Sept. 26, 2006

The University of South Carolina football squad (3-1) continued preparations on Tuesday afternoon at the Bluff Road practice fields for Thursday night’s nationally-televised contest against the second-ranked Auburn Tigers (4-0). Game time is set for 7:47 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Following the practice, Head Coach Steve Spurrier addressed the media:

“The word is the game is still on and we’re excited to see what happens. Auburn is a very good team – a very good defensive team. I think they’re giving up six a game or something like that. They’re good in all areas and hopefully we’ll play our best and give ourselves a chance.”

“(Cory Boyd) is still gimpy. He’s not 100 percent. Those ankles take a while. Whether or not he can play, we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m sure he’ll suit up but if he’s like he was today, I don’t see how he can play much.”

“Syvelle (Newton) threw the ball around pretty well today. Blake (Mitchell) did too. Sidney (Rice) and Kenny (McKinley) caught the ball well. The other guys, they bounced a few off them. Hopefully one of those young guys will make a play or two sometime soon.”

On how to get better pass protection: “Just try to play harder. Try to play meaner and tougher up front. That’s all we can ask them to do. Thomas Coleman is in there at left guard. He’s the new starter for Web Brown. James Thompson is a backup guard.”

The Gamecocks will go through their final workout prior to the game on Wednesday afternoon.