The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 25, 2005, Page 9, Image 9
Offense struggles in initial practice with pads
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NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK
Rising junior quarterback Brett Nichols drops back to pass in a
|j| practice this week. Nichols took the majority of the snaps Thursday.
By AJ BEMBRY
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Good thing the first regular
season game of Steve Spurrier’s
USC tenure isn’t until early
September. The way things were
going for the ol’ ball coach’s
offense during Wednesday’s
practice, it might take all summer
for the Gamecocks to assimilate
Spurrier’s heralded fun ‘n’ gun
system.
“It was a struggle for the offense
today,” Spurrier said after the two
hour workout. “The defense
looked good. [We’re] a struggling
bunch of Gamecocks. We couldn’t
even execute the snap to the QB.”
OFFENSE
Sophomore Blake Mitchell led
the first-team offense throughout
the opening passing drills
Wednesday, but he split time with
redshirt freshman Antonio Heffner
and junior Brett Nichols during the
brief scrimmages. The quarterbacks,
however, are lacking in size — a fact
Spurrier laments.
“Our QBs may not last very
long,” he said. He added that they
were off-limits to the defense, as
they won’t be eligible for open
field hits for the rest of spring.
None of the quarterbacks threw
much during Wednesday’s
scrimmages, though, as the ball
was kept mostly on the ground by
redshirt freshman Albert Ashcraft
and senior Daccus Turman.
Turman appears to be lighter and
quicker than he was last season, as
he cut through the linebackers and
hit his holes with authority. The
lanky Ashcraft lost his footing a
few times, but after early struggles
was able to hit the outside corner
and take off to the endzone,
making good use of his 4.5-second
40-yard dash speed.
Thursday was a different story,
however, as Nichols took the
majority of the final snaps at
quarterback.
“Brett was doing some of what
we asked him to do,” Spurrier said
Thursday. “He threw some
completions and like I told the
quarterbacks afterwards, if one
guy’s fairly hot in practice he may
go the whole day.”
The receivers continued to be
the bright spot on offense as
freshman Sidney Rice impressed
again along with junior Noah
Whiteside.
Spurrier said that the team had
put in a good portion of his
offense, but not all of it yet. He
hinted that all of it could be
“Brett was doing
some of what we
asked him to do. He
threw some
completions and like I
told the quarterbacks
afterwards, if one
guy’s fairly hot in .
practice he may go
the whole day.”
STEVE SPURRIER
use FOOTBALL COACH
installed by the end of spring
practice.
DEFENSE
Takeaways were the name of the
game early on for the defensive
drills, as defensive line coach/co
defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix
had his units working on stripping
the ball and protecting the fumble.
Secondary coach Dave Wommack
also worked with turnovers,
running several interception drills.
The Gamecocks look to improve
last year’s takeaways, as they fared
only a plus-one in the category,
ranking them sixth overall in the
SEC.
During full-team drills, the
defensive linemen repeatedly got
the better of their offensive
counterparts, collapsing the
pocket to put pressure on the
quarterback. Sophomore Stanley
Doughty showed great hustle
throughout drills and scrimmage,
earning praise from the coaching
staff.
THEY SAID IT
“You got scared!” Various
members of the USC secondary
after wide receiver Syvelle Newton
dropped a pass while looking
around potential tacklers.
INJURY REPORT
Sophomore defensive back Ko
Simpson is being kept out of
practice as a precaution because of
an injury to his left pinkie finger.
Spurrier said doctors should re
evaluate him in 10 days, but he
might be lost for the remainder of
spring practice. Sophomore wide
receiver Travis Lee reportedly
hurt his neck in the weight room
and is expected to be out for two
weeks.
Comments cm this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
Baseball to take on Gators in Sunshine State
■ Florida, Carolina
both loo king for their
first SEC series win
By BRIAN SAAL
FOR THE GAMECOCK
The USC baseball team will
- travel to the Sunshine State this
^ weekend to battle its SEC East foe
the Florida Gators. The Gators
have a 17-6 record but fell five
spots in the Baseball America poll
after losing twice last weekend to
Ole Miss at Oxford.
Big victories this season for the
Gators have been against No. 25
Central Florida and twice against
No. 6 Miami. Florida has a 16-4
record at home at McKethan
Stadium.
The Gators rely on timely
hitting, as they are 10 th in
conference with a team batting
average of .300. They are,
however, fourth in the conference
with 25 home runs, and they lead
the conference with 128 walks but
carry 144 strikeouts.
Pitching-wise, Florida has a
^ 3.31 ERA, an SEC median, partly
because they give up plenty of
doubles, home runs and hits. The
Gamecocks’ task will be to cool off
the Gators’ offense, as they are
coming off a 17-run performance
Tuesday night against the UCF
Golden Knights.
It appears to be a tale of two
teams this season for the Gators.
When they win, they bring their
bats, averaging 10.2 runs while
allowing only 3.17 runs with two
shutouts in 17 wins. However,
when they lose, they can muster
only 3.8 runs per game, while their
pitchers average 7.6 runs in the six
losses.
Carolina pitchers, who have the
fourth-best ERA in the SEC at
2.80, need to continue their
success. After one weekend of SEC
play under their belts, Carolina
and Florida are 1 -2 and need wins
in a wide-open race for the SEC
title.
Gator senior center fielder Jeff
Corsaletti leads the offensive
charge with a .461 batting average,
three home runs and 23 RBIs.
Carolina must look out for
sophomore catcher Matt LaPorta,
who leads his team with eight
home runs and' 27 RBIs. The
pitching projection for the Gators
looks to be juniors Bryan Ball and
Alan Horne and senior Tommy
Boss. Ball posts a 5-0 record with a
1.54 ERA. Horne has a 5.25 ERA
and a 1-2 record. Boss, who will
most likely anchor the Sunday
matchup, has a 4.34 ERA and a 3
1 record. Their pitchers have good
control with 173 strikeouts and 48
walks.
Carolina will counter with
senior Aaron Rawl on Friday,
senior Zac McCamie on Saturday
and senior Jason Fletcher on
Sunday.
The Gamecocks lead the all
time series, dating back to 1919,
24-19. Carolina took two games
last season from the Gators during
a three-game Easter weekend
series. Game times will be at 6:30
p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and
1 p.m. on Easter Sunday.
The Gamecocks will sandwich
in games against Brown on
Tuesday and the Citadel on
Wednesday before welcoming
Georgia on April 1 to Sarge Frye
Field.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@giom.sc. edu
CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK
Freshman pitcher Wynn Pelzer fires a pitch last Sunday against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The
Gamecocks will travel to Gainesville this weekend for a three-game series against the Florida Gators.
■ STEVE
Continued from page 10
what’s going on.
He’s got to be a good
communicator because he’s got to
tell 10 other people what to do.
And after that, he’s got to be a
good passer. I usually put the
passing part about third or fourth
on the list of qualities and traits of
a truly great quarterback.
Finally, he needs to be a team
player. It seems like most of the
ones who win championships, his
teammates love him. That’s why
Danny Wuerffel was so special at
Florida. Danny did not have a real
strong arm, although he was a very
accurate passer. But his teammates
loved him, and that’s why we won
four SECs and a national
championship during his four
years as our quarterback down
there.
JH: Do you see those traits in
quarterbacks here at USC?
SS: Could be. It’s too early to tell.
These players that are here now
haven’t played much at all. Blake
Mitchell certainly has a chance.
Brett Nichols has a chance. Even
though he’s not on scholarship, yet
he’s a good passer. Antonio
Heffner does a lot of good things.
And Mike Rathe, we still don’t
know if he’s going to get his sixth
year of eligibility or not.
We’re also excited about the
two quarterbacks we just signed.
Cade Thompson, from Maryville,
Tenn., and Tommy Beecher from
Concord, N.C. We know both of
them are very smart young men,
and they played in pass offenses
in high school. So, they’ve got a
chance to be outstanding.
Look for part three of this series
Monday, as Spurrier talks about
the coach under the visor.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
k Gamecocks aim to overcome Tigers
By STEPHANIE PENDRYS
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Instead of seeking out Easter eggs and
chocolate rabbits, the USC softball team will
travel to Auburn this weekend to tame their
second squad of Bengal cats in two weeks. The
Gamecocks took 2-of-3 against the No. 12 LSU
Lady Tigers on March 12-13, the squad’s first
series victory against the Tigers since 1997.
Because of rain and severe weather, the
Gamecocks (20-12, 5-3 SEC) haven’t taken the
field since March 15. Games against Coastal
Carolina and the Tennessee were canceled in
the last week.
USC last saw action Tuesday against SEC
powerhouse Tennessee, ranked No. 4 in the
national polls. The Gamecocks fell to the Lady
Vols 9-1 and 12-0 in the doubleheader. The series
^ was cut short because of rain, and game three was
cancelled. The Gamecocks’ bright spot was a
sixth-inning home run by sophomore Chrissy
Schoonmaker, which ended the no-hitter by
Tennessee southpaw sophomore Monica Abbott.
The Gamecocks look to one veteran and one
rookie ballplayer to continue tearing it up at the
plate. Senior first baseman Meghan Cornett
leads the team with a .390 batting average,
while freshman outfielder Jessica Josker is
second, hitting a .362 mark. Cornett and Josker
are the only two Gamecocks that have more
than 40 hits this season. Their vital roles are
made clear as both have garnered SEC Player of
the Week awards this season. Josker was
j^onored March 8, a%i Cornett the follov^ng
i—ii aapwp^
KATIE KIRKLANO/THE GAMECOCK
Freshman pitcher Kate Pouliot fires a pitch
toward home plate earlier this season.
week. Only two USC players received this
recognition for the 2004 season.
The Gamecocks will also look to a pair of
younger players to keep driving runners across
home plate. Sophomore utility player McKenna
Hughes leads the Gamecocks with 25 RBIs, and
freshman shortstop Lisa Longo is second on the
team with 24.
The old saying about March is that it “comes
in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” The No.
25 Auburn Tigers (29-8, 5-1 SEC) have been as
aggressive as jungle cats, slugging the lumber
and speeding around the bases for double-digit
run totals in four games this month. The team’s
assertive play has resulted in an impressive 11-2
March record. The Tigers went 2-1 against Ole
Miss during the weekend, taking their second
SEC series of the season, the first losing a clean
sweep of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Auburn
sophomore pitchers Holly Currie and Beth
DiPietro picked up victories against Ole Miss.
In two seasons with the Tigers, the duo has yet
to combine to lose back-to-back games.
The Tigers have not lost consecutive games
this season and have posted two seven-game
winning streaks. Prior to the USC series, Auburn
will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on archrival
Alabama. After battling the Crimson Tide,
Auburn plays host to Georgia State on Tuesday
and travels to Jacksonville State on Wednesday.
This weekend’s series between the Gamecocks
and Tigers will be the second time this season the
teams have matched up on the diamond. USC
and Auburn competed in the Buzz Classic earlier
this month in Atlanta, where the Tigers came
away with a 6-4 win. The Gamecocks fought
hard but left 12 men on base during the game,
and a late-inning rally stalled. USC had the tying
run at first base with two outs in the bottom of
the seventh when a base-running mistake at third
base ended the inning, giving the Tigers the
victory against the Gamecocks. The Tigers were
led in the game offensively by junior shortstop
Ashley Griffin (l-for-3, two runs, one RBI) and
senior second basemen Lolani Alyarez (l-for-3,
two runs, two RBIs). Schoonmaker and Jessica
Josker were USC’s offensive leaders.
The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Saturday, and game three is set for 1 p.m.
Sunday.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
AMECOCK
Write for Sports.
Email Sports editor Jonathan Hillyard at
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
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