Nov. 26, 2008

The University of South Carolina football team worked out for a little over two hours at the Bluff Road practice fields Wednesday afternoon as they continued preparations for Saturday’s regular season finale against the Clemson Tigers. It’s the 106th meeting on the gridiron between the Gamecocks (7-4) and Tigers (6-5). The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with kickoff set for noon Eastern time at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

“A beautiful night for football,” said Coach Steve Spurrier following the practice session. “We’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Our team is very healthy. Right now we’re 7-4, so we are very thankful at this time of the year. We’re expecting a down to the wire game. Two pretty even teams the way I see it. Whoever plays the best and the smartest should win.”

Coach Spurrier addressed the quarterback situation heading into the Clemson game. “Chris (Smelley) has looked pretty good. He’s thrown the ball well this week. Hopefully he’ll make good decisions. He’s practiced pretty well, but the game is what counts. (Stephen) Garcia (who has missed the last two days of practice due to illness) was out here a little bit. It looks like he has lost a little weight with that flu bug, but he actually went third. (Tommy) Beecher right now is the backup guy going into this week. I think he’s ready to play some, but we’re trying to give Chris most of the game.”

Freshman tailback Eric Baker is out for the game with a bad ankle, according to Coach Spurrier. Brian Maddox and Bobby Wallace are competing for the number two tailback position behind senior starter Mike Davis.

The Gamecocks will practice again Thursday morning.