March 19, 2013

The University of South Carolina football squad returned to the Bluff Road practice fields Tuesday afternoon. It was the Gamecocks’ third workout of the spring, their first in nearly two weeks due to spring break, and their first practice in full pads.

“We tried to make sure we came out today and do some of the things that we did the first two days that we practiced before spring break,” said defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. “The offense speeded up quite a bit so we didn’t get lined up like I thought we should.”

“There’s competition every day,” noted new defensive line coach Deke Adams. “I talk to the guys all the time, nothing is etched in stone. Those guys need to know they need to come out and work and prove themselves every day.”

“You can’t miss layups,” said defensive backs coach Grady Brown. “We’ve kind of adopted that in the room. You can’t miss layups and we missed a couple of layups today. In this league, if you miss layups it’s going to be tough to win.”

The team will scrimmage for the first time on Saturday morning at Williams-Brice Stadium. “It’s an opportunity to make tackles,” noted Coach Brown. “You’ll always hear me talking about making open field tackles and defending the deep ball. We’re always looking forward to the opportunities to do those two things. The only way you get better at doing them is by having live opportunities to get it done. There’s nothing like a live opportunity to make an open field tackle against a great offensive player.”

Members of the offensive and defensive line sported a protective padding attached to their helmets on Tuesday. The protective piece, manufactured by Guardian, is intended to limit practice concussions.

Two-sport standout, Bruce Ellington, made his way to the football practice field today, but did not participate in any drills. He is expected to begin workouts next week after spending the last few months with the Gamecock basketball team. Ellington is the team’s top returning receiver.

The team will return to the practice fields at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The practice is open to the public.