The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 13, 2005, Image 17
Section B O T) /A T) rTl O
rV_/ I M V, ^ rV-/ Saturday, Aug. 13,2005
;
ERIK CRMPOS/THE HSSOCIRTED PRESS
I Hundreds of excited Gamecock fans showed up to watch new USC coach Steve Spurrier's first preseason practice with his team on Aug. 8. USC opens the 2005 season with a Thursday night showdown on
Sept. 1 against the University of Central Florida on ESPN. The athletic department has received a record number of requests for tickets totaling more than 60,000, selling out every home game.
Stephen Fastenau
iHcdiecocH
Their leading rusher from last
season has been kicked off the
team. Their second leading rusher
has been suspended for the
season. Their third leading rusher
is now a receiver.
For the Gamecocks and new
coach Steve Spurrier, the backfield
situation looks to be a bit
muddled as the team begins
I preseason camp.
[ Cory Boyd, whose 309 yards
rushing last season was second on
the team, was suspended July 29
for a violation of athletics
department policy.
Last season’s leading rusher,
Demetris Summers, was kicked
off the team in the spring for a
second violation of the athletics
department’s drug policy. Junior
Syvelle Newton, the speedy
quarterback from last season, will
now be catching passes instead of
throwing them.
All this leaves Spurrier to
decide who he wants to take
handoffs. Senior Daccus Turman
is a likely candidate, while his 185
yards rushing last season was only
sixth on the team, the 5-foot-11
inch, 229-pounder has been
thrust to the forefront.
If Turman doesn’t produce,
Spurrier might be forced to try
highly touted freshman Mike
Davis, a Columbia native.
Fellow freshmen Bobby
Wallace and Albert Ashcraft
might also get their shot, although
at 6-foot-3-inches and 200
pounds, Ashcraft might fit in as a
fullback.
“If we’re playing some
freshman running backs that’s
OK, we’re building,” Spurrier told
reporters at SEC media days in
Alabama last week. “We’re going
to be there awhile. This is not a
one-year stint.”
With all the talk of a troubled
backfield, the quarterback
situation remains dicey as well,
leaving offensive linemen and
fellow seniors Jabari Levey and
Na’Shan Goddard as the
Gamecocks’ only offensive
sureties.
Redshirt sophomore Blake
Mitchell seems to have the edge
for the starting position going
into camp, but 'Spurrier has
maintained that any and all of thfe
signal callers on the Gamecock
roster could get their shot.
“All of these quarterbacks may
get a lot of reps early (in camp),”
Spurrier said. “Then, after about a
couple of weeks, we’ll start getting
two guys ready and go from
there.”
Those two guys might be
Mitchell and redshirt freshman
Antonio Heffner, as Mike Rathe,
the only other quarterback with
throwing experience from last
season, lost his bid for a sixth year
of eligibility.
Neither of the two appeared to
outshine the other in the spring,
and it would come as little
surprise to see Spurrier switch
them out during the season, as he
often did with the NFL’s
Washington Redskins.
In the past with his Florida
Gator teams, Spurrier was
hesitant to hand over the reins to a
freshman.
If Spurrier is unsettled about
the state of the offense, the
defensive unit likely has a stabling
effect.
Pre-season AI1-SEC selection
sophomore Ko Simpson returns
to man his safety spot. Junior
Jonathan Joseph will be back in
his familiar corner position after
being sidelined most of last season
after suffering a broken foot
against Georgia. Joseph will look
to fill the void left by NFL-bound
Taquiy Muhammad.
The only speculation on the
defensive side of the ball revolves
around the line. Spurrier will look
to sophomore Marque Hall to
anchor the unit while searching
for a replacement for Moe
Thompson, who was kicked off
the team in February following
burglary charges.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu
^raz&COCK George Rogers
Alex Riley gives us a
look back on the men
who helped shape the
USC program
Trophies, all-star teams and
rings are impressive after two
decades of aging. Countless
defensive players who are left
trying to catch up still bring back
memories of great moments in
Gamecock history. No. 1 draft pick
and Rookie of the Year honors have
a nice sound to them as well.
But the one thing that never
won George Rogers an award or
earned him a victory is that
heartfelt smile and bellowing
laugh.
| “He’s got the greatest smile in
the world," Bob Fulton, longtime
USC radio announcer, said of
Rogers. “He was very humble, but
he always gave his teammates so
much credit. Frankly, without
him, I don’t know who we would
have beaten. He was something
else.”
Rogers has become synonymous
with USC football. Of all the
names that still get talked about
among tailgaters and fans, the
Duluth, Ga., native is still the most
talked-about player to ever pass
through Williams-Brice Stadium.
Rogers arrived in the Capital
City after a high-profile career at
Duluth High School. Every college
in the nation wanted to get its
hands on him, but after being told
he could play as freshmen at USC,
it didn’t take long to see where he
was going.
“At the time, South Carolina
had two running backs leaving at
the same time," Rogers said.
“Coach (Carlen) told me, ‘Son,
you could play next year.' None of
the other coaches from Tennessee,
Alabama and the rest of the
colleges 1 went to had talked about
me playing next year. I thought
that was a big jump from saying
‘you can play’ to ‘you’re going to
play."'
With that promise, Rogers
arrived in Columbia and left the
likes of Notre Dame, Southern
Cal, Alabama and even his home
schools of Georgia and Georgia
Tech behind.
At first, Rogers seemed destined
to be a fullback rather than
tailback. Ahead of him on the
depth charts sat sophomore Steve
Dorsey.
“I was a big running back, and
at that time, people liked big
running backs because you could
make fullbacks out them," Rogers
said. “I started out at fullback. 1
didn’t care where I went in, I just
wanted to play ... I kind of got
lucky I went to tailback."
Midway through the season,
Rogers began his career as the
starting tailback alongside fellow
freshmen Johnnie Wright. The duo
combined for more than 1,000
yards, and they were the only
starting freshman backfield in the
country.
Rogers touched the ball a lot
more during his sophomore
campaign, rushing for 1,006 yards,
all while splitting time with
Wright. But it was the junior year
that propelled Rogers to the
whirlwind career fans remember as
he was one of the best rushers in
the country, rushing for 1,681
yards.
After that season, The
Associated Press, National
Editorial Alliance, United Press
International, American Football
Coaches and Football News tabbed
Rogers with Second Team All
America Honors.
USC earned a spot in the 1979
Hall of Fame Bowl against the
Missouri Tigers. The Gamecocks
took an early 7-0 lead, but a 17
point second quarter and third
quarter touchdown were too much
as USC fell, 24-14.
The stage was set in 1980, as the
Gamecocks returned a plethora of
talent, headlined by Heisman
candidate Rogers.
USC went an impressive 8-3,
with close losses to Southern Cal
and Georgia on the road and a
tough loss to Clemson. While the
record was good, so was Rogers’
final season. His 1,894 yards paced
the nation and earned him a spot
as one of the finalists for Heisman
Trophy.
The Downtown Athletic Club
in New York City named Rogers
winner of the 1980 Heisman
Trophy. Rogers beat out an
impressive group of players,
including Pittsburgh defensive
lineman Hugh Green and Georgia
running back Herschel Walker.
Rogers also earned spots on eight
All-America teams, all First Team
honors.
“1 have to commend my
offensive line. Those guys, they
didn’t care whether we won or lost;
they wanted to make sure I had a
lot of yards though,” Rogers said.
“My offensive line was really
into it. They wanted to win the
Heisman Trophy more than I did,"
PHOTO COURTESV OF MIKE SRFRRN
Former USC running back George Rogers (38) follows the block of
teammate Steve Dorsey. Rogers wrapped up his career as USC’s
all-time leading rusher and lone Heisman Trophy winner.
Rogers said. “I didn’t care if I won
it or not. I’m not that kind of guy.
I’m glad that we won it, but I was
playing as hard as they were. They
were the reasons why we won it,
because those guys wanted it a
little bit more than I did."
The Gamecocks record
propelled them to a Dec. 29
matchup with No. 4 Pittsburgh in
the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville,
Fla. USC never got on track
against the Panthers, who took a
17-3 lead at the half behind the
heady play of quarterback Dan
Marino and the nations No. 1
defense before putting the game
6R8RIS • 82
^ ^ www.dailygamecock.com # w $