Nov. 21, 2012

The University of South Carolina football team practiced Wednesday afternoon at the Bluff Road “Proving Grounds.” The Gamecock, 9-2 and ranked 12th in the BCS Standings, are preparing for Saturday’s regular season finale at No. 11 Clemson (10-1).

Starting quarterback Connor Shaw practiced for the first time this week on Wednesday. “He threw it around a little bit tonight,” said quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus. “We’ll see how he does tomorrow. It was good he did move around a lot better today than he has. He’ll be ready to roll tomorrow.

“It’s one of those things,” continued Mangus. “He’s had it every week. He tweaked it a little bit during the game against Wofford, so it’s taken a couple of days. I expect him to run around tomorrow, practice some, then we’ll see how he feels. It’s nagging stuff, but he’s a tough kid,” noted Mangus. “I commend him for what he’s done during the season.”

If Shaw is unable to go on Saturday, Dylan Thompson would get the start, but that would not affect the game plan, according to Mangus. “Dylan’s a little sneakier running around than people give him credit for. Dylan’s gotten most of the reps the last couple of days. He threw it well today. Mentally he’s ready to roll. We’ll get him some more reps tomorrow and hopefully both of them will be ready to roll.”

The Gamecocks will practice again on Thursday.

The Carolina – Clemson game is set for Saturday, Nov. 24, from Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.