March 22, 2007

The University of South Carolina football squad went through another two-hour practice at the Bluff Road practice fields on Thursday in perfect weather conditions. It was the second of 15 spring practice sessions for the squad.

Linebacker Curtis Rice (groin) and tight end Robert Pavlovic (right hamstring) were the only players who practiced on Tuesday who were unable to practice today.

The next scheduled practice is set for Friday afternoon at 4 p.m, then the team will hold a scrimmage on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Williams-Brice Stadium. All practices are open to the public and are free.

Following Thursday’s practice, head coach Steve Spurrier addressed the media:

“We got it a lot of running, a lot of ball plays, but no hitting. We’re just doing a lot of teaching right now which we’ll try to do again tomorrow and go from there.”

On the development of wide receiver Jared Cook: “We’ll have to wait and see. Jared has a lot of potential. We’ll move him around. He has a chance to be a big time player.”

On being a contender in the SEC: “We’ve got enough players to really compete now. We’ll have three new offensive linemen so that’s a key area. Defensively, we’ve got to play so much better than we’ve been playing. That’s what we’re really trying to emphasize – playing our assignments. We’ve been a very undisciplined team the last couple of years. If we can play assignment ball pretty well, I think we have more talent this year, especially on defense, than any year I’ve been here.”

On how he treats the veterans in spring practice: “We want them to play when they’re in there, but they won’t be in as much live action as the young guys. It’s not a time for the proven guys. This is for the young guys. For the older guys, it’s playing their assignment.”