Aug. 26, 2016

The South Carolina Gamecock football team practiced Friday morning in the new Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility. The team is in game-week mode, as the season opener at Vanderbilt is now less than a week away.

Following Friday’s practice, senior Perry Orth indicated that the quarterback reps were still being split evenly. “It’s still going back and forth,” said Orth. “I guess (the coaches) are still waiting to make a decision. I think they’ll make it either the night before the game or the day of, so I guess we’ll find out.

“We’d both like to know (who the starter will be),” continued Orth. “We both have played very well this camp, but whatever decision the coaches make, we’ll be supportive of that.”

While it appears the decision will come down to choosing between either Orth or Brandon McIlwain, freshman Jake Bentley continues to figure in the mix as well. “Jake’s been getting some reps as well,” Orth noted. “He is still coming along because he just got here in June, but he’s getting there.”

Orth said there is no difference in his mindset going into a game knowing if he is the starter or not. “You’ve always got to prepare like you’re going to start,” he said. “I did the same thing last year and I’m doing that this year.”

Orth knows the Vanderbilt defense will present some problems for whomever is quarterbacking the Gamecocks on Thursday. “They’re tough. They play hard. They tackle really well. They’ve got good defensive linemen. Number 41, Zach Cunningham, is a heck of a ballplayer. I remember him from last year. They’re just a sound defense. They were in the top-25 last year. We’ve been watching film on them for awhile to get ready because we understand how good they are,” said Orth.

The Gamecocks will return to the practice fields on Saturday morning.

Head coach Will Muschamp’s first weekly press conference will be held on Monday, August 29, in the media room at Williams-Brice Stadium, beginning at 1 pm.