Aug. 8, 2006

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina football team took to the Bluff Road practice fields Tuesday and worked out in shoulder pads and shorts.

Safety Brandon Isaac returned to the practice fields, but was limited with a right hamstring injury. Defensive lineman Matt Raysor and offensive lineman James Thompson were both in action alongside their teammates for the first time after spending the first three practices working on their conditioning.

The team will return to the Bluff Road practice fields on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday’s practice will be the first full-pad practice of the year.

Following practice, Head Coach Steve Spurrier addressed the media:

“Another practice night. Ran a lot of plays, nobody got hurt so hopefully we made a little progress. Nothing much different.”

Regarding the timetable for running back Mike Davis’ return from a foot infection:
“It’ll be a couple days. Maybe they’ll get that thing to where he can come out. It’s just important to keep it dry and let it heal, and that’s what they’re trying to do.”

Regarding Sports Illustrated ranking South Carolina as one of 16 contenders for this year’s national title:
“Who knows. If we get lucky like we did last year and get the ball to bounce our way a few times, anything can happen. I think we’ll be a better team than last year. I said that the other day and I really mean it. Does it mean that we’ll win more? I don’t know. If we can win our close ones and play with effort and so forth, I think we’ll be a little bit better than last year’s bunch.”

Regarding the performance of freshman quarterback Chris Smelley on Tuesday:
“Smelley did some good things out there tonight. Chris went in there and threw the ball and threw it a lot better tonight. He’s starting to use his legs a lot more in his throwing motion and the ball’s coming out beautifully.”

Regarding tight end Jared Cook’s performance:
“He’s doing okay. He’s making some errors though in his assignments, which is expected. He’s never really played tight end until this spring and this year. He’s got a lot to learn, but he’s doing fine. He’s a good target.”

Regarding twin brothers Jasper and Casper Brinkley:
“They’re flying around. They’re making things happen. Jasper and Casper, they both have good motors, which is exciting for us. At times last year, we had guys that didn’t really play real fast and both these young men seem to really enjoy playing the game at a fast pace.”

Regarding freshman cornerback Captain Munnerlyn:
“One guy that no one seems to be able to beat is Captain Munnerlyn. He’s not real tall, but he’s a strong defensive back that may be a kickoff return guy also. He’s tough to beat in man-to-man coverage. He could be a starter. We’re not afraid to play true freshmen as starters, so he’ll have a chance.”