Aug. 11, 2009
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The University of South Carolina football squad scrimmaged for about 90 minutes Tuesday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. The offense scored six times during the scrimmage, including five on touchdown passes.
“We had one of typical scrimmages, although I think our offensive guys did a little bit better than most of the scrimmages,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the workout. “The offense did some good things here and there. The defense did some good things. We actually threw the ball and caught it better than most of our scrimmages, so we had some encouraging things happen. We’ll try to improve on it and get better tomorrow and the next day and hopefully be ready for NC State on September 3rd.”
The offense was led by sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia. Garcia completed 11-of-15 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. He connected on scoring strikes of 18 yards to Tori Gurley, 47 yards to Joe Hills and 10 yards to Weslye Saunders. Backup Reid McCollum was 7-for-14 for 92 yards and a score, while Aramis Hillary connected on 4-of-6 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.
“He threw some good ones here and there,” said Spurrier of Garcia’s performance. “Tori Gurley had an excellent night,” continued Coach Spurrier. “Joe (Hills) actually got in there and caught a touchdown tonight. He was wide open and bobbled it on the way in, but he did catch it.”
Gurley led the receiving corps with five catches for 76 yards and two scores. In addition to his 18-yarder from Garcia, he caught an 11-yard TD pass from Reid McCollum. Hills had two catches for 53 yards, while D.L. Moore added two catches for 57 yards.
Newcomer Bryce Sherman led the rushers with nine carries for a game-high 52 yards, including a 35-yard burst against the third-team defense. “The running game wasn’t as potent as we hope it’s going to be,” acknowledged Coach Spurrier. “We’re practicing it and seeing what we can do.”
Freshman Quin Smith had the only defensive turnover, picking off a Zac Brindise pass in the end zone.
Freshman defensive end Ronald Byrd suffered a knee injury during the scrimmage and may be lost for the season, according to Coach Spurrier.
The Gamecocks will return to the Bluff Road practice fields Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. That practice is closed to the public. The squad will hold its first two-a-day practice on Thursday.
SCORING PLAYS:
Tori Gurley 18-yard pass from Stephen Garcia
Adam Yates 44-yard field goal
D.L. Moore 25-yard pass from Aramis Hillary
Joe Hills 47-yard pass from Stephen Garcia
Weslye Saunders 10-yard pass from Stephen Garcia
Tori Gurley 11-yard pass from Reid McCollum
RUSHING: Bryce Sherman 9-52; Kenny Miles 9-40; Jarvis Giles 10-33; Aramis Hillary 4-17; Brian Maddox 6-9; Patrick DiMarco 1-7; Dalton Wilson 1-3; Reid McCollum 2-(-1); Andrew Clifford 1-(-3); DeAngelo Smith 1-(-4); Stephen Garcia 2-(-5); Zac Brindise 2-(-8). TOTAL: 48-140.
PASSING: Stephen Garcia 15-11-0-165, 3 TD; Reid McCollum 14-7-0-92, 1 TD; Aramis Hillary 6-4-0-52, 1 TD; Zac Brindise 5-2-1-20; Andrew Clifford 3-1-0-5. TOTALS 43-25-1-334, 5 TD.
RECEIVING: Tori Gurley 5-76, 2 TD; D.L. Moore 2-57, 1 TD; Joe Hills 2-53, 1 TD; Weslye Saunders 2-32, 1 TD; Moe Brown 2-25; Matt Clements 2-23; Patrick DiMarco 2-19; Jason Barnes 2-12; Dalton Wilson 1-11; DeAngelo Smith 1-10; DeMario Bennett 1-10; Stephen Flint 1-5; Kenny Miles 1-2; Bryce Sherman 1-(-1). TOTALS: 25-334, 5 TD.
