November 5, 2001

USC head coach Lou Holtz said that the Gamecocks must play a flawless game this Saturday in order to have any chance against #4 Florida. “Florida leads the SEC in nearly every statistical category,” said Coach Holtz. “They are very talented and very well coached. They block well, they execute their offense and they are outstanding on defense. It will take a tremendous effort on the part of our players.”

Coach Holtz said that the opportunity presents itself for USC to make a statement nationally with a game like this. “It’s the last conference game of the year for us and we are still in the conference race,” said Coach Holtz. “That’s what you hope for every year. If we would be fortunate enough to win this game, it would have an immediate and long-lasting impact. The immediate impact would be the (tearing down of) the goal posts. The long-lasting impact would be that whatever we did after this would not be good enough for our fans. A victory this Saturday would be good for our program, good for our fans and would give South Carolina some real national exposure.”

Coach Holtz said that while the Florida offense receives most of the accolades, and rightfully so, the Gator defense is equally impressive. “Their defense is vastly underrated,” said Holtz. “It begins with Alex Brown. He can create havoc along the line of scrimmage. Lito Sheppard is one of the best defensive backs in the country. They have it all. They are averaging 45 points on offense and only giving up 11 points per game on defense. They present problems in every facet of the game.”

Coach Holtz said that Gator coach Steve Spurrier is one of the best in the college game. “I respect Steve Spurrier as a coach and as a person,” said Holtz. “He has done it all. Outstanding athlete, Heisman Trophy winner, successful coach, successful husband, successful father. I would say that when I was living in Florida, I was one of the few people who counted both (Florida State coach) Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier as my friends.”

South Carolina moved up to #14 in the Associated Press national rankings and #15 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Florida is ranked fourth in the AP poll and third in the coaches poll.

Saturday’s game will kickoff around 7:45 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game is a complete sellout. ESPN will televise the game nationally.

ESPN will bring its Game Day Show to Columbia this week. The show will originate from the grandstands area at the State Fairgrounds. Information pertaining to Game Day will be issued later this week by the Sports Information Office.