Monday Practice Report - Pre Bama 2005

The South Carolina Gamecock football team took to the practice fields Monday night for their first workout in preparation for Saturday's game against Alabama. Coach Steve Spurrier addressed the media afterwards ...

"We're looking forward to playing Alabama. They look like as good of defense as anybody in the country. I think they are leading the SEC in most all categories. It's not surprising because I think they did it last year also. It will be a tough challenge for us. They are traditionally one of the best in the country. They look like they could be pretty close to some of their former teams right now. We'll see what happens Saturday."

On making changes along the offensive line: "We have competition for positions all the time. If some of these other linemen look like they can play better than the linemen we have out there, we'll certainly give them a chance. Once they prove they can play, we'll get them in there. The whole line has been so-so - not really a standout player thus far in the first two games."

"We had a good practice. We're just trying to learn from all the mistakes and all the little things that happened (at Georgia). It's history. Sometimes games are games of inches. It's history now and we can't do anything about it."

NEWS & NOTES:

Tight end Andy Boyd suffered a hyperextension of his right knee against Georgia. He will rehab the knee and be reassessed in seven to 10 days. He is out for the Alabama game. Rover Ko Simpson suffered a hip pointer in Saturday's game at Georgia but was able to practice on Monday. Offensive tackle Jabari Levey suffered a right ankle sprain against Georgia and was limited in practice on Monday. He is listed as day-to-day, but could practice on Tuesday.

South Carolina freshman Carlos Thomas was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for his play at Georgia on Saturday. Thomas, a 5-11, 175-pounder from College Park, Ga., was used on both sides of the ball in the Georgia game. He started at wide receiver as the Gamecocks opened in a three-wide set, and was credited with one catch for five yards and one run for four yards. He saw limited action in the secondary on defense, but made a key interception of a D.J. Shockley pass in the end zone late in the first half, preserving USC's 9-7 lead.

The USC-Troy football game, set for Saturday, September 24, will kick at 7 p.m. The game will be a Pay-Per-View broadcast and is available on all cable outlets in the state of South Carolina. Please contact your local cable company for more information or to purchase the broadcast.