Oct. 13, 2004

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina’s football team worked out in “shells” Wednesday afternoon as preparations continued for the Gamecocks’ matchup against Kentucky this Saturday in Lexington. Kickoff at Commonwealth Stadium is 7 p.m. The game is available as a pay-per-view telecast back to the state of South Carolina. Fans should contact their local cable companies to order the game.

* Injury update from the Gamecock camp: QB Dondrial Pinkins (bruised shoulder) did not practice and is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game. He may try some light throwing on Thursday. It is uncertain if he will make the trip to Lexington. C John Strickland (ankle sprain) practiced on a limited basis and is listed as questionable. Strickland went throught the individual drills but did not participate in the team drills. He is expected to make the trip. WR Travis Lee (broken finger) is out. DT Stan Doughty (neck) did not practice Wednesday and is doubtful for Saturday.

* Following the workout, assistant head coach Skip Holtz met with the media. Here are some of his comments: “We had a physical Tuesday and a good Wednesday practice. This is an extremely important game. They all are this time of the year. We challenged our offensive line this week. After playing pretty well against Alabama, Ole Miss pretty much dominated the line of scrimmage. We’ve gotten good leadership up front this week. Defensively, Kentucky has been pretty productive. They have a much better team than people give them credit for. We don’t want to rush Dondrial back into action if he’s not ready. You don’t want to push the envelope. We’ll see if he’s able to do some things on Thursday and then make a decision about taking him on the trip.”

* Quarterback Syvelle Newton will be making his third career start this Saturday night at Kentucky. It will be his first start on the road. “Kentucky will bring their “A” game; there’s no doubt about that,” said Newton. “It’s Homecoming for them and they will play hard and the crowd will be fired up. This is a big game. We want to win and get back on track after last week.”

* Cornerback Fred Bennett says he has worked to put last week’s loss out of his mind. “It’s Kentucky; that’s all I’ve focused on,” said Bennett. “As a cornerback, you’re going to come across situations like I did last week at the end of the game. It’s a tough feeling, but my coaches and teammates have been great. Kentucky — that’s what I’m thinking about.”