April 6, 2004
Columbia, SC – ? South Carolina went through its 11th spring football practice Tuesday afternoon under sunny skies at the practice fields. The Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. ? Following the workout, assistant head coach Skip Holtz met with the media. Here are some of his comments: “It was a spirited, emotional practice,” said Skip. “We had a good kicking game segment early on and then had a lot of 1-on-1 tackling drills. If we can continue to practice with that kind of emotion, we should be okay. The quarterbacks did some good things in Saturday’s scrimmage. Dondrial is making good progress. Syvelle Newton is starting to show up and Blake Mitchell bounced back after he threw that early interception. Michael Rathe is a very intelligent quarterback and is doing some good things. We just need to make every day count … While we didn’t throw the ball that much in Saturday’s scrimmage, we have been doing a lot with our passing game during practice … The fullback position is starting to shape up. Brandon Schweitzer and Jamie Peters are both working there. We can give them the ball, but that really isn’t an option we’ve explored, yet. If you’re going to run the ball, I think we’d rather see Demetris Summers, Gonzie Gray or Daccus Turman carry it.” ? There were no new injuries to report. Safety Jamacia Jackson (ankle) was held from full contact as was defensive end Moe Thompson (leg). Both are expected to return to practice later in the week.
Former Gamecock Corey Jenkins attended practice Tuesday. Jenkins just completed his first season as a backup linebacker and special teams performer for the Miami Dolphins … Former Gamecock assistant John Zernhelt, the newly appointed head coach at The Citadel, also was at practice along with members of his staff, including former Gamecock linebacker Shane Burnham.
? The Gamecocks will not practice Wednesday. They will return to the practice field on Thursday. Defensive coordinator Rick Minter will be available to the media after practice outside the players’ entrance at approximately 6:30 p.m.
