Aug. 28, 2003

Head coach Lou Holtz met with the media Thursday afternoon for the final time this week ahead of Saturday’s season-opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. He offered the following comments after practice:

(on preparing for game day)
“We have had good preparation and I think we are anxious to play. I think that in the next 48 hours our legs will bounce back. There is always that uncertainty in the first ballgame and that excitement that you look forward. You always go over in your head “have we covered everything’. I think our coaches have done a good job preparing this team.”

(on personnel)
“It looks like Josh Brown will handle place-kicking chores and will probably start out as punter as well. I think there is a better togetherness with our offensive line this year. Lance Laury has done a few more things the last couple of days and could possibly play Saturday. Along the defensive interior line we will start Darrel Shropshire and Preston Thorne but we will play a lot of people there. Unfortunately, Eric Stroman will have to have surgery again on his foot and we do not know how long that will keep him out. I have nothing new to say about Charles Silas.”

Injury update: DL Eric Stroman reinjured his left foot on Wednesday and as a result will require surgery Friday morning by doctors Angus McBryde and Jeff Guy to have a screw inserted in his foot. The timetable for his return is undetermined.

South Carolina opens its 110th football season at home Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette. The game is a sellout with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.