The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 22, 2002, Page B7, Image 19
FOOTBALL NEWS & NOTES
Pinkins out at least 4 weeks after injuring ankle
BY KYLE ALMOND
THE liAMECOCK
Dondrial Pinkins, who looked
to go into next Saturday’s season
opener as the Gamecocks’ backup
quarterback, fractured his left an
kle this past Sunday in the team’s
second preseason scrimmage.
The redshirt sophomore, who
head coach Lou Holtz praised
throughout pre
season practice,
underwent
surgery Sunday
evening and is ex
pected to be out for
at least four weeks.
Another quar
terback, true
Pinkins freshman Bennett
Swygert, also suf
fered a serious injury in the scrim
mage, reinjuring the ACL in his
left knee. He was expected to chal
lenge for the No. 3 spot behind
Pinkins and starter Corey
Jenkins.
The two injuries leave the coach
ing staff with little options if
Jenkins were to go down as well.
Offensive coordinator Skip Holtz
said senior Erik Kimrey is the back
up for the time being, but he said
that the staff was exploring other
options at the position, including
wide receiver Mikal Goodman and
spur Rod Wilson. Both Goodman
and Wilson have taken snaps at
quarterback in past seasons.
Despite the blow to the depth
chart, Lou Holtz tried to remain
positive.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been
involved in a scrimmage that had
so many serious injuries,” he said.
“But, as I told the team after the
scrimmage, God works in funny
ways. All of this will make us
stronger as a team.
“I’ve never been through a cri
sis that didn’t make me stronger. I
told the team before camp started
that we would have a minimum of
three crisis we would go through
as a team. I suppose the good news
is that we only have two left.”
Brewer’s ankle better
Providing the USC offense with
some good news on the injury
front is that Ryan Brewer’s ankle,
which was operated on in the
spring, is improving more and
more each day.
Brewer, a senior wide receiv
er/tailback who missed most of the
offseason drills and the team’s first
preseason scrimmage, took part in
Sunday’s scrim
mage and looked
good,according to
Lou Holtz.
“The ankle is
getting stronger,”
Brewer said. “I
spoke with Dr.
(James) Andrews,
and he said it Brewer
should only be get
ting better from here on out. The
doctors said I’m on schedule and
maybe even a little ahead of sched
ule. Last week, I had some pain, but
the past couple of days, it has felt
fine.”
Brewer hopes to be on course to
start in the season opener, but his
head coach isn’t so sure yet.
“I’m not sure how much we are
going to be able to get out of Ryan
Brewer,” Holtz said. “Serious an
kle injuries are hard to come back
from, especially in a short period
of time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen
anyone come back before six
months from an ankle injury.”
Receivers struggling
Both Lou and Skip Holtz are
still worried about the progress of
the receiving corps. Skip Holtz
said there were nine drops in
Sunday’s scrimmage.
“Right now, the receivers are
not playing to the level that they
need to,” Skip Holtz said. “They
haven’t been blocking like they
need to, and there have been too
many dropped passes.”
Both Holtzes have acknowl
edged the talent and ability of
their receivers, but they say the
group is just not coming together
as fast as they’d like.
“We’re trying hard there, but
we’re not blocking well and we’re
not catching the ball well,” Lou
Holtz said. “We’ve got to get that
resolved.”
New faces make impact
Defensive coordinator Charlie
Strong is impressed with many of
his new players, and he expects
them to make an immediate im
pact.
“I think just about every young
player we signed on defense is go
ing to help us,” Strong said.
“We’re starting to develop two
units on defense. We weren’t able
to do that last year.”
Strong said he likes what he sees
out of linebackers Ricardo Hurley
and Darel Slay and that both should
receive playing time. Hurley is a
freshman who Was regarded by
many last season as the No. 1
linebacker prospect in the nation.
Slay was a junior college standout.
Strong also likes two of his new
linemen: freshman Moe
Thompson, last year’s “Mr.
Football” in South Carolina, and
Junior College All-American
Randy Jackson.
“Both of these guys are athlet-.
ic players who can rush the pass
er,” Strong said. “That’s one thing
we need to do a better job of this
year... putting pressure on the
quarterback.”
Lou Holtz has consistently
praised the new class of newcom
ers, on both sides of the ball,
throughout the preseason.
' “It was difficult to pick out who
was a freshman,” Holtz said after
he first saw them. “They have
blended in well with the returning
varsity.”
* «
Pinnock learns lesson
Andrew Pinnock, a power run
ning back who looks to get the ma
jority of the team’s carries this
season, fumbled the first time he
touched the hall in USC’s first pre
season scrimmage.
He didn’t play
another down.
“We cannot tol
erate fumbles by
our backs,” Skip
Holtz said.
Pinnock made
no excuse for his
mistake and
Pinnock vowed to come
back stronger.
“We know what the standards
are,” he said. “You learn from
things like that. I learn, and the
younger players learn.”
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Football
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B6
“I’m anxious to see Corey
Jenkins,” he said. “He’s an un
known, but, based on what I have
seen, I’m anxious to see him.”
Jenkins, a Columbia native,
came to Carolina last season after
playing two years at Garden City
Community College in Kansas.
For four years prior to that, he
played minor league baseball.
He saw a good share of snaps
last season as a change of pace
from Petty and rushed for 313
yards and three touchdowns. His
last touchdown of the season was
the game-winning score against
Clemson.
Until Jenkins gets settled, look
for a lot of the offense to flow
through power running back
Andrew Pinnock, who should get
more carries with Watson out of
the way.
Pinnock, a senior who has been
compared by many to the
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Jerome Bettis,
bruised his way to 622 rushing
yards last season and 12 touch
downs.
“Andrew Pinnock is as good a
back as you’ll find,” Holtz said.
Senior Rashad Faison will try
to compensate for all of the de
fense’s departures from his spur
position, a hybrid of linebacker
and strong safety. He’s only 5-foot
9, but he makes up for his lack of
size with his hard-hitting, aggres
sive style of play. Linebacker
Jermaine Lemon and linemen
Langston Moore and Dennis
Quinn will also be expected to lead
as seniors.
“This is the fastest defense I
have ever been associated with,
top to bottom,” Holtz said. “The
big thing is going to be depth. ”
Even with the question marks,
the Gamecocks are ranked No. 22
in both preseason polls, a testa
ment to the team’s recent success.
But Holtz is quick to point out that
doesn’t mean anything now.
“Like I tell the players, I believe
they are going to vote again,”
Holtz joked.
“We’ve been in (the polls) for
most of the past two years, and it’s
a compliment. It’s not an evalua
tion of your program; it’s just one
poll. The question is - ‘are you sat
isfied with where you are?’ I don’t
believe the team is, and I know I’m
not.”
USC kicks off its season Aug. 31,
at home against New Mexico
State. The team has 12 games on
the schedule this season, half of
which will be played at Williams
Brice Stadium.
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use Football 2002 Schedule
8/31 NEW MEXICO STATE 7 p.m.
9/7 at Virginia 7:30 p.m.
9/14 GEORGIA 3:30 p.m.
9/21 TEMPLE 7 p.m.
9/28 at Vanderbilt 7 p.m.
10/5 MISSISSIPPI STATE 1 p.m.
10/12 at Kentucky 7 p.m.
10/19 atLSU 7 p.m.
11/2 TENNESSEE 1p.m.
11/9 ARKANSAS 1p.m.
11/16 at Florida 1p.m.
11/23 atClemson 1p.m.
___
■ FOOTBALL
Season starts early, so get yourself ready
Student Distribution Schedule Block Seating Schedule
New Mexico State Aug. 26,27,28 Georgia & Temple Sept. 3,4,9,10
Geor9ia Sept. 3,4,9,10,11,12 Mississippi State Sept. 23,24,25,30,0ct.1
Temple Sept. 3,4,9,10,11 Arklsas & Tennessee Oct. 21,22, 23, 28,29
Mississippi State Sept. 23,24,25,30,
Oct. 1,2
Arkansas Oct. 21,22,23,28,29,30 Students must have yourl.D. Card with you to get
Tennessee Oct. 21,22,23,28,29,30 into the Stadium with a Student Ticket. The Student
Section is located in the North Section of the Stadium
Sections 21 -34.
Monday, September 2 - Labor Day - No Classes
Monday, Tuesday October 14,15 - Fall Break - No Classes
Date Coupon Book Sales - Aug. 26,27, 28
For more complete information about student tickets, pick up a copy of the
Student Football Information Book
at the Russell House lobby information Desk.
Student Tickets will be distributed at the Russell House, room 205 9am - 4pm
Students are not guaranteed a student ticket to each game, only Handicapped or disabled students can get assistance by calling
the right to a ticket as long as student tickets are available. 777-6742.