April 7, 2010

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks worked out in helmets and shorts at the Bluff Road “Proving Grounds” on Wednesday afternoon on another unseasonably warm spring day in Columbia. It was the squad’s 14th workout and their final stint at the practice fields for the spring.

“We had a little lighter day today,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the practice session. “We had a couple guys get injured yesterday, but they’re going to be fine. Bryce Sherman (finger) and Dion (LeCorn) got a kidney bruise. He’ll be fine in a couple of weeks. We’re getting ready for the spring game – 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully a lot of Gamecocks will be out and we’ll put on a pretty decent show and nobody gets hurt and (we’ll) have a nice day.”

Both Sherman and LeCorn were injured in Tuesday’s practice. LeCorn’s injury was serious enough to put him in the hospital. “It was sort of a bruised kidney,” reiterated Coach Spurrier. “They wanted to make sure he was ok. I went by and saw him today and he seemed fine. I think he’ll be out (of the hospital) late this afternoon.” Coach Spurrier indicated that LeCorn was not scheduled to play in Saturday’s scrimmage after suffering a broken ankle in last year’s Garnet & Black Spring Game. “Dion’s going to be fine. He’s ready to have a good summer and ready to really play a lot next year.”

With the injury to Sherman and with Jarvis Giles also sidelined with a hip flexor, the Gamecocks are a little short at the running back position. Brian Maddox and Kenny Miles are expected to take the bulk of the snaps on Saturday. “Matt Coffee is getting a lot of action now,” added Coach Spurrier. “He’s coming around and doing pretty well.” Walk-on Jacob Baker could also see some action at tailback on Saturday.

The quarterback situation is always a hot topic around the Gamecock camp. “The quarterbacks have done ok with a long way to go,” said the Head Ball Coach. “We’re not super at quarterback. I wish we had a guy that could make great decisions and get us in and out of plays, but we’re just not quite there yet. Hopefully Stephen Garcia will have a good summer of commitment to learning how to play quarterback for the Gamecocks. If he does that, he’s got a chance to be pretty good. Connor Shaw will be here and he will make a commitment to try to be the best he can be. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all works out going into August practice.”

The squad will hold its annual Garnet & Black Spring Game on Saturday, April 10. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

Admission to the game is free to the public. The stadium gates will open at 2:30 p.m. and the annual spring football awards will be presented at approximately 3:45 p.m. For those fans unable to attend, the game will be videostreamed live for free on www.gamecocksonline.com, the official website of South Carolina Athletics.

The band, Modern Disruption, will play in the northwest corner of the Williams-Brice Stadium parking lot from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. as part of the day’s festivities. A limited number of the official 2010 football schedule poster will be available for fans at the Gamecock Gear store, located on the north end of the stadium. Fans can also pick up their official 2010 football t-shirt at the Gamecock Gear store.

In addition, approximately 300 authentic Gamecock football jerseys from 1999-2006 will go on sale for $60 each at the merchandise location closest to Gate 3 beginning at 2:30. The jerseys will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of two (2) per person. Credit cards and cash will be accepted.