Sept. 10, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – * USC continued preparations Wednesday for its upcoming showdown against the Georgia Bulldogs this Saturday afternoon in Athens, Ga. (3:30 p.m., CBS-TV). Assistant head coach Skip Holtz said Wednesday’s workout was spirited and very upbeat. “We spent a lot of time working on the passing game,” said Skip. “We caught the ball pretty well today, but again, we’ve been catching it pretty well in practice all during camp. It’s in the games that we’ve been having some problems.” Skip said the offense has been using a variety of passing drills, including having the defenders bang and bump on the receivers to simulate game conditions. “We’ve spent a lot of time concentrating on catching the ball. Now, we need to put that practice to use.”
* Injury update: LB Marcus Lawrence has a sore back and was limited during Wednesday’s practice. Lawrence went through the first part of the workout, but then was held out for the second half. P Josh Brown did not practice due to a tendon injury in his left ankle. He was wearing a walking boot Wednesday as a precautionary measure. Brown said he expects to be back at practice punting on Thursday.
* Skip Holtz said that UGA defensive end David Pollack is “the best player we’ve faced in the five years we’ve been here” (at USC. “His motor never stops running,” said Skip. “He’s a great player, period. He plays so low to the ground and disrupts so many things. That one play he made last year against us (interception of a Corey Jenkins pass in the end zone) changed the whole game. He’s as good as we’ve faced, no doubt about that.”
* Skip says watching last year’s film brought back bad memories of the final play, in which Andrew Pinnock mishandled the pitch from Corey Jenkins and UGA recovered the ball down near the goal line. “That play could have changed both of our seasons,” said Skip. “It was that big.”
* The Gamecocks will work out again Thursday afternoon. The team will bus over to the team headquarters in Duluth, Ga., on Friday afternoon. Head coach Lou Holtz will be available to the media following Thursday’s practice in the press room of the football building at approximately 6:10 p.m.
