Oct. 13, 2008

University of South Carolina had two players receive Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors for their efforts in the Gamecocks’ 24-17 win at Kentucky on Saturday.

Captain Munnerlyn was recognized as the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. A 5-9, 185-pound junior from Mobile, Ala. Munnerlyn returned a kickoff 84 yards to set up a touchdown and also returned a blocked field goal 81 yards for a touchdown against the Wildcats. His kickoff return came late in the first quarter and set up a one-play, 16-yard drive to tie the score at 7. His blocked field goal return came early in the second quarter and gave the Gamecocks a 14-7 lead. Munnerlyn also had two tackles and two pass deflections on defense as Carolina held Kentucky to just 218 total offensive yards.

Stephen Garcia was named the SEC Freshman of the Week. The 6-2, 221-pound quarterback came off the bench in the third quarter and completed 10-of-14 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown to lead the Gamecocks to the come-from-behind win. At the point Garcia came into the game, Kentucky led, 17-14. He led Carolina to 10 fourth-quarter points, giving the Gamecocks their first win since 2005 when trailing after three quarters. He also had 22 yards rushing on six attempts.

It marked the third straight week that a Gamecock has earned an SEC weekly honor. Ryan Succop was the Special Teams Player of the Week for his four field goal effort in the win over UAB, then quarterback Chris Smelley was the league’s Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win at Ole Miss.

The Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will put their four-game winning streak on the line Saturday night when they host the No. 13 LSU Tigers (4-1, 2-1 SEC) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Kick time is set for 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.