Aug. 16, 2010

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The University of South Carolina football team returned to the Bluff Road “Proving Grounds” on Monday afternoon after enjoying a Sunday in which they participated in the annual Fan Appreciation Day presented by Colonial Life, but did not practice.

“Actually had pretty good weather today,” said head coach Steve Spurrier following the two-hour workout. “It was overcast a bit and the rain held off. We had a decent practice, nothing too spectacular happened.”

Coach Spurrier had a chance to look at the tape from Saturday’s scrimmage. “A lot of guys played pretty similar to what they usually do. But a lot of guys are coming around. Those redshirt freshmen receivers played well in the scrimmage – Lamar Scruggs, DeMario Bennett and DeAngelo Smith ¬- all three of those guys played very well. (True freshmen) Ace Sanders and Nick Jones each had one or two catches, so we always seem to be a young team. But we’ve got older players I think at the right positions – offensive line and defensive line. It’s always good for the future when you have a lot of freshmen ready to play.”

Although the offensive line struggled at times in the scrimmage on Saturday, Coach Spurrier remained somewhat hopeful. “They’re bigger and stronger. I really think our line is going to play better this year. We’ve got to wait and see. We’re looking forward to seeing what happens in a couple of weeks. We’re still 17 days away. We’ve still got some time to practice around here. We’ve had some minor injuries on the offensive line.”

Following Monday’s practice, the team headed to the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center for its annual pool party.

The Gamecocks will be back at the Bluff Road practice fields on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., while a two-a-day has been added to the slate on Wednesday, with a practice set for 10 a.m. and a scrimmaged scheduled at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, media interviews will take place only after the evening session. The fall semester officially begins on Thursday, with practice set for 4:15 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday.