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Contents

win 10 Gotta anyway Gamecock Football Aims to Channel Ray Tanner ON THE COVER: Brandon Wilds carried for 137 yards against Tennessee on Oct. 29. Photo by Paul Collins.

4 5 6 7 9 12 13 14 14

Schedule Gameday Poster: USC vs. Florida Opponent Previews: Florida, Citadel Opponent Rosters: Florida, Citadel USC Roster, Coaches, Depth Explaining The Game: Lorenzo Ward Senior Profile: Rokevious Watkins GamecockCentral.com’s Recruit to Watch: Brendan Nosovitch Gamecocks Not Finished Rewriting History

executive EDITOr: Dan Cook | editor@free-times.com, ext. 133 ASSIGNING EDITOR: David Cloninger production manager: Lisa Willis | lisaw@free-times.com, ext. 121 senior graphic designer: Wilbert T. Fields | wilbertf@free-times.com, ext. 145 graphic designer: Joey Ayer | joeya@free-times.com, ext. 150 Contributors: Chris Clark, Paul Collins, Chris Dearing, James Harley illustrator: Dré Lopez ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Kerry Powers | kpowers@free-times.com, ext. 128 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Adam Cross | adamc@free-times.com, ext. 134 Ansley Hobi | ansleyh@free-times.com, ext. 146 Ginny Kuhn | ginnyk@free-times.com, ext. 130 Richard Skipper | skipper@free-times.com, ext. 140 Liz Thompson | lizt@free-times.com, ext. 127 CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER: Cale Johnson | classy@free-times.com, ext. 131 CLASSIFIEDS SALES Katie English | katie@free-times.com, ext. 141 Jason Stroman | jasons@free-times.com, ext. 132 OPERATIONS MANAGER: Jen Coody | jenc@free-times.com, ext. 124 CIRCULATION: Tammy Figurski | circulation@free-times.com, ext. 152 The Side Line is published by Portico Publications, LTD. 1534 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201 PO Box 8295, Columbia, SC 29202 | (803) 765-0707 • 765-0727 FAX • free-times.com Advertisers in The Side Line assume responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of all advertisements. In case of error or omissions in advertisement, the publisher’s sole liability shall be to publish the advertisement at a later date. Notice of error must be made within ten days of first insertion. © 2011 Portico Publications, LTD. All rights reserved.

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usc VS florida citadel

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Sept. 03 vs east carolina

w, 56-37

charlotte, N.C.

sept. 10 AT GeorgiaH

w, 45-42

athens, GA.

CAROLINA FOOTBALL sept. 17 vs navy

w, 24-21

columbiA

sept. 24 vs vanderbiltH

w, 21-3

columbia

oct. 01 vs auburnH

L, 16-13

columbia

oct. 08 vs kentuckyH

w, 54-3

columbia

oct. 15 AT mississippi St.H w, 14-12 starkville, miss.

oct. 29 AT tennesseeH

w, 14-3

knoxville, tenn.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: the Time Warner Cable Box Office at the Colonial LIfe Arena

TWCtix.com 1-877-4-TWC-TIX

and Columbia Play it Again Sports

arkansasH * nov. 0 5 AT fayetteville, ark. NOV. 12 VS floridaH

7:15 p.m.

TBA

columbia

NOV. 19 VS the citadel

noon

columbia

nov. 2 6 VS clemson

TBA

columbia

H= SEC game *The Side Line went to press before the Arkansas game.

usc VS florida citadel

usc uscVSVSflorida FLORIDAcitadel cITADEL

usc usc VS VS florida FLORIDA citadel cITADEL

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usc citadel usc VS VS florida FLORIDA cITADEL

gamecocks roster No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl.

30 Corey Addison 26 Antonio Allen 81 Rory Anderson 47 Landon Ard 3 Akeem Auguste 28 Eric Baker 43 4 34 32 16

Jacob Baker Jason Barnes Joshua Blue Reginald Bowens Payton Brady

80 K.J. Brent 74 Kaleb Broome 83 Zach Broome 3 40 60 50 7 1 12 7 48 18 58 87 72 44 95 52 23 85 61 57 85 78 43 5 9 93 29 15 96

Damiere Byrd Billy Byrne Terrence Campbell A.J. Cann Shon Carson Ahmad Christian Andrew Clifford Jadeveon Clowney Matt Coffee Cedrick Cooper Ryland Culbertson Justice Cunningham Kenny Davis Gerald Dixon Gerald Dixon, Jr. Phillip Dukes Bruce Ellington Patrick Fish Travis Ford Aldrick Fordham Riley Gallaher Cody Gibson Qua Gilchrist Stephon Gilmore Sharrod Golightly Deon Green Chaun Gresham Austin Hails Jamal Hall

27 59 70 34 35 24

Victor Hampton Coleman Harley Kyle Harris Mason Harris Ben Harvey Josh Hinch

21 91 6 1 33 8 77

DeVonte Holloman Walker Inabinet Melvin Ingram Alshon Jeffery Damario Jeffery Shamier Jeffery Byron Jerideau

55 10 21 15 86 25 39 8 76 19 92 41 31 82 62

T.J. Johnson Nick Jones Marcus Lattimore Jimmy Legree Blair Lowery Kadetrix Marcus Marty Markett Martay Mattox Mike Matulis Tanner McEvoy Byron McKnight Connor McLaurin Kenny Miles D.L. Moore Davis Moore

Hometown/High School/Last College

SS 6-0 204 RS SO Jacksonville, Fla./Andrew Jackson SPR 6-2 202 SR Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic/Fork Union Military TE 6-5 207 FR Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern P/K 5-10 175 FR Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe CB 5-10 182 SR Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna/Fork Union Military TB 6-0 208 RS JR Jacksonville, Fla./Edward H. White/Fork Union Military TB 5-9 191 RS JR Ridgeland, S.C./Thomas Heyward Academy WR 6-4 214 RS SR Charlotte, N.C./Independence TB 5-6 178 RS FR Tatum, S.C./Marlboro County LB 6-2 248 RS JR Holly Springs, N.C./Garner TE 6-3 226 RS JR Lincolnton, N.C./East Lincoln/Charleston Southern/Campbell WR 6-3 180 FR Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge OG 6-6 326 JR Aiken, S.C./Aiken/Georgia Military College WR 6-2 201 RS FR Richmond Hill, Ga./Richmond Hill/ Armstrong Atantic State WR 5-9 161 FR Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek FB 5-11 235 RS SO Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake OG 6-3 296 RS SR Austell, Ga./South Cobb OG 6-3 299 RS FR Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt RB 5-8 190 FR Scranton, S.C./Lake City CB 5-10 182 FR Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian QB 6-2 212 RS SO Tampa, Fla./Wharton DE 6-6 254 FR Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe FB 5-11 230 SO Mary Esther, Fla./Fort Walton Beach LB 6-2 207 FR Lithonia, Ga./Lithonia OG 6-4 252 RS FR Laurens, S.C./Laurens Academy TE 6-3 265 JR Pageland, S.C./Central OG 6-3 318 RS JR Newberry, S.C./Newberry DE 6-2 271 FR Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe DT 6-3 311 FR Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern DT 6-3 300 FR Manning, S.C./Manning WR 5-9 197 RS FR Moncks Corner, S.C./Berkeley P 5-11 193 RS FR Shelby, N.C./Burns OC 6-3 278 RS SO Fork, S.C./Lake View/Coastal Carolina DE 6-3 274 JR Jamestown, S.C./Timberland WR 6-1 175 FR Apex, N.C./Garner OT 6-6 284 RS FR Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln LB 6-1 244 RS JR Abbeville, S.C./Abbeville/Butler County CC CB 6-1 193 JR Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe SS 5-10 185 RS FR Decatur, Ga./Southwest Dekalb DT 6-3 266 FR Windermere, Fla./Olympia LB 6-2 265 RS SO Auburn, Ga./Apalachee QB 6-2 215 FR Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville DE 6-2 216 RS SO Ladson, S.C./Fort Dorchester/Brevard College CB 5-10 187 RS FR Darlington, S.C./Darlington LS 6-2 265 FR Aiken, S.C./South Aiken OL 6-3 273 FR Silver Creek, Ga./Pepperell DE 6-3 208 FR Fort Oglethorpe, Ga./Ridgeland CB 5-9 176 FR Columbia, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel TB 5-7 183 RS SR Knoxville, Tenn./Austin East/MidAmerica Nazarene SPR 6-2 232 JR Charlotte, N.C./South Pointe LS 5-10 199 RS JR Columbia, S.C./Hammond School DE 6-2 276 RS SR Hamlet, N.C./Richmond County WR 6-4 229 JR St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County LB 6-3 237 JR Columbia, S.C./Columbia WR 6-1 208 FR St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County DT 6-1 319 RS JR Green Pond, S.C./Colleton County/Fort Scott C.C. OC 6-5 316 RS JR Aynor, S.C./Aynor WR 5-9 188 RS FR Moore, S.C./Byrnes TB 6-0 232 SO Duncan, S.C./Byrnes CB 5-11 185 RS SO Beaufort, S.C./Beaufort WR 6-0 180 RS JR Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork CB 6-1 183 FR Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson CB 5-10 162 RS SR York, S.C./York Comprehensive CB 6-1 192 FR Athens, Ga./Clarke Central OL 6-5 274 FR Boynton Beach, Fla./Park Vista QB 6-6 207 FR Hillsdale, N.J./Bergen Catholic DE 6-5 235 RS SR Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County FB 6-0 227 RS FR Raleigh, N.C./Garner TB 5-10 193 RS JR Lawrenceville, Ga./Brookwood WR 6-4 203 RS JR Bowling Green, Ky./Bowling Green LS 6-0 216 RS SO Buford, Ga./Mill Creek/Emory & Henry

usc VS florida citadel

No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl.

Hometown/High School/Last College

20 68 31 88 67 45 99

Edward Muldrow Kyle Nunn Matt O’Brien Drew Owens Ronald Patrick Rodney Paulk Kelcy Quarles

LB OT SPR TE OG LB DT

6-3 6-6 6-0 6-5 6-1 6-0 6-4

190 295 188 241 302 242 271

FR RS SR RS SO FR SO RS SR FR

48 42 94 51 4 9 10 49

Marcquis Roberts SPR Travian Robertson DT Corey Robinson DT Kenny Robinson FS Sheldon Royster FS Ace Sanders WR Cadarious Sanders CB Joey Scribner-Howard

6-0 6-4 6-8 5-9 5-11 5-7 6-0 P/K

218 303 350 178 187 175 184 6-0

FR RS SR RS FR RS FR FR SO RS FR 210

11 14 71 89

Lamar Scruggs Connor Shaw Brandon Shell Corey Simmons

WR QB OT TE

6-3 6-1 6-6 6-4

218 204 322 260

RS SO SO FR RS FR

6 24 75 13 97 90 36 98

DeAngelo Smith Quin Smith Will Sport Seth Strickland J.T. Surratt Chaz Sutton D.J. Swearinger Devin Taylor

WR LB OL QB DT DE SS DE

6-0 193 6-1 238 6-5 282 6-2 194 6-2 297 6-4 250 5-10 208 6-7 260

RS SO JR FR RS JR RS FR RS SO JR RS JR

Snellville, Ga./South Gwinnett Sumter, S.C./Sumter New Milford, N.J./Bergen Catholic Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa Columbia, S.C./Richland Northeast Hodges, S.C./Greenwood/Fork Union Military Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County Havelock, N.C./Havelock Hilton Head Island, S.C./Hilton Head Island Woodbridge, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep Bradenton, Fla./Manatee LaGrange, Ga./Troup County RS SR Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork/CarsonNewman Jacksonville Beach, Fla./Fletcher Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek Lawrenceville, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian Kingsland, Ga./Camden County Lenoir, N.C./Hibriten Milton, Fla./Pace Laurens, S.C./Laurens Winston-Salem, N.C./Parkland Savannah, Ga./Jenkins/Fork Union Military Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood Beaufort, S.C./Beaufort

Game 9 Game 9

depth WR

WR WR WR WR WR LT LT LG LG C

1 Alshon Jeffery 6 DeAngelo Smith 11 Lamar Scruggs 1 Alshon Jeffery 69 DeAngelo Smith Ace Sanders 1123 Lamar BruceScruggs Ellington OR 3 Damiere Byrd 9 Ace Sanders 2310 Bruce Ellington Nick Jones 3 Damiere Byrd OR 82 D.L. Moore OR 4 Jason Barnes 10 Nick Jones 8273 D.L. Moore Watkins Rokevious 4 Jason OR 76 Mike Barnes Matulis

6-4 229 JR-2L

6-4 6-0 5-7 6-3 5-9 5-9 5-7 5-9 5-9 5-9 6-4 6-4 5-9 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-5

229 193 175 218 197 161 175 197 188 161 203 214 188 203 340 214 274

JR-2L SO-SQ SO-1L SO-1L FR-RS FR-HS SO-1L FR-RS FR-RS FR-HS JR-2L SR-3L FR-RS JR-2L SR-1L SR-3L FR-HS

St. Matthews, S.C. Kingsland, Ga. Jacksonville Beach, Fla. St. Matthews, S.C. Kingsland, Bradenton,Ga. Fla. Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Moncks Corner, S.C. Sicklerville, N.J. Bradenton, Fla. Moncks Moore, Corner, S.C. S.C. Sicklerville, N.J. Ky. Bowling Green, Charlotte, N.C. Moore, S.C. Bowling Green, Fairburn, Ga. Ky. Charlotte, N.C. Fla. Boynton Beach,

7350 Rokevious A.J. CannWatkins 7677 Mike Matulis Byron Jerideau OR 70 Kyle Harris 50 A.J. Cann 7755 Byron Jerideau T.J. Johnson OR 7061 Kyle Harris Travis Ford

6-4 6-3 6-5 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-5 6-3 6-3

340 299 274 319 273 299 319 316 273 278

SR-1L FR-RS FR-HS JR-1L FR-HS FR-RS JR-1L JR-2L FR-HS SO-SQ

Fairburn, Bamberg,Ga. S.C. Boynton Beach,S.C. Fla. Green Pond, Silver Creek, Ga. Bamberg, S.C. Green Aynor,Pond, S.C. S.C. Silver Fork,Creek, S.C. Ga.

6-0 193 SO-SQ Offense 6-3 218 SO-1L

6078 Terrence Campbell 6-3 Ga. Fla. Cody Gibson 6-6 295 284 SR-2L FR-RS Austell, Tallahassee, 6773 Ronald Patrick Fla.Ga. Rokevious Watkins 6-1 6-4 302 340 SO-SQ SR-1L Cocoa, Fairburn,

RT TE

7887 Cody Gibson Fla. Justice Cunningham 6-6 6-3 284 265 FR-RS JR-2L Tallahassee, Pageland, S.C. 7381 Rokevious Watkins 6-4 Ga. Rory Anderson 6-5 340 207 SR-1L FR-HS Fairburn, Powder Springs, Ga.

6-3 213 6-4 340 6-1 225 5-10 178 6-1 223 5-10 206

RS FR RS SR FR SR FR FR

84 Mike Williamson

6-1 188 RS SO

46 Dalton Wilson 54 Shaq Wilson 40 Josh Woods

FB 6-0 227 RS JR LB 5-11 223 RS JR FS 5-10 180 RS SO

18 Jay Wooten

P/K 6-3 204 RS SR

81 Adam Yates

PK 6-1 213 RS JR

Steve Spurrier - Head Coach John Butler - Special Teams Coordinator Shawn Elliott - Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator Craig Fitzgerald - Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Jay Graham - Running Backs/Tight Ends Jeep Hunter - Safeties Ellis Johnson - Asst. Head Coach/Asst. Coach - Defense/Linebackers Brad Lawing - Defensive Line G.A. Mangus - Quarterbacks Jamie Speronis - Director of Football Operations Steve Spurrier Jr. - Receivers Lorenzo Ward - Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks Robbie Liles - Director of High School Relations Scott Morgan - Recruiting Assistant NOTES VS. ARKANSAS Patrick Shine - Administrative Coordinator for Recruiting

DEPTH CHART

RG RT

FB TB

QB OT LB CB TB FS

SOUTH CAROLINA GAME NOTES VS. ARKANSAS Offense Defense DEPTH CHART

5560 T.J. Johnson S.C. Terrence Campbell 6-5 6-3 316 295 JR-2L SR-2L Aynor, Austell, Ga. 6167 Travis Ford 6-3 S.C.Fla. Ronald Patrick 6-1 278 302 SO-SQ SO-SQ Fork, Cocoa,

QB FB

Hometown/High School/Last College Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs Fairburn, Ga./Creekside/Georgia Military Lawrenceville, Ga./Peachtree Ridge Chester, S.C./Chester Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood Warner Robins, Ga./Northside/Fork Union Military Norway, S.C./Orangeburg Prep/Columbia University Williston, S.C./Williston-Elko Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast Spartanburg, S.C./Gaffney/South Carolina State Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland County/North Carolina Sparks, MD/Hereford

Dylan Thompson Rokevious Watkins Angelo Watley C.C. Whitlock Brandon Wilds Brison Williams

coaches

SOUTH CAROLINA GAME

CRG

TE QB

No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. 17 73 17 12 22 11

8714 Justice Cunningham Connor Shaw 81 Anderson 17 Rory Dylan Thompson OR 12 Andrew Clifford 14 Connor Shaw 1746 Dylan Thompson Dalton Wilson OR 1241 Andrew ConnorClifford McLaurin 4622 Dalton Wilson Brandon Wilds 4131 Connor McLaurin Kenny Miles 28 Eric Baker 22 Brandon Wilds 31 Kenny Miles 28 Eric Baker

6-3 6-1 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-0

265 204 207 213 212 204 213 227 212 227

JR-2L SO-1L FR-HS FR-RS SO-SQ SO-1L FR-RS JR-2L SO-SQ FR-RS

Pageland, S.C. Flowery Branch, Ga. Powder BoilingSprings, Springs,Ga. S.C. Tampa, Fla. Flowery Branch, Ga. Boiling Springs, Williston, S.C. S.C. Tampa, Fla. Raleigh, N.C.

6-0 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0

227 223 227 193 208 223 193 208

JR-2L FR-HS FR-RS JR-2L JR-2L FR-HS JR-2L JR-2L

Williston, S.C.S.C. Blythewood, Raleigh, N.C. Ga. Lawrenceville, Jacksonville, Fla. Blythewood, S.C. Lawrenceville, Ga. Jacksonville, Fla.

98 Devin Taylor 90 Chaz Sutton 92 Byron McKnight 98 Devin Taylor 9042 Chaz Sutton Travian Robertson 9297 Byron McKnight J.T. Surratt 77 Byron Jerideau 42 Travian Robertson 9799 J.T. Surratt Kelcy Quarles 7757 Byron Jerideau Aldrick Fordham

DE DT DT DT DT DE DE MLB MLB WLB

6-7 260 JR-2L

6-4 250 SO-1L Defense 6-5 235 SR-3L 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-3

260 250 303 235 297 319 303 297 271 319 274

JR-2L SO-1L SR-3L SR-3L FR-RS JR-1L SR-3L FR-RS FR-PG JR-1L JR-2L

Beaufort, S.C. Savannah, Ga. Laurinburg, N.C. Beaufort, S.C. Savannah, Ga.N.C. Laurinburg, Laurinburg, N.C. N.C. Winston-Salem, Green Pond, S.C. Laurinburg, N.C. Winston-Salem, Hodges, S.C. N.C. Green Pond, S.C. Jamestown, S.C.

996 Kelcy Quarles 6-4 Melvin Ingram 6-2 271 276 FR-PG SR-3L Hodges, Hamlet,S.C. N.C. 577 Aldrick Fordham S.C. Jadeveon Clowney 6-3 6-6 274 254 JR-2L FR-HS Jamestown, Rock Hill, S.C. 6 Melvin 45 RodneyIngram Paulk 7 Jadeveon Clowney Shaq Wilson OR 54 43 Qua Gilchrist 45 Rodney Paulk OR 5424 Shaq QuinWilson Smith Gilchrist Reginald Bowens OR 4332 Qua

6-2 6-0 6-6 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-2

276 242 254 223 244 242 223 238 244 248

SR-3L SR-3L FR-HS JR-2L JR-SQ SR-3L JR-2L JR-2L JR-SQ JR-1L

Hamlet, N.C.S.C. Columbia, Rock Hill, S.C. Fla. Jacksonville, Abbeville, S.C. Columbia, S.C. Jacksonville, Lenoir, N.C. Fla. Abbeville, S.C. N.C. Holly Springs,

WLB SPUROR

2426 Quin Smith Antonio Allen 3233 Reginald DamarioBowens Jeffery

6-1 6-2 238 202 JR-2L SR-2L Lenoir, Ocala,N.C. Fla. 6-2 Springs, N.C. 6-3 248 237 JR-1L JR-2L Holly Columbia, S.C.

SPUR CB

265 Antonio StephonAllen Gilmore 3327 Damario Jeffery Victor Hampton

6-2 Fla. S.C. 6-1 202 193 SR-2L JR-2L Ocala, Rock Hill, 6-3 S.C. 5-10 237 187 JR-2L FR-RS Columbia, Darlington, S.C.

CB SS

5 Stephon 21 DeVonteGilmore Holloman 2711 Victor BrisonHampton Williams 9 Sharrod Golightly 21 DeVonte Holloman 1136 Brison Williams D.J. Swearinger 9 Sharrod Golightly 15 Jimmy Legree

6-1 6-2 5-10 5-10 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-10 5-10 5-11

FS CB

3639 D.J. Swearinger Marty Markett 1512 Jimmy Legree C.C. Whitlock

5-10 5-10 208 162 JR-2L SR-1L Greenwood, York, S.C. S.C. 5-11 5-10 185 178 SO-1L SR-3L Beaufort, Chester, S.C. S.C.

39 Marty Markett 12 C.C. Whitlock

5-10 162 SR-1L 5-10 178 SR-3L

SS FS

193 232 187 206 185 232 206 208 185 185

JR-2L JR-2L FR-RS FR-PG FR-RS JR-2L FR-PG JR-2L FR-RS SO-1L

Rock Hill, S.C. Charlotte, N.C. Darlington, S.C. Ga. Warner Robins, Decatur, Ga. Charlotte, N.C. Warner Robins, Ga. Greenwood, S.C. Decatur, Ga.S.C. Beaufort,

York, S.C. Chester, S.C.

Specialists KO

18 Jay Wooten 6-3 204 SR-1L Laurinburg, N.C. 49 Joey Scribner-Howard 6-0 210 SR-SQ Irmo, S.C.

KO PK

1818 Jay 6-3 JayWooten Wooten 6-3 204 204 SR-1L SR-1L Laurinburg, Laurinburg,N.C. N.C. 4949 Joey JoeyScribner-Howard Scribner-Howard6-0 6-0 210 210 SR-SQ SR-SQ Irmo, Irmo,S.C. S.C.

KR PR

PK P

1849 Jay Wooten Joey Scribner-Howard6-3 6-0 204 210 SR-1L SR-SQ Laurinburg, Irmo, S.C. N.C. 4918 Joey 6-0 S.C. N.C. Jay Scribner-Howard Wooten 6-3 210 204 SR-SQ SR-1L Irmo, Laurinburg,

4913 Joey 6-0 S.C. S.C. SethScribner-Howard Strickland 6-2 210 194 SR-SQ JR-1L Irmo, Laurens, 18 Jay Wooten 6-3 204 SR-1L Laurinburg, N.C.

13 Seth Strickland

36 D.J. Swearinger Bruce Ellington Stephon Gilmore 36 D.J. Swearinger OR 239 Bruce Ellington Ace Sanders 55 Stephon StephonGilmore Gilmore

SpecialistsOR 235

2011 South Carolina Football

6-2 194 JR-1L

PR LS LS

9 Ace Sanders 91 Walker Inabinet 5 Stephon Gilmore 62 Davis Moore 91 Walker Inabinet 62 Davis Moore

5-10 5-9 6-1 5-10 5-9 5-7 6-1 6-1

208 197 193 208 197 175 193 193

JR-2L Greenwood, S.C. FR-RS Moncks Corner, S.C. JR-2L Rock Hill, S.C. JR-2L Greenwood, S.C. FR-RS Corner, SO-1L Moncks Bradenton, Fla. S.C. JR-2L JR-2L Rock RockHill, Hill,S.C. S.C.

5-7 5-10 175 199 SO-1L JR-1L Bradenton, Columbia,Fla. S.C. 6-1 Hill,Ga. S.C. 6-0 193 216 JR-2L SO-SQ Rock Buford, 5-10 199 JR-1L Columbia, S.C. 6-0 216 SO-SQ Buford, Ga.

Laurens, S.C. 15

Quarterback Connor Shaw runs the ball during Tennessee game on Oct. 29. Photo by Paul Collins

Gotta win anyway

Gamecocks Football Aims to Channel Ray Tanner

B Y D AV I D C L O N I N G E R

t’s often fruitless to compare success rates between different teams at one school. Just because a school is a powerhouse in women’s basketball, for example, doesn’t mean it will be a powerhouse in men’s basketball.

But at South Carolina, especially this year, comparisons offer reason for hope. The Gamecocks’ baseball team has won two straight national championships, the last coming during a year that coach Ray Tanner labeled his most staggering in terms of injuries. Key player after key player went down to a medical problem, some only

missing a handful of games, others missing half the season. Yet, USC still won the SEC and swept through the postseason without a loss. In the final game of the College World Series, one of those injured stars, Jackie Bradley Jr., caught the last out on another national title. The mantra for the team became one of Tanner’s favorite expressions. He’s said it for years, but last season is when it really hit home: “Gotta win anyway.” Hurt? Tough. Playing three Top 10 teams in the span of two weeks? Oh well. Going through a pitching or hitting slump where nothing’s going right? No excuses. Win anyway. Baseball is baseball and football is football, but as the football season has progressed, many are thinking the baseball team’s code has transferred across campus to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks have won seven of

their first eight games despite their offense being stuck in first gear. And at Mississippi State on Oct. 15, the hammer dropped. On what would become the game-winning touchdown drive, USC’s gas tank ruptured. Tailback Marcus Lattimore — Heisman trophy hopeful and the man the offense is designed around — couldn’t hurdle a diving tackler in time, caught his left leg underneath and felt something rip. It looked bad after the game, and the announcement came the next day that it was even worse than it had looked. Lattimore has a torn ligament and cartilage damage in his left knee, nixing the rest of his season and putting him on a long road to recovery. While chances are excellent that Lattimore can return to what he was, that’s a year away. In the meantime, USC was left staring at a sizable void in its

usc VS florida citadel

offense. During Lattimore’s freshman season, it was a troubling statistic that the Gamecocks looked completely lost whenever Lattimore didn’t play. While his rushing total have been lower in 2011 — mainly because of opponents focusing so much on the threat he represents — he still meant so much to the Gamecocks that it was frightening to think of continuing without him. Then the cry was issued: Win anyway. No matter how painful it is to see Lattimore on crutches, the situation has not changed. USC is still leading the SEC East, could still clinch it and play for the SEC championship and could still go to a BCS bowl game. They just have to win anyway. “We talked about it and we said that everything is right there in front of us,” senior captain Travian Robertson said, describing a players-only meeting that the Gamecocks called after the Mississippi State game. Lattimore attended as well, and he told the group not to feel sorry for him or itself, because the goals were still attainable. USC regrouped during its bye week, then traveled to Tennessee and won 14-3, just the second time the Gamecocks have ever won in Neyland Stadium. Freshman Brandon Wilds took over at tailback and bulled his way to 137 yards to replace the running cog in the Gamecocks’ offense, while quarterback Connor Shaw helped out with 64 rushing yards, 87 passing yards, one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown. It was not a pretty win, but not many this season have been. The important thing is that it was a win. “Even though it wasn’t pretty for television, we’re glad to get to 7-1,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “I’m not much of a passing coach anymore, but we’re 7-1, somehow.” The Gamecocks return home for their final three games with their goals still in front of them. While hard-charging Georgia is breathing down USC’s neck in pursuit of the division title, all USC has to do is win — anyway

usc VS florida citadel

Injured running back Marcus Lattimore at USCTennessee game, Oct. 29. Photo by Paul Collins

— and the Bulldogs will go away. To do that, the Gamecocks will face a curious Florida team, one that is struggling to find its way under first-year coach Will Muschamp, and one that has plenty of talent but has yet to put it together. The Gators were 4-4 going into their game on Nov. 5, a losing skid caused by an injury to quarterback John Brantley. The game could decide the SEC East champion, which then turns the focus to finishing strong at home. The Citadel would be first up, giving the Gamecocks the chance to correct a mistake of long ago (losing to the Bulldogs in 1990, the last entry in the series). Then another opportunity comes knocking: Clemson has lost its last two straight games to USC, and the Tigers will probably be coming into the match-up with its ticket punched for the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers

are riding a magnificent offense to a stellar season and will no doubt be looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak to the Gamecocks since 1968-70. Those games are in the future, though. As USC has all year, it is not focusing on Georgia or its injuries or its could-be scenarios. Only the next game, and what the Gamecocks must do to win that next game. “It was tough losing Marcus, but we can’t accept that as, ‘Our season is over,’” center T.J. Johnson said. “He’s still around us, encouraging us, and we know that all of our goals are still right in front of us. We’re not going to give up.” Tanner hasn’t spoken to the football team about trying to win anyway, but the Gamecocks have grasped the concept already. What keeps everyone hopeful that USC can see this season

through is the way the Gamecocks have won many of their previous games: late rallies, hitting the big plays, having the ball bounce their way for a change. These are foreign concepts to a program that has been mired in mediocrity. It’s happening now. USC has not scored first in any game this season, yet the Gamecocks have won seven of their first eight games. It has won despite not having a fluid passing attack, its rushing game beginning to be held up and its top offensive player going down to a knee injury. “We don’t think too much about how we’re doing it,” safety D.J. Swearinger said. “That won’t do us any good.” The Gamecocks also don’t mention the key phrase, since everybody is doing it for them. Win anyway.

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usc VSVS FLORIDA florida CITADEL citadel USC

usc USC VSVS florida FLORIDA citadel CITADEL

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GamecockCentral.com Recruit to Watch BY CHRIS CLARK

Quarterback Brendan Nosovitch

or the second straight recruiting cycle, South Carolina’s football staff nabbed a quarterback prospect out of the Northeast. Last year, the staff signed New Jersey’s Tanner McEvoy; this year, it is Pennsylvania signal-caller Brendan Nosovitch, who will sign with USC in February. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Nosovitch fits the mold of what quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus is looking for these days: a strong arm, the ability to scramble, moxie and smarts. Nosovitch led his Allentown Central Catholic team to an undefeated state championship season during his junior year. Along the way, he put up huge numbers, passing for 3,112 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushing for 1,647 yards and 25

more scores. This season, Central Catholic’s defense has not played as well, but Nosovitch has still had a big year. He is now the all-time leader for both rushing and passing yardage among quarterbacks in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, ahead of names like Terrelle Pryor. For Nosovitch, USC was a perfect fit. “I’ve been pretty high on South Carolina this whole recruiting process,” he told GamecockCentral.com after he committed in the summer. “I feel like it’s a good place for me. I knew where I wanted to go. I’m really excited about playing for South Carolina.” Playing for Steve Spurrier and Mangus, with whom Nosovitch

Gamecocks Not Finished Rewriting History OPINION BY JAMES HARLEY

tudents of Gamecock football history will be delighted to know that a new textbook is on order, authored by coach Steve Spurrier with substantial contributions from prominent members of the current roster. Replacing the outdated previous edition, Mediocrity Defined, the new version includes chapters on USC’s first SEC East title; their win over No. 1 ranked Alabama; their longest true road-game winning streak ever; their first consecutive wins over Clemson since the 1960s; the most winning senior class in history; their redefined bowl eligibility standards; and their first ever consecutive seasons with wins over both Georgia and Tennessee. In short, the new history reflects USC’s upgraded status in the state of South Carolina, the wider world of college football and especially the SEC. But though the Gamecocks have successfully put themselves above Clemson, Georgia and now

Tennessee, the book isn’t finished yet. While they often managed to play the Bulldogs and Volunteers close even in defeat, USC’s history against Florida has been far from hopeful, with the Gators ruthlessly dominating the series. This chapter still needs a rewrite, and a chance to put Florida down in consecutive seasons for the first time since joining the conference offers an excellent opportunity to do so and officially announce USC’s new ownership of the SEC East, regardless of the outcome of the division race. Georgia might still back its way into the title over Carolina, but defeating all of the traditional East powerhouses two years in a row and losing the title only because of West division teams would still indicate that the Gamecocks are dominant in their own division. It’s important not to lose sight of that, and of what’s going on in the big picture of Carolina football in general, even

has developed a good relationship, was too much to pass up for the three-star prospect. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity to get a chance to play for [Coach Spurrier],” Nosovitch said. “Not many people get to do that. Hopefully, I will take advantage of that opportunity. The SEC is definitely the best conference in college football.” Central Catholic coach Harold Fairclough absolutely raved about Nosovitch shortly after the quarterback pledged to USC. “Hands down, he’s the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” Fairclough said. “I’ve been around some good ones. He has such a low-key demeanor that if you saw him walking down the street, you wouldn’t really know that it’s Brendan Nosovitch, the best player in Pennsylvania.” The coach was asked back in July to point to one moment that demonstrated “vintage Nosovitch” during the season. It was not lead-

ing his team to a game-winning drive in the state title game, though. It was the week before. “I would go back to the game before the state championship,” Fairclough said. “The game was tied at halftime and I kind of said to him ‘Now is your time. Put the team on your back and make it happen.’” Nosovitch responded with 602 total yards and seven touchdowns in the game to help his squad make it to state. Indeed, Fairclough is not the only person who believes Nosovitch is the best in the Keystone State. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year after his junior season in the state. What is it that makes him such a good player? “He’s a winner,” said Fairclough. “By his numbers, you can tell he produces whether he runs the ball or passes it. He has all the intangibles. Great kid overall, humble, great work ethic. He’s the ultimate competitor.”

if the season as a whole does not turn out as perfectly as one might dream. The wins or losses of a given letdown weekend, as tough as they are to swallow sometimes, are part of college football and cannot erase the new history of true overall competitiveness that is being written by Spurrier. The Gamecocks have a legitimate elevated status, and can validate that strongly with another win over Florida as part of a solid three-game home stand to finish the season. But there is a lot of history to overcome in this particular matchup. It seems like the Gators really took offense to the Gamecocks ruining their only undefeated season ever with a 6-6 tie game back in 1911, and they have taken it out on USC ever since, winning 23 of the subsequent 30 meetings. Since USC joined the SEC in 1992, the Gators have racked up a brutal 17-2 advantage over the Gamecocks. That period included a 13-game losing streak for USC that was only broken when Spurrier showed up on the scene and shocked his former team with a 30-22 Gamecock victory in 2005. Still, the Gators returned to domination immediately, taking the next four games before last

year’s championship USC team finally broke through again. With nothing less than another potential SEC East title at stake, the question is whether the Gamecocks can finally put Florida behind them like Georgia and Tennessee. It won’t be easy. The Gators have not lost to both USC and UGA in the same year since 1939, and it’s hard to imagine that they’ve truly slid as far as it appears they have. Look for this one to be a high-stress event and plan accordingly when you make your pre-game beer run if you’re watching at home. Whether or not USC gets to finally edit the Florida chapter and claim another title, the team should at least get to erase another ugly piece of history next week when they face the Citadel for the first time since an embarrassing loss in 1990. With fingers crossed to avoid any lingering curse, the Bulldogs should provide a nice de-stressing for both the team and fans after the insane drama that is part of life in the top half of the SEC. We will need it. Keep up with Harley’s Side Line blog at free-times.com and his Side Line column in the weekly edition of Free Times.

usc VS florida citadel

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