Oct. 7, 2003

The Gamecocks continued their preparation for Thursday night’s home contest vs. Kentucky with a two-hour workout on the practice fields across from Williams-Brice Stadium. Carolina is looking for its first SEC victory of the season in its first conference home game of 2003. Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Skip Holtz met with the media following Tuesday’s session and offered the following comments:

(on today’s practice)
“It was a good practice overall. I think the enthusiasm is picking up again. Practicing last week with an open date means you are going against each other and not getting ready for an opponent, almost like spring ball in the sense that you are not getting ready for a game. Our players came back this week with a great attitude and are working extremely hard. There are an awful lot of good things.”

(on the Kentucky game)
“I am anxious to see our team play and see if we can play with the amount of enthusiasm and effort we did against Tennessee. This is a very important game to us, as I am sure it is to Kentucky. It is a conference game and a night game in front of our fans. I think our players are excited about being in this type of environment.”

(on the health of the wide receivers)
“Troy Williamson has been pretty much full speed all week. His injury has not hindered his performance; it was something that needed rest. We gave him a couple days off last weekend and coming back this week he has been great and feels 100 percent. Matthew Thomas is doing well and as a group, I think our receivers are all healthy at this time.”