Sept. 7, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina (2-0) prepares for its Southeastern Conference opener this Saturday between the hedges in Athens, Ga., as the Gamecocks take on #8 Georgia (2-0). Kickoff for the nationally televised contest (CBS-TV) is 3:30 p.m. at a sold out Sanford Stadium.
Injury update heading into the Georgia game: LB Marcus Lawrence (low back strain is probable); LB Ricardo Hurley (ankle sprain is probable).
Virginia Wrapup – On his Sunday teleconference, USC head coach Lou Holtz reviewed Saturday’s 31-7 victory over then #15-ranked Virginia: “It was a good locker room after the win. It was good for our confidence. Now, the question is, can they handle this kind of win? We made some mistakes Saturday that could hurt us in the long run … We’ve had 17 dropped passes in two games. We catch it well in practice. Most of our drops are occurring on third down and those are critical. We won’t stand pat, but I don’t know the answers right now … Freddy Saint-Preux played well at defensive tackle for just his second game. He needs to become more consistent on where to go during the play. Darrell Shropshire was outstanding and had an excellent game. Chris Tucker got his first action and that was encouraging. We played seven interior linemen. We’ll try to play six on a regular basis …We should get Ricardo Hurley back at linebacker this week. He could start, but we’ll have to wait and see. Josh Johnson is coming on at linebacker and he’s just a freshman … Moe Thompson just had an outstanding game. He was even better after looking at the film … Dondrial Pinkins made some good decisions, except for the one interception. Our passing game must improve. We have had way too many drops. Until we can throw and catch the ball better, we will struggle with what we want to do offensively.”
Georgia Preview – “Georgia presents all kinds of problems,” said Coach Holtz. “After you see them on film, you’re reminded that you’re playing a Southeastern Conference team. They are dominant on defense. Their rush defense is outstanding. Offensively, they have so many weapons.”
Moe Thompson – Sophomore defensive end Moe Thompson turned in a dominant performance in Saturday’s win over Virginia. Thompson was in on six tackles (five solo), including two quarterback sacks and one tackle for loss. He also caused two fumbles and recovered one fumble. USC nominated Thompson for the SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
Daccus Turman – Sophomore running back Daccus Turman had a career afternoon on Saturday, when he churned out 123 yards rushing on 18 carries, with one touchdown. He averaged a whopping 6.8 yards per rush. USC nominated Turman for the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
