Oct. 15, 2009

The University of South Carolina football team was able to return to the soggy Bluff Road practice fields on Thursday as the squad continued preparations for Saturday’s Southeastern Conference showdown at Alabama. The 22nd-ranked Gamecocks (5-1, 2-1 SEC) and the second-ranked Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 SEC) will play at 7:45 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Following Thursday’s practice, head coach Steve Spurrier confirmed that defensive end Byron McKnight and wide receiver Dion Lecorn would not be available on Saturday. “Byron had a little concussion. He’s not going to be able to make the trip. Dion got kicked in the leg yesterday, right where he has that little plate. So he is sore and he is probably not going to make the trip. He’s out this week. I think he needs some more surgery in there. It’s just a matter of time – we can do it right now or later on. He’s a hurting Gamecock right now. He’s probably out for a while. He can’t run the way it is now.” Stephen Flint and Eric Baker were two players who Coach Spurrier mentioned could replace LeCorn in the wide receiver two-deep.

Coach Spurrier confirmed the starting offensive line would include Kyle Nunn at left tackle, Jarriel King at left guard and Lemuel Jeanpierre at center. “Jarriel looks pretty good in there. Now we’ve been going against the scout team all week. Hopefully he’ll look pretty good when we go against those big guys from Alabama. We’re trying to get our best players on the field,” added the Head Ball Coach. “We’re still trying to figure out who our best players are. Nick (Allison) is a backup. We keep threatening to play him. We’d like to redshirt him, but if somebody gets hurt, he may go play. He’s a strong young man in there.”

The Gamecocks will practice again on Friday afternoon before leaving for Tuscaloosa.