COLLEGE FOOTBALL : South Roundup : Clemson Is Stopped by South Carolina but Gets a Bowl Bid

Brad Edwards intercepted two passes in the final six minutes, returning one 40 yards for a touchdown, to lead 12th-ranked South Carolina to a 20-7 victory over eighth-ranked Clemson Saturday night at Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks limited the Tigers to less than 100 yards rushing for the first time this season.

Harold Green, who rushed for 107 yards in 27 carries, put the Gamecocks ahead, 13-7, on a six-yard run with 4:58 left in the third quarter. He has 15 rushing touchdowns this season, breaking the school record set in 1980 by Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.

South Carolina has outscored its last six opponents, 230-39, and has given up more than one touchdown to only one team this year--Nebraska. The Gamecocks also held Clemson to 166 yards, the lowest total ever by the Tigers under Coach Danny Ford.

Afterward, the Tigers accepted a bid to play in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day against Penn State.

South Carolina accepted a bid to the Gator Bowl and will play either Louisiana State or Alabama on Dec. 31 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Clemson finished its regular season 9-2. South Carolina (8-2) plays Miami (Florida) on Dec. 5.

Virginia 34, N. Carolina St. 31--Scott Secules passed for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns as Virginia defeated North Carolina State at Raleigh, N.C., ensuring the Cavaliers a berth in the All-American Bowl against Brigham Young in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 22.

Virginia finished the regular season 7-4 overall, 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

N.C. State came into the game with a chance to finish second in the ACC but finished 4-7 and 4-3.

The Wolfpack got a 402-yard passing performance from Shane Montgomery, who completed 30 of 54 attempts. But N.C. State turned the ball over six times. Montgomery was intercepted four times, three by freshman cornerback Keith McMeans.

Duke 25, N. Carolina 10--At Chapel Hill, N.C., quarterback Steve Slayden passed for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils past the Tar Heels, further endangering the job of Coach Dick Crum.

The loss dropped North Carolina to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the ACC amid week-long speculation that Crum would be fired. Crum, 106-60-4 overall and 72-41-3 in 10 years at North Carolina, still has four years left on a 10-year contract.

Slayden completed 23 of 36 attempts, and Clarkston Hines, who caught both touchdown passes, set a Duke receiving mark as the Blue Devils improved to 5-6, 2-5 in the ACC.

After a pass-dominated first half by both teams, Andy Andreasik’s sack of North Carolina’s Mark Maye in the third quarter appeared to turn the tide, forcing a fumble that resulted in a Duke field goal and leaving Maye injured and unable to continue.

Wake Forest 33, Georgia Tech 6--Wake Forest scored on four field goals by Wilson Hoyle, a blocked punt return for a touchdown by Tony Mosley and one of A.J. Greene’s four interceptions at Atlanta to rout the favored Yellow Jackets.

The Demon Deacons, keeping alive their hopes for gaining an Independence Bowl bid, closed their regular season at 7-4, 4-3 in the ACC. It was the fifth loss in a row for Tech, which fell to 2-8 going into next week’s season finale against Georgia. The Yellow Jackets finished 0-6 in conference play.

The Demon Deacons had seven interceptions, and Greene returned the sixth 37 yards for a touchdown with 5:51 to play. Greene had three interceptions in 10 previous games this season. The Deacons’ other touchdown came on a one-yard keeper by quarterback Mike Elkins with 2:47 left in the first half.

Elkins, who completed 20 of 35 passes for 208 yards, connected on only 2 of his first 8 passes for 14 yards, but then hit 14 of his next 18 attempts.

Virginia Tech 21, Cincinnati 20--John Jeffries rushed for two touchdowns, and the Hokies stopped a two-point conversion try with 3:27 left to beat the Bearcats at Blacksburg, Va.

Jeffries, a freshman tailback who carried 24 times for 160 yards, scored on runs of 3 and 42 yards.

The Bearcats, led by Danny McCoin, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 121 yards, rallied for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including two in the final 7:21.

Tailback Al McKinney, who carried 30 times for 142 yards, scored from 1 and 2 yards, and Roosevelt Mukes caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from McCoin.