Gamecocks continue preparations for Florida

The Gamecocks went through a chilly practice Wednesday evening as they continue preparations for Florida. The big news of the day had nothing to do with the quarterbacks or the Gators, but instead was about injuries to a pair of key reserves - wide receiver Moe Brown and defensive back Akeem Auguste.

Auguste wore a yellow jersey and did not practice at all due to an ankle injury. The nagging injury is not serious, but it could be bad enough to keep Auguste on the sidelines this week.

“He’s a wait and see (player],” said Steve Spurrier. “He may not make it.”

With Chris Culliver suspended for the first half against the Gators for getting in a fight against Arkansas, the Gamecocks are already thin at safety. If Auguste cannot play, they become even thinner, and Spurrier is not sure how they will fill the void.

“We’re a little low on DBs right now,” he said, “and they play 5 wide receivers a lot of times. We’ll put whoever we’ve got out there. I think Dion LeCorn is slated to go out there.”

Moe Brown, who has played sparingly the last few weeks, was injured during practice Wednesday thanks to freak contact with another player.

“Somebody fell into his leg,” Spurrier reported. “He sprained his knee today.

The forecast for Gainesville on Saturday includes a 50% chance of rain. If it does rain, it would be the first time this season that Carolina has had to deal with any type of weather issues. As a three-touchdown underdog, a few raindrops would not be unwelcome.

“If you take care of the ball, [rain] turns it into more of a low scoring game,” Spurrier explained. “Low scoring games give underdogs a better chance, usually.”

When it came to the quarterbacks, Spurrier continued to play it cool on how he would handle the rotation.

“Chris Smelley is probably a little bit better prepared than Stephen Garcia,” he said. “Stephen can run around every now and then and throw a few good ones every now and then, so we’re going to play both of them some way and somehow.”


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