Sept. 15, 2010

The No. 13/16 South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0, 1-0 SEC) were back at the Bluff Road practice fields Wednesday afternoon as they continued their preparations for Saturday’s in-state showdown with the Furman Paladins (1-0). Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tickets priced at $35 each are still available and the game will be televised throughout the Palmetto State on a pay-per-view basis. Please check with your local cable or satellite provider for more information on ordering the game.

“We had a pretty good practice today,” said head coach Steve Spurrier. “Furman is a good team with a tremendous tradition there and they’re going to come and give us their best shot and see what happens. We’ll be ready to play our best. So we’re looking forward to the game Saturday night.

“Most of you probably already heard Weslye Saunders is not a member of our team anymore,” continued the Head Ball Coach. “That’s about all we need to say about it. We wish him the best in whatever he does after here. He’s on scholarship through the year and hopefully he’ll stay and graduate.”

“(Furman’s defense) has only played one game. They played Colgate, so they haven’t been tested a lot yet,” noted Coach Spurrier, “but they have an active bunch of guys. They are well-coached, in position and they don’t make a lot of errors. If you’re going to beat them, you have to execute.”

Coach Spurrier confirmed that defensive tackle Melvin Ingram worked out some today at tight end. “He’s sort of an offensive talent – he can catch, run, throw, he can do all that stuff. He can do it all.”

Several players remained sidelined due to injury including linebacker Shaq Wilson, offensive linemen Hutch Eckerson and Terrence Campbell and tight end Mike Triglia. Spur Antonio Allen returned was out of a yellow “no contact” jersey and wore the regular white shirt.

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields on Thursday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.