Oct. 28, 2002

| Game Notes in .pdf format

The South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3/3-2 SEC) return to Williams-Brice Stadium for their final two regular season home games, the first of which is against 25th-ranked Tennessee (4-3/1-3 SEC), Saturday, Nov. 2. The game will be televised nationally by CBS and will kick off at approximately 3:34 p.m. Handling the broadcast will be Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color analyst) and Jill Arrington (sideline reporter). The game also will be a national radio broadcast by Westwood One Sports with Chuck Cooperstein (play-by-play) and Tom Walsh (color analyst) handling the commentary.

A Closer Look
* The Gamecocks used last week’s open date to work on fundamentals and heal up some of their bumps and bruises. South Carolina saw its four-game winning streak come to an end Oct. 19 with a 38-14 loss to #12 at Baton Rouge. The defeat also snapped a three-game winning streak in the SEC for the Gamecocks. USC played perhaps its best half of football this season against LSU in the first 30 minutes, heading into the locker room at intermission with a 14-6 lead. The second half was a different story, however, as the Tigers gained all of the momentum and outscored the Gamecocks 32-0 after the break. USC’s most recent victory was a come-from-behind 16-12 win at Kentucky Oct. 12 on ESPN2. The Gamecocks opened the 2002 campaign with a 34-24 victory at home over New Mexico State, followed by a 34-21 defeat at Virginia Sept. 7. The following week, the Gamecocks dropped a hard-fought 13-7 SEC opener at home to #6 Georgia. After that, Carolina ran off four straight wins – 42-21 vs. Temple, 20-14 at Vanderbilt; a 34-10 Homecoming triumph over Mississippi State; and the 16-12 conquest of Kentucky.
* Tennessee heads into this week’s game ranked 25th in the latest Associated Press poll. The Volunteers are coming off of a 34-14 loss to #12 Alabama this past Saturday night at Knoxville, in a game that was televised nationally on ESPN. The 2002 Vol scoreboard reads like this: UT 47, Wyoming 7; UT 26, Middle Tennessee 3; UT 13, Florida 30; UT 35, Rutgers 14; UT 41, Arkansas 38 (6OT); UT 13, Georgia 18; UT 14, Alabama 34.
* During the open date week, Carolina conditioned on Sunday and practiced Monday-Wednesday. The players were off Thursday-Sunday. During Monday’s practice, many of the younger players scrimmaged. Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices were physical practices, almost like spring practices, and were devoted on improving fundamentally. The open week also allowed time for such injured players as linebacker Lance Laury (knee), center C.J. Frye (knee), and wide receiver James Adkisson (knee) to recover even more. Laury, who injured his knee against Vanderbilt, did return to play against LSU. Frye, who likewise got hurt against the Commodores, hopes to return to action this week against Tennessee. Adkisson, who suffered a knee sprain vs. Virginia, has played the past two games but is just now returning to 100 percent. The open date week did not come without some medical treatment for other Gamecocks, however. Senior tailback/wide receiver Ryan Brewer was hospitalized Sunday-Tuesday with a viral infection. Brewer also had his left ankle put in a cast after suffering a sprain in the LSU game. His status for the Tennessee game is undetermined at this time. Offensive tackle Jeff Barnes, who sprained his left wrist against LSU, underwent an MRI last week but there was no further damage revealed in the test. It is also uncertain of his availability for the Volunteers. Wide receiver Andrea Gause is nursing a sore knee, while tailback Gonzie Gray sprained his ankle during a scrimmage last Tuesday.
For the complete set of game notes, click on the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file link above.