GAME SCHEDULE
TVitrf» 17 BASEBALL vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. Wednesday
WOMEN’S TENNIS at SEC Championships, Thursday
Monday, Apnl 18, 2005 BASEBALL at Alabama, 7:30 p.m. Friday
SPRING CHICKENS
Spurrier era takes flight
By MIQUELJACOBS
STAFF WRITER
At 1:07 p.m. Saturday afternoon, the
>Steve Spurrier era of USC football
unveiled itself to the nation. The Garnet
and Black Game, televised by ESPN2, was
a method for returning players to unveil
how much of Spurrier’s system they have
learned, as many players used the
opportunity to solidify favorable
impressions with a new coaching staff.
In front of a USC spring game-record
38,806 fans, the Blake Mitchell-led Black
team outlasted freshman Antonio
Heffner’s Garnet team, 20-10.
“It was a typical spring game,” Spurrier
said. “Our players played hard. They had a
few good plays here and there. It was
chance for a whole lot of guys to play.
We’ve had very few injuries, so guys have
practiced a lot. We’ve gotten off to a pretty
decent start.”
1 he only Uamecock injured during the
game was junior receiver Noah Whiteside,
who dislocated his ankle after making a
19-yard catch in the middle on a Heffner
pass. Whiteside, named Offensive MVP
for the spring by Spurrier, was a projected
fall starter and the team’s leading returning
receiver.
Junior receiver Syvelle Newton fielded
the opening kickoff for 35 yards to start
things off for the Garnet team. As
anticipated, the first play from scrimmage
was a Heffner pass that sailed down the left
sideline before slipping straight through
the hands of an open Newton. The Black
defense, headed by sophomore Stanley
Doughty, went to work, forcing a three
and-out for the first possession.
Mitchell went straight to work on his
first possession, completing his first four
passes with two going to redshirt senior
tight end James Scott. A missed field goal
would allow the Garnet team to score first
on its next possession, highlighted by
senior Daccus Turman’s eight carries for
46 yards and a touchdown. Turman, who
rushed only once more after the drive,
♦ RECAP, page 11
NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK
USC football coach Steve Spurrier looks on as the Garnet and Black teams warm
up for Saturday’s spring game. The game marked the end of spring practice.
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Junior running back Cory Boyd is stuffed inside the 5-yard line by the Garnet
defense. Defense has been generally more impressive than Spurrier’s offense.
Defense flexes muscles
in spring scrimmage
By ALEX RILEY
STAFF WRITER
After weeks of prep work on the
practice field, the first glimpse , a Steve
Spurrier-run USC team hit Williams
Brice Stadium on Saturday afternoon for
the Garnet and Black spring game.
The defense started the day
shorthanded, as safety Ko Simpson, last
year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, did not
play because of a broken pinkie finger.
Simpson had returned to practice but
was sidelined for safety reasons. Added to
that, the defense had one rule holding it
back — the players were not allowed to
blitz.
With the offense supposedly shaky
and the defense being forced to use less
pressure, the game looked like it could
have a tone dominated by either side. But
it was the defense that took control in the
early goings, as the Black team’s Spurrier
dubbed “unblockable” sophomore
defensive tackle Stanley Doughty burst
through the offensive line to sack redshirt
freshman quarterback Antonio Heffner
for a 2-yard loss.
Doughty was not done, as he picked
up another sack on Heffner in the second
quarter, this time for a loss of 9. Doughty
finished the day with three tackles, two
on sacks for a loss of 11 yards.
“(Doughty) was probably the guy that
made a whole lot of plays (this spring),”
defensive coordinator John Thompson
said. “The key is you have to do it in the
fall.”
“I’m just looking forward to next
year,” Doughty said. He had family drive
up from Louisiana to watch the game,
and said afterward, “Hopefully I gave
them a good show.”
Not to be shown up, Garnet team
sophomore defensive tackle Marque Hall
picked up the only other sack of the game
for either team on a rundown of
sophomore quarterback Blake Mitchell
♦ DEFENSE, page 11
Coach: USC quarterback race still wide open
By JONATHAN HILLYARD
SPORTS EDITOR
On Thursday, Sept. 1, the eyes of
college football will be on Williams-Brice
Stadium to witness the return of Steve
Spurrier and the fun ‘n’ gun offense. And
taking snaps for the high-powered,
Spurrier-led offense will be ...
Well, we still don’t know.
Saturday’s Garnet and Black Game did
not produce a clear-cut leader at the
quarterback position — in fact, it might
have done the opposite.
Entering Saturday’s final practice of the
spring, redshirt freshman Antonio Heffner
was thriving under the tutelage of the pass
happy Spurrier and looked to have
emerged as the favorite to win the job,
surpassing redshirt sophomore Blake
Mitchell.
iviucucii, wnu been iiiuic game umc
than the four quarterbacks in contention,
has had an up-and-down spring, drawing
praise from Spurrier at some points and
criticism at others.
In front of a record crowd at a USC
spring game, the roles almost seemed
reversed.
USC’s Black squad, led by Mitchell
under center, got the better of Heffner’s
Garnet unit in the game, but the more
experienced signal caller also seemed to
have a better day individually.
“Blake did a lot better than he’s done.
He did a lot of good things,” Spurrier said
after the game. “He took his steps and let
it go most of the time.”
Mitchell finished the day completing 12
of his 23 passes for 175 yards and one
touchdown, a deep fade to rising star
receiver, redshirt freshman Sidney Rice.
“It’s been a lot of fun just going out
there and throwing the ball around,”
Mitchell said in post-game interviews. “It’s
been great time this spring.”
Heffner looked impressive at times,
using his mobility to dodge defenders and
extend plays while not panicking and
taking off to run. The Memphis native
provided what could have been the
highlight of the day, eluding two Black
team defensive lineman and reversing
fields before hitting redshirt sophomore
D’von Hill in stride for a 40-yard
completion that would set up a Black team
field goal. Heffner also committed the
game’s only turnover when he was picked
off by redshirt sophomore safety Ty
Erving, who returned the interception to
the Garnet 5-yard line, setting up a Black
team touchdown.
Despite making some plays, Spurrier
said that Heffner had a little rougher day
than they expected.
However, as the quarterbacks exit
spring practice and head closer toward
opening day, the race to be Spurrier’s first
quarterback is in no way finished.
“The quarterback situation is just as
wide open as probably the first day,”
Spurrier said. “The player that comes back
the smartest, has worked the hardest and
knows what he’s doing will have a chance
to be the starter.”
Senior offensive tackle Na’Shan
Goddard was impressed with both
quarterbacks.
♦ OFFENSE, page 11
BLAKE MITCHELL,
6-3, 194, R-SO.,
LAGRANGE, GA.
♦ 9-for-22 for 86 yards with
one touchdown and three inter
ceptions in 2004
+ Completed 12-of-23 passes
for 175 yards and one touch
down in Saturday’s Garnet and
Black Game
♦ Connected with redshirt
freshman Sidney Rice for the
game’s only passing touch
down
♦ Rated as high as the No. 7
quarterback in the nation out
of high school
ANTONIO HEFFNER,
6-1, 186, R-FR.,
MEMPHIS, TENN.
♦ redshirted in 2004 by
coach Lou Holtz
♦ completed 7 of 14 passes
for 129 yards and an inter
ception in Saturday’s Garnet
and Black Game
♦ Scrambled before hitting
sophomore D’von Hill on the
game's longest pass play
♦ Rated 15th best pro-style
quarterback by Rivals.com out
of high school
STARS of the spring_____- 1
SIDNEY RICE, R-FR. WR
Impressed coach Steve Spurrier with size,
leaping ability
DE'AORIAN COLEY, T-SR. OE
Has emerged as a starter at defensive end
position
ALBERT ASHCRAFT, R-FR. RB
Filled in for injured Cory Boyd, had TO run in
first scrimmage
STANLEY DOUGHTY, R-SO. DT
Has been called “unblockable” by Spurrier
NOAH WHITESIDE, JR. WR
Named offensive MVP for spring practice