Oct. 17, 2002

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Final preparations were made Thursday for South Carolina’s nationally-televised SEC road contest with Louisiana State this Saturday in Baton Rouge (7:45 p.m. ET kickoff, ESPN2). “I really like the attitude of the football team,” said Head Coach Lou Holtz. “I like the way they worked this week. What’s important for us is that we stay loose and relaxed. We can’t play the game until 7:45, but we can lose the game between now and then. In the mean time, we have to be loose, confident and focused.”

To keep the team “loose,” Holtz said the team will do the same thing Saturday as it did the last two road trips. He said Saturday will start with a staff meeting, followed by a team brunch and a kicking meeting. Then the team will head over to Tiger Stadium for a brief walk-through before returning to the team hotel for position meetings, rest, the pregame meal and the trip back to Tiger Stadium for the kickoff.

Holtz said the team practiced a little longer on Thursday than normal, but due to the inclement weather Tuesday, the team didn’t get anything accomplished in the kicking game. USC worked on that aspect of the game Thursday. “The kicking game really concerns me. Their (LSU) kicking game is really outstanding, particularly their return game. We’re just going to have to play well in that area,” said Holtz.

“Playing a team like LSU, we’re going to have to play well, and I think we’re going to play well. We’re not going down there awed or intimidated. We may come back that way,” said Holtz.

Holtz reported that Rashad Faison did not have a sprained ankle, but a serious contusion (bruise). This enabled Faison to heal much more quickly. Faison will make the trip to Baton Rouge, as will offensive lineman C.J. Frye (knee) and Lance Laury (knee). Holtz also said that running back Kenny Irons will make the trip but he was limited in practice Thursday.

“Ryan Brewer has had some work at tailback. You also could see Thez Robinson, Andrea Gause or even Gonzie Gray there a little bit,” said Holtz. “We’ve got to find a way to move the ball and be patient on offense. They’re defensive statistics are overwhelming. I’ve never played against a team with those types of defensive statistics.”