March 30, 2004

Columbia, SC – ? South Carolina went through its seventh practice of the spring Tuesday afternoon. It was a full contact practice that lasted nearly 2 ? hours.

? On the injury front: WR Matthew Thomas is out with a left ankle sprain. It has been put in a soft cast to expedite the healing process. WR Derrick Harper has a broken bone in his left hand and is out for the spring. TB Cory Boyd sprained his right ankle during Tuesday’s practice.

? Assistant head coach Skip Holtz met with the media following the workout. Skip said for the most part, he has been pleased with the play of the quarterbacks. “We’re going to evaluate the quarterbacks on how effective they move the team,” said Skip. “All of the quarterbacks are being pretty productive right now. We’re rolling the younger ones (Syvelle Newton and Blake Mitchell) every three plays. This Saturday’s scrimmage (first of the spring) will give us a good opportunity to really evaluate them. It’s not going to be a popularity contest. It’s going to be based upon who moves the team.”

? Skip also complimented the performance of the offensive line. “(Coach) Steve Shankweiler has done a heck of a job with those guys,” said Skip. “We’ve got several guys working at a couple different positions, like John Strickland and Chris White (center and guard). Na’Shan Goddard is playing well. That group is really coming on.”

? Tailback Cory Boyd, who inadvertently collided into head coach Lou Holtz on Saturday, which resulted in Holtz suffering a hairline fracture of his left fibula, said he hopes both he and the coach can bounce back from their injuries sooner than later. “Coach Holtz is a tough man; I think you’ll see him bounce back pretty soon,” said Boyd. “When I ran into him, I was just hoping it wasn’t him. When he got up, the first thing out of his mouth was ‘you okay?’ I saw the film of it the next day and I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see it again. I feel badly that it happened.”

? Coach Holtz was running practice once again Tuesday. While he was limping some, he was just as involved as ever.

? Defensive back Andrea Gause was not at practice Tuesday, and assistant head coach Skip Holtz said his status with the team would be re-evaluated later in the week.

? The Gamecocks return to the practice field on Friday. The practice is closed. Defensive coordinator Rick Minter will be available to the media following practice at approximately 6:30 p.m. outside the players’ entrance.