Indiana, S. Carolina Both Hoping to End Postseason Jinxes

Indiana and South Carolina--two teams trying to shake the postseason blahs--are to meet Wednesday night in the Liberty Bowl.

Indiana, which has enjoyed a football rebirth under Coach Bill Mallory, hopes to end a two-game bowl losing streak in the 5:30 p.m. PST contest. The Hoosiers, 1-4 in bowl appearances, won their only postseason game 38-37 over Brigham Young in the 1979 Holiday Bowl.

South Carolina’s woes run even deeper. The Gamecocks have failed to win in seven bowl dates.

Indiana carries a 7-3-1 record into the Liberty Bowl, and South Carolina finished the 1988 regular season at 8-3.

The game could become a battle between Indiana running back Anthony Thompson and South Carolina quarterback Todd Ellis.

“Anthony Thompson is a guy we naturally use a lot,” Mallory said of his 6-foot, 201-pound junior, who was selected MVP of the Big Ten this season by the Associated Press. “Anthony is very elusive, but he also has the power to take it up in the middle.”

Thompson rushed 329 times for 1,546 yards and scored a Hoosier record 24 touchdowns this season.

“Offensively, I feel we’ve been a pretty good football team, but there have been a couple of games where we sputtered,” Mallory said. “Our quarterback, Dave Schnell, is good and appears to be back on his game.

“Our defense has made good improvement during the season and is solid. I feel we are fairly balanced, but I would give a slight edge to our offense,” Mallory said.

“We know that Ellis is a good talent and that South Carolina has other good skill people. Their receivers are fast and they have some fine running backs. Our players know that South Carolina is a good team,” Mallory said.

The Hoosiers have improved steadily under Mallory’s guidance.

Indiana went 0-11 in 1984, Mallory’s first year, and has records of 4-7, 6-6, 8-4 and 7-3-1 since then.

Rebuilding the program in the shadow of Bobby Knight’s Hoosier basketball team was really never a problem, according to Mallory.

“I have a lot of respect for what our players have done. When we first came in, we weren’t much. We were a big zero. Then the kids took the attitude that we want to get this program going,” Mallory said.

‘The Players’ Will’

“I can’t say it has been easy. The key has been the players’ will to make this a good, solid program and establish us as a winner,” Mallory said. “It is satisfying to see football come on at Indiana and to see the people rally behind us.”

Indiana’s defense, which includes All-Big Ten performer Joe Huff at outside linebacker, will be faced with the problem of Ellis, who has been hot and cold in 1988.

Ellis completed 183 of his 354 pass attempts during the regular season for 2,223 yards and nine touchdowns but was intercepted 18 times.

South Carolina Coach Joe Morrison says his Gamecocks’ mission is simple.

“We’re going to try to move the football and score points,” said Morrison. “We’re 0-2 in bowl games since I’ve been here, and we’re going to give our best and then see what happens.

“Indiana is comparable to the Georgia and Clemson teams we have played,” Morrison said. “Anthony Thompson is a strong and powerful runner. They have an excellent quarterback and a very experienced offensive line. Indiana’s defensive line is very experienced and does a lot of stunting.

“Indiana has a very solid football team, and we will have to play well. In particular, we will have to tackle very well to win,” Morrison said.