Razors (1-8,
0-6), but self-inflicted wounds
plagued Daniel throughout the
contest.
On the opening drive of the
night, quarterback Ben Batson
fumbled the ball on the Wal-
halla 4-yard line at the tail end
of a 30-yard run. After a quick
three-and-out forced by the
defense, Batson took advantage
of the ensuing possession, hit-
ting Will Swinney for a 16-yard
touchdown to begin the scoring.
On the next three possessions,
Batson found three different
receivers for touch-
downs — Carter
Groomes, C.J. Scott
and Swinney — to
continue the aerial
assault.
“We felt we saw
some things in the
passing game off
film, so we wanted
to throw it around
and make some
plays, and it was
one of those things
that snowballed,”
Daniel head coach
Randy Robinson said. “We hit
a couple pass plays, and some
other things opened up. It was
a good night offensively.”
As has happened so often
this season, the only thing that
could hurt Daniel was Daniel.
Seneca routs Warriors, brings
home first region title since 1996
49
0
56
6
Earnhardt
‘CATS SCRATCH
19-YEAR ITCH
Seneca head coach Brett Turner hugs senior offensive lineman
Rasheem Simpson after Simpson and teammates dumped
water on the coach after the Bobcats’ win over West-Oak.SEE SENECA, PAGE C7
SEE LIONS, PAGE C7

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 The Journal C1
SNAKE EYES
Colts’ Luck ruled out
for 2 to 6 weeks with
multiple injuries. C4
INSIDE
Scoreboard C2
MLB C3
NCAA C3
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL |
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPORTSILLUSTRATED, ASSOCIATED PRESS AND REX BROWN | THE JOURNAL
From left, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson will be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, Buf-
falo Bills head coach Rex Ryan wore a Clemson helmet for his Tuesday news conference and offensive lineman Eric
Mac Lain jokes with Vice President Joe Biden after introducing him for a speech on Clemson’s campus.
BY ROBBIE TINSLEY
THE JOURNAL
CLEMSON — An NFL coach
donned a Clemson helmet for his
Tuesday news conference and gave
tremendous praise to the Tigers
and their coaching staff.
For the second time ever, a Clem-
son player will be featured on the
cover of Sports Illustrated, as the
famed magazine revealed its re-
gional front page for its next issue
with quarterback Deshaun Watson
striking a Heisman pose.
Vice President Joe Biden was
told by a Clemson offensive line-
man to expect the Tigers at the
White House in January. Biden
laughed and replied, “I can’t wait
to see you.”
It’s the sternest test to date for
a program that’s built itself on
canceling out the noise and taking
things one game at a time.
“It’s great to get this attention, but
we just need to understand that if we
lose one game, it’s all gone,” senior
offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain.
“These are probably the biggest
distractions Clemson’s ever had to
deal with in a season,” he added.
“With all the attention comes great
responsibility.”
On the back of clinching the ACC
Atlantic Division title with a 23-13
win over Florida State and with
three seemingly routine games to
go until the conference champion-
ship game — starting with a trip to
Outofnowhere,Knox
aRyderCupcandidate
BY DOUG FERGUSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SHANGHAI — Russell
Knox was the center of
attention after winning
the HSBC Champions,
and not just with the
sponsors.
After his press confer-
ence, he posed with four
flight attendants from
Emirates Airlines. Next
up was a photo with the
owner and executive
staff of Casillero del Di-
ablo, which supplied the
wine for the week.
When he sat back down
to sign flags and caps
for HSBC, another man
approached whom Knox
did not recognize.
“Hello, Russell. I’m
Keith Waters with the
European Tour.”
Waters is the chief
operating officer, and he
was equipped with all
the answers Knox did
not know and was too
overwhelmed to ask at
the moment — mainly,
the process of becoming
a European Tour mem-
ber and how that relates
to the Ryder Cup.
Sensing that the
30-year-old from Scotland
was still trying to digest
his first big win — a
World Golf Champion-
ship, no less — Waters
gave him a business card
with his mobile number
and told him he would be
available any time. And
there was one more thing.
“Also just so you know,
Darren Clarke is going
to be calling you,” Wa-
ters said.
“We’ll be in touch for
sure,” Knox replied with
a grin.
Clarke is the Europe-
an captain for the 2016
Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.
Odds are, he has been on
the phone with Matthew
Fitzpatrick, Thomas
Pieters and any other
European who appears
to have even a remote
chance of qualifying.
To be realistic, Knox
barely has that.
Is he interested in the
Ryder Cup? Of course.
Even though he has lived
in Florida his entire pro-
fessional life, he grew up
in Inverness and is proud
of his Scottish heritage.
His sister, Diane, is a pop-
ular radio DJ in Scotland.
“Obviously, it’s going
to be a goal of mine to
make the European Ry-
der Cup team, and this
obviously springboards
me to a place where ... I
mean, yesterday I was
nowhere near it,” Knox
said. “I have no idea
where I stand on making
the team or what I need
to do. But I look forward
to finding out and giving
it a run, that’s for sure.”
Much will depend on
what European Tour
chief Keith Pelley an-
nounces next week in
Dubai on a new member-
ship policy.
One of the options is
to require a minimum
of five European Tour
events (down from 13),
but that number would
not include the majors or
WGCs. So it really would
be no change at all, ex-
cept for making it practi-
cal for players who have
slipped out of the top 50
— such as Luke Donald
and Graeme McDow-
ell — and no longer are
automatically eligible for
the eight biggest events
in world golf.
For Knox, that would
mean adding four
tournaments to what he
already plays.
Knox played 99 times
on either the PGA Tour
or the Web.com Tour be-
fore making his Europe-
an Tour debut last year
in the Scottish Open at
Castle Stuart, not far
from where he grew up.
He played his first Brit-
ish Open this year — he
was the alternate who
replaced Rory McIlroy
when he tore up his an-
kle playing soccer.
Knox was the only
player keeping the third
round from being com-
pleted Saturday evening
at Sheshan International
because he thought it was
too dark to play the final
hole. That led some in the
British press to joking-
ly refer to him as the
“American” because of
the minor inconvenience.
When he returned the
next morning and made
birdie, and then never
lost the lead on Sunday,
he became a Scot again.
It was all in good fun,
but to be fair, only the
diligent golf press in
the U.K. knew much
about Knox, and for good
reason. This was his first
win on any of the six
main tours around the
world. Knox had never
been remotely close to the
top 50 in the world until
he won the HSBC Cham-
pions and shot all the way
up to No. 31. Now he’s the
10th-highest European in
the world ranking.
He is guaranteed two
majors (Masters, PGA
Championship) and a
WGC, and he’s likely
to get in the other two
WGCs. Whether he takes
up European Tour mem-
bership and makes a run
at the Ryder Cup, Knox
ultimately concluded
that “it’s a great problem
to have.”
Besides, it beats the
alternative.
“I always joked with
my caddie that if I ever
won,” he said, “I was
going to retire.”
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson eludes defend-
ers during the Tigers’ 23-13 victory over Florida State on
Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Notre Dame moved
into the top four in
the second College
Football Playoff
selection com-
mittee rankings
of the season
Tuesday night.
Clemson
remained
No. 1, with
Alabama
moving up
two spots to
No. 2, Ohio
State staying
at No. 3 and the Fighting
Irish up a spot to No. 4.
If the season ended to-
day, Clemson and Notre
Dame would reprise their
Oct. 3 matchup in the
national semifinal. The
Tigers won that game 24-
22 thanks to a last-second
stop on an Irish two-
point conversion
attempt.
Unbeaten
Iowa received
an eye-catching
promotion, rising
four spots to No. 5.
Baylor is the high-
est-ranked
Big 12 team
at No. 6.
Two
previously
unbeaten
teams tum-
bled. LSU, No. 2 last week,
dropped to No. 9 after
losing at Alabama, and
Michigan State, which
was No. 7 before suffering
a late loss to Nebraska,
dropped to No. 13.
Clemson still atop CFP
rankings; slated for
Notre Dame rematch
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russell Knox hits a shot during the final round of the
HSBC Champions at the Sheshan International Golf
Club in Shanghai, on Sunday.
Time, chances running out for Shawn Elliott
BY PETE IACOBELLI
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA — Shawn
Elliott and the South Car-
olina Gamecocks know
time is running out, both
on the season and the
chance for the interim
coach to make a case for
the permanent job.
The Gamecocks (3-6, 1-6
Southeastern) look to end
a two-game losing streak
when they play No. 11
Florida (8-1, 6-1) at home
Saturday.
Elliott likes the im-
provement he’s seen and
the uptick in attitude the
past two weeks at Texas
AM and Tennessee.
The bottom line, though,
was a pair of close losses
instead of resume-build-
ing wins.
Elliott
believes the
breakthrough
is coming
soon with
what he’s
seen from the
Gamecocks.
“When you
look at us the last two
weeks, three weeks, you
go Vanderbilt, AM and
Tennessee, we’ve stacked
up pretty well,” Elliott
said Tuesday. “We haven’t
gotten over the hump, but
you know we’re knocking
on the door, and some-
body’s going to answer it
shortly.”
Time is running out on
Elliott’s candidacy.
Athletic director Ray
Tanner said when coach
Steve Spurrier resigned
in October that Elliott
would be given a chance
to get the job. The former
offensive line coach had a
satisfying debut in a 19-10
win over Vanderbilt on
Oct. 17, which was also the
school’s first home game
after the massive flooding
in South Carolina that
affected many around
campus and in the stands
that day.
The Gamecocks kept
things close on the road
the past two games, but
the effort didn’t result in
a win. The most heart-
breaking defeat was last
week, when tight end
Jerell Adams fumbled a
late catch as he was fight-
ing for additional yard-
age with South Carolina
driving for the goal line.
Elliott believes in the
approach of a steady pro-
gression of getting better,
fixing the issues that
plagued the Gamecocks
in their 0-4 SEC start —
SEE GAMECOCKS, PAGE C3
SEE TIGERS, PAGE C3
Distractions near-deafening for No. 1 Tigers
| UP NEXT |
Who: at Syracuse
When: Saturday,
3:30 p.m.
TV: ABC/WLOS-TV 13
Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM
Line: Clemson -27.5
| UP NEXT |
Who: Florida
When:
Saturday,
noon
Where:
Columbia
TV: SECN
Radio: WSNW 94.1 FM
Line: Florida -8
Elliott
LEVELRISING
NOISE

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