PANTHERS-NEWTON FIGHT
Panthers’ Norman says he and Newton have made up, moved on
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Panthers cornerback Josh Norman says he has nothing but “mad respect” for Cam Newton and there are no hard feelings between he and the star quarterback following a training camp scuffle earlier this week.
Norman even posted a selfie of himself and Newton on his Twitter account Tuesday night after the team watched the latest “Mission Impossible” movie together.
Norman, speaking for the first time since Monday’s scuffle, says it’s something that happens “when you’re competitive and have that fire within you (and) both of you want to win so bad.”
The fourth-year cornerback says, “We’re teammates and brothers.”
Norman says there’s no other quarterback he would want to be on the same team with, adding that with Newton at the helm the Panthers “can do a lot of special things.”
CLEMSON-SWINNEY
Swinney returns to Clemson practice after father’s funeral
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was back at practice Wednesday for the first time since his father’s death this past weekend.
Swinney returned to his home state for funeral services for Ervil Swinney, who died Saturday of cancer in Pelham, Alabama, according to the family.
Swinney says he’s grateful he spent time with his father this summer when Ervil came to live with the coach for a while starting in May. Swinney thanked fans, former players and supporters of other schools for their well wishes.
The coach says he received a sympathy arrangement featuring orange flowers from the athletic department of Clemson’s rival, South Carolina.
Swinney was glad to return to work, something he says his father would’ve wanted him to do as quickly as possible.
CLEMSON-INJURIES
Clemson LB Wiggins out for season with torn ligament
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson linebacker Korrin Wiggins is out for the season after tearing a knee ligament in a team scrimmage Wednesday.
Wiggins hurt himself trying to recover a fumble in the session at Memorial Stadium. Wiggins was only one of four returning players who started at least six games on Clemson’s No. 1 defense from a year ago.
The school said that Wiggins, of Durham, North Carolina, tore an ACL. Clemson’s policy is not to identify specifics in injuries, such as left or right knee. Wiggins is expected to sit out this season as a redshirt and return next year with two years of eligibility remaining.
He had 40 tackles and two interceptions for the Tigers last year, starting in the team’s nickel back formation.
COASTAL CAROLINA-PREVIEW
Coastal Carolina hopes to break through in FCS playoffs
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Coastal Carolina has reached the NCAA playoff quarterfinals the past two seasons, only to fall to four-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State.
Chanticleers coach Joe Moglia has heard all too frequently how important it is for his team, which spent five weeks at No. 1 in the FCS, to break through that barrier and play for a championship.
Only he’s not buying into that. Moglia said unless he and his players concentrate on the week-to-week process, they’ll never make it out of the Big South Conference, no matter how well equipped Coastal Carolina might be to win it all.
The Chants return quarterback Alex Ross, the defending league offensive player of the year picked last month as the favorite to win the honor again this fall.
PRESBYTERIAN-PREVIEW
Presbyterian, Nichols looking to turn corner
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Presbyterian coach Harold Nichols wasn’t sure he would last long enough to see his team’s turnaround.
The Blue Hose posted their first winning season in the Football Championship Subdivision a year ago, going 6-5 in Nichols’ sixth season in charge. Now, Nichols believes Presbyterian is ready for an even bigger jump forward.
Nichols, the former Presbyterian quarterback, understood how big the rebuilding job was when he took over before the 2009 season and is grateful administrators showed patience instead of quick trigger.
Presbyterian defensive back Ed Britt said the players saw the hard work put in pay off last year and think they can continue the winning this season.
The Blue Hose were picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Big South Conference this preseason.
S CAROLINA-SCHEDULE
South Carolina women’s team to face UConn, Duke this season
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina will face defending NCAA Tournament champion Connecticut along with three other teams that reached the tournament in its non-Southeastern Conference schedule next season.
The school released the Gamecocks pre-SEC schedule Wednesday.
The highlight is a rematch with UConn on Feb. 8 at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks were No. 1 in the country last February before an 87-62 loss at Connecticut.
South Carolina opens the season at home Nov. 13 against Ohio State, which reached the NCAA second round. The Gamecocks play Duke, a Sweet 16 team, at home on Dec. 6. They’ll take on another Sweet 16 opponent in Arizona State at a Hawaii tournament in November.
The Gamecocks finished a record setting 34-3 last season and advanced to their first Final Four.
US WOMEN’S AMATEUR
Co-medalists Yin, Hahn fall in US Women’s Amateur
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Co-medalists Angel Yin and Jennifer Hahn dropped out of the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Wednesday, losing first-round matches at Portland Golf Club.
France’s Justine Dreher beat the 16-year-old Yin, from Arcadia, California, 5 and 4. Vanessa Ha of Plano, Texas, topped Hahn, the 21-year-old Vanderbilt player from Henderson, Nevada, 4 and 3.
The 23-year-old Dreher, coming off her senior season at South Carolina, won four of the last five holes on the front nine to open a 5-up lead and finished off Yin with a birdie for a halve on No. 14.
The 19-year-old Ha, a rising sophomore at San Francisco, won four straight holes on the front nine to take a 4-up lead. Hahn twice pulled within three holes before falling with a halve on the 15th.
Dreher and Ha survived a playoff Wednesday morning to advance to match play.
