Oct. 8, 2014

The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3, 2-3 SEC) worked out Wednesday afternoon at the Bluff Road practice fields. The Gamecocks are enjoying their bye week this week before hosting Furman (2-4) on Saturday, October 18, at Williams-Brice Stadium. That game is scheduled for a noon kickoff and will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

Following Wednesday’s practice, offensive line coach Shawn Elliott indicated that his unit has been somewhat inconsistent over the last two games. “There are ups and downs, kind of like we’ve had with our offense,” noted Elliott. “There have been some “goods” in both games and some “bads” as well. We probably played a lot more consistent (against Kentucky) than we did two weeks ago (against Missouri). We’re looking to continue that consistency. We’re trying to get a stable first five in there and that’s usually when you start to see it.”

Coach Elliott updated the status of offensive lineman Mike Matulis, who has been out the entire season with a knee injury. “I think he’s getting a lot closer than he has been. He’s been out here running and rehabbing. The one thing that he’s got to do is get stronger. I think his leg has to get stronger. He’s got to build that muscle back up there,” said Elliott. “He’s made tremendous strides, so we’ll see how he looks next week.”

The team captains recently called a team meeting, according to senior left guard A.J. Cann. “We told the guys that we’re just a couple plays from being 5-1,” said Cann. “I just told the guys we’ve got to avoid all the stuff people are saying about us and come together as a team. I think we’ll be fine. I don’t think anybody has lost their confidence. I believe in my team. I think they have confidence in themselves. I have confidence in them. I think we’ll be fine.

“I think practices have gone pretty good this week,” continued Cann. “Coach Spurrier liked the way practices have gone and said everybody’s been doing a good job. We have a lot of young guys taking some reps.”

The Gamecocks will practice again on Thursday afternoon before taking the rest of the weekend off.