Sept. 29, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 10./9 South Carolina (4-0, 2-0 SEC) football team continued preparation on Thursday for Saturday’s game vs. Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC). Kickoff for the contest on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium with the game televised live on CBS.

Following Wednesday’s practice, assistant head coach Ellis Johnson spoke to the media on the defense’s preparation for the Tigers.

“Auburn is putting up good numbers and they have a really good offense,” said Coach Johnson. It’s not the same team as last year but it doesn’t matter. It’s the same offense and they are having the same effectiveness. They are moving the football – (they are making) first downs, touchdowns and scoring points. They know what they are doing. It’s a very difficult offense to prepare for in a three-day period when you are trying to duplicate the speed, the formations and the movements they do. They are a good football team.”

Auburn enters the weekend averaging 34.2 points per game along with 373.8 yards of offense. Sophomore running back Michael Dyer has rushed for 426 yards with junior quarterback Barrett Trotter 61-of-99 with 783 passing yards as well as eight touchdowns.

“(Auburn’s) offense stretches you side to side and stretches you vertical on the throws but the style of spread – it is fast pace, it has some vertical punch in the running game and that’s what makes it tougher,” noted Coach Johnson. A lot of spread teams are zone-run and side-to-side, (other teams don’t) have quite have that vertical punch but they do and Dyer is a very strong running back too.

Johnson mentioned that freshman free safety Brison Williams will be available for the Gamecocks this week for his first action of the season. Williams missed the first four weeks recovering from a broken arm.