Gator Bowl : South Carolina Can’t Stop Davis, Loses to LSU

Wendell Davis had heard enough about South Carolina’s “Black Death” defense.

Louisiana State’s All-American receiver combined with quarterback Tommy Hodson on 9 completions for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns. The output helped the seventh-ranked Tigers defeat ninth-ranked South Carolina, 30-13, in the 43rd annual Gator Bowl.

“All week we heard about the ‘Black Death,’ ” Davis said of South Carolina’s defense, which entered the game ranked second in the country by allowing only 10.1 points per game. “That gave us incentive.”

LSU converted that incentive to its first bowl victory since 1979. The Tigers had lost four post-season games in the 1980s. The win gave them a 10-1-1 mark, their first 10-victory season since 1961.

The Gamecocks, winless in all seven of their bowl appearances, finished 8-4.

“I hope the win over South Carolina guarantees we will finish in the Top 10 in the country,” said LSU Coach Mike Archer, who took over for Bill Arnsparger a year ago. “I thought we showed a lot of people in the U.S. we were indeed a good football team.”

He would have little trouble convincing South Carolina. The Gamecocks trailed, 14-0, five minutes into the game on touchdown passes of 39 and 12 yards from Hodson to Davis.

Hodson had time to throw despite South Carolina’s blitzing on almost every down, using an extra blocker in the backfield for protection and sending Davis one on one against cornerback Robert Robinson.

“Their quarterback was very patient and he put the ball in the right place at the right time,” Robinson said.

LSU’s defense seemed to confuse the Gamecocks most of the day. Todd Ellis completed 28 of 47 passes, but was intercepted four times, tying a Gator Bowl record, and was sacked seven times.

“It was a trying game for me,” said Ellis, who broke his non-throwing hand in the second quarter, but continued to play. “Tommy Hodson executed their offense well. Obviously, we had problems with ours.”

Davis and Hodson connected for the third time, in the third quarter, on a 25-yard touchdown pass.