Aug. 23, 2016

The South Carolina Gamecock football team practiced Tuesday morning at their new practice fields, located at the west end of Gamecock Park.

Following Tuesday’s practice, running backs coach Bobby Bentley indicated he has been pleased with his stable of backs. “They’re doing well,” he said. “I’m really proud of them. They’ve given effort. We’re starting to see a lot of execution points. We’re starting to see more understanding of the offense. So I’m proud of all of them.”

David Williams entered the fall as the odds on favorite to be the starter, but A.J. Turner has been the most impressive of the backs thus far in fall camp.

“A.J. has done a good job, probably done as good of job as any of them,” said Coach Bentley. “A.J. brings energy to the table. He plays the way we want our team to be with effort, toughness and discipline. He epitomizes what we want to be right now. He sharpens us. He’s making our room better and it’s made David (Williams) better.

“I see David as improved over the last week,” continued Coach Bentley. “He has gotten himself in a position where he can compete for playing time. I think early on, just trying to get him to do exactly what we expect him to do, especially with his talent and size, he’s one of the most talented ones we have. But (he needs to) play a little tougher, play a little faster, play a little harder, up to our standards, and he’s doing that now. The last two days have been his best practices. He’s getting it very clearly. He understands what his role is and what he has to do.”

Coach Bentley knows that it will take more than one running back to survive an SEC schedule. “If we had to play today, we’d have A.J., Rod Talley and David Williams,” noted Coach Bentley. “It’s probably going to be a committee. Right now we’re still battling and competing every single day for playing time and for reps.”

The first Carolina Calls radio show is scheduled for Wednesday, August 24. The call-in show, hosted by Todd Ellis and featuring head coach Will Muschamp, begins at 7 pm from Wild Wing Café in the Vista. The show can be heard on the flagship station of the Gamecocks, WNKT-FM (107.5 FM) and over the internet at GamecocksOnline.com.