Oct. 15, 2007

The sixth-ranked South Carolina Gamecock football team (6-1, 3-1 SEC) began preparations for Saturday’s SEC showdown with Eastern Division rival Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3 SEC) by working out at the Bluff Road practice fields Monday night. Saturday’s game is set for a 12:30 p.m. kick at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

“We’re looking forward to playing Vandy,” said Head Coach Steve Spurrier following the practice. “Vandy is a team that’s lost to three good teams – Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. We need to play well to beat them.”

The Gamecocks struggled on the offensive line in the second half at North Carolina. Coach Spurrier indicated after the win that there could be changes coming in the front five. “We’ve got a bunch of tryout going,” he said on Monday. “We’ll have at least one new starter in there. We’ll let you know later in the week when the tryouts are over.”

The Gamecocks look to be healthy for this weekend’s game, as Carlos Thomas returned to practice after missing the North Carolina game with a neck injury. “Carlos was out there running around a little bit,” said Coach Spurrier. “We’re very healthy for this time of the year. Jasper (Brinkley) and Nate (Pepper) are really the only serious injuries. Hopefully Stoney (Woodson who missed the North Carolina game with a hamstring injury) and Carlos can play.”

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields on Tuesday.