Nov. 6, 2008

The University of South Carolina football team worked out for about two hours Thursday afternoon as they continued their preparations for Saturday’s SEC contest against Arkansas. The Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3 SEC) and Razorbacks (4-5, 1-4 SEC) will kick off at 1 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The game will be televised live throughout the Palmetto State on a pay-per-view basis and will be available throughout the rest of the country as part of ESPN’s GamePlan package.

Following the practice, Gamecocks’ head coach Steve Spurrier indicated that both Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley would see action at quarterback on Saturday, and that he had not yet determined who would make the start. “Coach Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech said he was going to watch warm-ups tonight before they play Maryland and determine which quarterback goes out there first,” said Coach Spurrier. “So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to watch warm-ups Saturday afternoon and then put that one out there first. But they’re both going to play. So it’s just a matter of which one goes out there first. Chris is so much mentally better than Stephen. But on the other side, Stephen can make some plays occasionally. We really think to maximize our team we need to play both of them.”

Coach Spurrier indicated that all of his running backs – Mike Davis, Eric Baker and Bobby Wallace – were healthy and ready to play on Saturday. Terrence Campbell and Hutch Eckerson will get the nod as the starting guards. Jamon Meredith is “still gimpy,” according to Coach Spurrier. Kevin Young, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury throughout the fall, is available at guard if necessary. Seaver Brown is also a potential backup at both center and guard.