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November 20, 2013 • Volume 35 • Issue 34

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nation’s longest home win streak livesat Williams-Brice; stands at 16 straight

2 • Spurs & Feathers November 20, 2013

by mike [email protected]

South Carolina earned its sixth SEC win of the season by defeating Florida, 19-14, inside Williams-Brice Stadium to set the program record for longest home winning streak at 16 straight games.

The Gamecocks were able to take over in the second half, scoring the final 12 points of the game. The win also extends the lon-gest current home winning streak in the country.

“Somehow or other it worked out again. We had trouble scoring obviously around the three-yard line two or three times, but Elliott Fry kicked some field goals and our defense was really sensational in the second half,” head coach Steve Spurrier said. “We got tougher. We got tough in the second half and shut Florida down pretty good and somehow or other it worked out for us.

“We’re proud of the guys, proud to win 16 in a row here and 6-2 in the conference three years in a row. That’s pretty good for us and we’re proud of our players. Our players played like winners,” Spurrier said.

The Gamecock defense held strong in the second half, holding the Gators scoreless and senior Jimmy Legree sealed the victory

with his third interception of the season with 1:22 remaining.

South Carolina’s freshman kicker Fry had a career game with four field goals, going four-of-five with a career-long 45 yarder in the second quarter.

Quarterback Connor Shaw was 14-for-28 passing for 213 yards and one touchdown. The victory gave Shaw his 24th win as a starter, tying the school record held by Todd Ellis. Shaw has a 24-5 career record as a starter and is 15-0 at home as a starter.

“Obviously it’s something special and hopefully we can come out next week and execute and beat Coastal. I’ve got plenty of time after I’m done here to look back on all that stuff so I’m just going to continue try-ing to help this team win,” Shaw said.

The Gamecocks were able to regain the lead with 6:43 remaining at 16-14, their first lead since 3-0 in the first quarter. The drive started on the Gamecocks’ own 10-yard line and went 87 yards in eight plays capped by Fry’s third field goal of the game. The drive saw a 58-yard rush by Shon Carson and a 34-yard catch by Rory Anderson in traffic.

Fry added to the lead with a 43-yard field goal to make the score 19-14 with 2:16 remaining after South Carolina stopped a Florida (4-6, 3-5 SEC) fake punt from its

own 32-yard line. South Carolina (8-2, 6-2 SEC) was able

to gain some momentum after halftime by forcing a quick three-and-out from Florida’s offense to get the ball back.

The Gamecocks proceeded to go on a seven-play, 64-yard drive in 2:32 to cut the lead to 14-13 on a 32-yard touchdown hookup from Shaw to Bruce Ellington. The catch was Ellington’s sixth touchdown of the season and Shaw’s 19th touchdown pass this year. The touchdown came as South Caro-lina went for it on fourth down and three from the 32-yard line.

Florida next went on a drive aided by a roughing the passer call down into the red zone, but the Gamecock defense stiffened and a Jadeveon Clowney six-yard tackle for loss forced the Gators to kick. The 32-yard field goal attempt missed left and the Game-cocks held Florida scoreless on the drive.

The Gamecocks received the open-ing kickoff and went down the field on a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 25-yard field goal by Fry. Shaw completed a 39-yard pass to Damiere Byrd and Mike Davis had a 23-yard run on the drive that gave South Carolina the early lead with 10:21 left in first quarter.

Florida came right back with a scoring

drive of their own to take a 7-3 lead with 3:03 remaining in the first quarter. The Ga-tors scored on a 20-yard touchdown run by Kelvin Taylor.

South Carolina answered with another field goal, a career long of 45 yards from Fry, to cut the lead to 7-6 with 14:04 left before the half. The field goal capped a nine-play, 57- yard drive in 3:59.

Florida answered with another touchdown run by Taylor, this one from from 29 yards out. The six-play, 75-yard drive put the Ga-tors up, 14-6, with 10:51 left before halftime.

The score would stay 14-6 at the half as the teams traded punts before the Gamecocks missed on a 38-yard field goal attempt.

South Carolina’s rushing attack was led by Carson with a career-high 102 yards on 13 carries and Davis contributed 54 yards of his own.

Ellington and Byrd each had four recep-tions. Ellington had 67 yards and the touch-down while Byrd totaled 55 yards. Ander-son also chipped in three grabs for 69 yards.

“This was a wonderful win for South Carolina. The fans were super, screaming and yelling, that made it tough on the Ga-tors. Just to get a win the way it started out was good for us, good for the Gamecocks,” Spurrier said.

Second-half surge by Gamecocks chomps down Gatorsphoto by allen sharpe

Shon Carson had a career day against the Gators. Carson finished his efforts in the Gamecock victory with 102 yards rushing on 13 carries. He ran for 58 yards on this play.

November 20, 2013 Spurs & Feathers • 3

South carolina athleticS media relationS

General• No.11/12SouthCarolina’s19-14victory

overFloridaextendsthehomewinningstreakto16games,establishinganewschoolrecord.Thepreviousmarkof15straightwassetfrom1978-1980.The16-straightwinsatWilliams-Briceisthelongestcurrenthomewinningstreakinthecountry.

• Thevictoryisthe39thGamecockwininafour-yearperiod,alsoanewschoolrecord.Thepreviousmarkof38wassetbylastyear’sseniorclass.

• TheGamecockshavenowrecordedsixSECwinsforthethird-straightyear.SouthCarolinaheadcoachSteveSpur-rierisnow4-5overallingamesagainsthisalmamater,includinga3-2markinColumbia,S.C.

• Florida’s14-6leadatthehalfwasthefirsttimeSouthCarolinatrailedatthehalfathomesinceAuburnin2011.

• Theannouncedattendanceof83,853isthemostoftheseasonatWilliams-Brice.

• Atthehalf,SouthCarolinawomen’sbas-ketballcoachDawnStaleywaspresentedtheOrderofthePalmettofromSouthCarolinaGovernorNikkiHaley.Theawardisthehighestcivilianhonorthatcanbeawardedbythegovernor,grantedtothosewhohavedisplayedsignificantachievementandservicetothestate.Stal-eyjoinsseveralothereliteSouthCarolinacoacheswhohavereceivedtheOrderofthePalmetto,includingcurrenttrackandfieldheadcoachCurtisFrye,formermen’sbasketballcoachFrankMcGuireandformerfootballcoachesLouHoltz,JimCarlenandWarrenGiese.

• TheUniversityalsohonoredspecialPio-neersCarltonHaywood,JackieBrownandCaseyManningtonight.Therecog-nitionwasforthosewhotookthemonu-mentalstepstodesegregateathleticsattheUniversityofSouthCarolina.Hay-woodwasthefirstAfrican-AmericantoenrollattheUniversityofSouthCarolinaonafootballscholarship.Brown,whoal-soplayedfootballandbasketballatSouthCarolina,wasthefirstAfrican-AmericanbaseballplayerattheUniversity.Man-ningwasthefirstAfrican-AmericanbasketballplayerattheUniversity.

offense• SeniorquarterbackConnorShawnow

has24winsasastartingquarterback,tyingtheschoolrecordsetbyToddEllis.Shawis24-5asastarterfortheGarnet&Black.Elliswas24-16-3duringhiscareer.

• SophomoretailbackShonCarson’s102yardsisacareerhighandthefirst100-yardrushinggameofhiscareer.His58-yardruninthefourthquarteristhelongestofhiscareer.

• SophomoretailbackMikeDavismovedintosixth-placeinrushingyardsinaseasonbyaGamecockwith1,112yards.Heisjust85yardsawayfromthirdplace(MarcusLattimore:1,197yards,2010).

defense• SeniorcornerbackJimmyLegree’s

fourth-quarterinterceptionwashisthirdoftheseasonandsixthofhiscareer.

• JuniorspurSharrodGolightlytiedaca-reerhighsetagainstNorthCarolinaear-lierthisseasonwithsixtackles.RedshirtfreshmanspurJordanDiggssetanewcareerhighwithfourtackles,eclipsinghispreviousmarkofthreeagainstUABlastseason.SophomoredefensivetacklePhillipDukesrecordedhisfirstsolotackleforloss.

Special teams• FreshmanplacekickerElliotFryhitaca-

reer-long45-yardfieldgoalinthesecondquarter.Fryknockedacareer-highfourfieldgoalsthroughtheuprightsandwent4-of-5onthenight.It’sthemostfieldgoalsmadeinasinglegamebyaGame-cocksinceSpencerLanningagainstGeorgiain2009.

head coach Steve Spurrieropening Statement“Somehowitworkedoutagain.Wehad

troublescoringobviouslyaroundthethree-yardlinetwoorthreetimes.ElliotFrykickedsomefieldgoalsandourdefensewassensationalinthesecondhalf.Firsthalfthey[Florida]hadusalittlebitonourheels.Runningtheball.Butourguysgottougherinthesecondhalfandshut

Floridadownprettygood.Somehowitworkedoutforus.Weweren’tverygoodonoffenseagain.Althoughwedidmake370yards,that’sprettygoodIguess.Thirddownswestruggledagain,butwehadalotoflongones.Anwaysitworkedoutagain.We’reproudoftheguysandproudtowin16inarowhere.We’re6-2intheconference,threeyearsinarowandthat’sprettygoodforus.I’mproudofourplayers,ourplay-ersplaylikewinners.Athalftimetherewasn’talotoflaughterormuchjoyinthelockerroombutafterwardswehadahappybunchofGame-cocks.Maybesomethingbiggerisgoingtohappenforusdowntheroad,Idon’tknow.We’llwatchMissouriplayalittlebit,fromadistance.We’llbegettingreadyforCoastalandtrytowinourninthgameoftheseasonnextweekifwecan.Weknowthey’reagoodteamandweknowwe’vehadstruggleswithjustabouteverybodythat’scomeinherethisyear.Thiswasawonder-fulwinforSouthCarolina.Thefansweresuper,screamingandyelling,thatmadeittoughontheGators.Justtogetawinthewayitstartedoutwasgoodforus,goodfortheGamecocks.”

on when they learned that auburn de-feated Georgia“Itwasonthescreenthere,itwasonthescreen

inthestadiumandIthinkthat’swhenallourpeoplestartedyelling.Wehaven’teventalkedaboutit.WellafterthegameIsaid̀ bythewaywedoknowthatAuburnbeatGeorgiatoday.’Whatagamethatwas,goodgracious,asortofhail-maryballthatwentricochetingaround.Iguessthat’swhypeoplewatchfootballontele-vision,gamesliketheonetheyhad.Ourswasprettyinterestingtoo.Itwasanold-fashionedfootballgameIguess,awholebunchoffieldgoalsbyourteam.Wewononethatway,usuallyyoulosethatwaybuttonightwewonit.”

Connor Shaw • Quarterback • Senior

on the struggles on the offensive side of the ball“Florida’sdefenseisreallygood.Weknew

thatcomingin.They’reoneofthetop[teams]intheleague.Wejustcouldn’tfindtherhythminthefirsthalfdownintheredzone.Thesecondhalf,Ithoughtwebattledalittlebitstronger.Wadjustedathalf-timeandcameoutandfoundawaytowin.”

On breaking Todd Ellis’ career starting quarterback wins record“Obviouslyit’ssomethingspecial,andhope-

fullywecancomeoutnextweekandexecuteandbeatCoastal.I’vegotplentyoftimeafterI’mdoneheretolookbackonallofit.SoI’mjustgo-ingtotryandcontinuetohelpourteamtowin.”

Elliott Fry • Kicker • FreshmanOn feeling the pressure of making routine

field goals“There’spressurenomatterwhat.Itcangeta

littlemorenerve-rackingjustbecauseyouareexpectedtomakeanythingfrom40-yardsin.Eitherwayyougoinwiththesamemindset.”

On setting aside his missed field goal“Ahugepartofthekickinggameisbeingable

toblockoutthelastkickandmoveontothenextone.Afteryoumissthere’snothingyoucandoaboutit,soyoujusthavetomoveon.”

Jadeveon Clowney • Defensive End • Junioron grinding out wins“That’sthegroupofguyswehave.Wehave

toughguysthatfightthroughalot.Wecameinathalftime,andweweredownbutItoldtheteamkeepyourheadupandkeepfightingandthatanythingcanhappenintheSECsowehadtokeepfighting.”

on the defense growing“Theyoungguysaregettingsmarterandthe

olderguysaresteppingup.Wejustkeepgellingtogetherasagroup,andthat’swhatwetrytodoeveryweek.Wejusttrytokeepgettingbetter.”

Bruce Ellington • Wide Receiver • Junioron his touchdown catch“Itwasakindofplaythatwasdesignedfor

(Damiere)Byrdtogettheball,butIsawmyde-fendersittingsoIjustranrightpasthim.Connor(Shaw)didaheckofajobthrowingtheball,andIscoredatouchdown.”

Shon Carson • Tailback • Sophomoreon his career performance in game“Coachgavemerepsinpractice.Theywere

keyinginonMike(Davis)andthathelpedopenitupformemore.”

Jimmy Legree • Cornerback • Senioron his interception“Itwasgreatcoverage.Itwaskindofadesper-

atesituationforthem,thequarterbackthrewtheballrighttomeandImadetheplay.”

South Carolina-Florida postgame notes/quotes

photo by allen sharpe


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What’s Inside? - Table of ContentsMen’s basketball vs. Clemson .....................................6

South Carolina honors pioneers ...............................8

Gamecock women’s soccer defeatsFurman in NCAA Tournament ....................................9

Women’s basketball drops a beat ..........................10

Garnet Market Spotlight:Addams University Bookstore ................................11

Sand volleyball learns from competition ............12

Gamecocks/Chanticleers depth charts ...............13

Equestrian looks to ride strong fall finish ...........15

South Carolina/Coastal Carolina football rosters ...................................................... 16-17

Recruiting Roundup ............................................ 18-19

Changing perceptions ...............................................20

South Carolina Athletics launchesGamecock Career Network ......................................21

“Inside the Chart” with Andy Demetra ....................................................22

Upcoming Events: Gamecock Club .......................26

South Carolina announces“Hoops for the Holidays” program ................ 27-28

Compliance Corner .....................................................29

Ed Girardeau’s column ...............................................30

Something to Crow About!

Dawn Staley honored as women’s basketball excels

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley received the Order of the Palmetto from Governor Nikki Haley at halftime of the football game on Saturday. The award is the highest civilian honor that can be awarded by the governor, granted to those who have displayed significant achievement and service to the state.

“I am grateful for Governor Haley’s generosity with this award and am humbled by joining the others who have received it,” Staley said. “Returning to South Carolina where my mother is from has been a blessing and we have spent five-plus years doing our best to represent the state well. I am so happy to coach at this University and be able to share my experiences and provide opportunities for the young women here to play for and thrive at their own state uni-versity.”

The Gamecocks also played well on the court this past week, earning two victories over College of Charleston and Seton Hall. South Carolina defeated College of Charleston, 81-54, on Thursday and Seton Hall, 81-67, on Sunday. The Gamecocks are 4-0 this season and are next in action at Clemson on Wednesday, the first of three straight road games.

Visit www.spursandfeathers.com for all your game recaps and news about the women’s basketball team.

(Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics Media Relations)


Sweet 16 was never supposed to be like this.

Those special moments are to be reserved for a moment of unbridled joy, a childlike happiness with an acknowledgment that it’s almost, but not quite, time to grow up.

Maybe that only pertains in the real world because the effect of Carolina’s school-record 16th con-secutive home victory was clearly a situation of bridled joy, restrained by the knowledge that the big payoff will only come when an opponent falls and the Southeastern Con-ference effectively says, “take it, it’s yours.”

The conference championship game in At-lanta will beckon again as this space has been suggesting for the last month, when Missouri is tripped up, either on an excursion to Ox-ford, Miss., this week, or if not there, when Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M upset the

Tigers’ plans in Mizzou’s final home game, two weeks out.

Yes, I think it will happen, but then you shouldn’t place too many hopes on those beliefs, as my expectation was that a one-loss Carolina team would represent the division in Atlanta.

Didn’t see that defeat coming at Knoxville and didn’t expect the Gators to put up as much of a fight for as long as they did Sat-urday night at Williams-Brice. Nothing that occurred in the first half struck as a surprise, you expected to see Florida, with its back to the wall of bowl game elimination, coming out as though there was no tomorrow.

Give them credit, they extended the game longer than they should have, and give some credit to the Gamecocks for finding a way to win, again.

The spectacular occurred elsewhere when Auburn somehow pulled off a miracle play on a long pass, converged upon by two Geor-gia defenders and one Auburn player that was tipped up and fell into the arms of Ricardo Louis, converted into what will be another storied chapter in the rivalry between those

schools.It was a miracle in the sense that all lovers

and true believers understand that miracles are nothing more than what is revealed when the thin veil of illusion is removed and for Georgia, that’s what happened. Beaten down with injuries, the Bulldogs have been surren-dering points and yards at incredible rates ev-er since they managed to beat the Gamecocks in Athens and the way they have been able to win all these weeks is simply unsustainable.

The football gods caught up with Georgia Saturday. It can be a cruel game.

But you had your first abstract indica-tion that this would be an awkward night in Columbia when television cameras showed Gamecock fans, with backs to the field of play, staring up at the stadium big screen, taking in Auburn’s winning play.

From that moment on, there was an odd sense around this game, the near misses the Gamecocks had here and there throughout the game and the crazy play down in Auburn that almost replicated an even stranger play six days earlier. In an NFL game a week ago, Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton

heaved a Hail Mary pass to former Bulldog A.J. Green that was surrounded by three opponents and, inexplicably was tipped up, not down as players are taught. Green had the ball pop up and fall harmlessly into his waiting, end zone arms, so maybe one school gets only so many beneficial plays in a season – Green caught his, while his alma mater got burned in a somewhat similar – though not a Hail Mary – pass play.

Shon Carson emerged with the vital 58-yard run that set up Carolina’s go-ahead points and the victory was secured, however un-steadily.

These 19-point wins somehow never give a team great satisfaction because they are a product of one touchdown and four posses-sions that came close, but didn’t fully pay off. Coaches walk away thinking about how dif-ferent it might have been if two of those four had been touchdowns.

So they move on and wait to see when, and if, help arrives.

If you’ve been keeping up here, you know the suggestion is that help will surely arrive, maybe this week.

Sweet 16 was never supposed to be like this

Bart WrightContributing

Writer

Head coach Will MuschampOpening statement … “I am very proud with our guys’ effort. We

followed the script and what we felt like we did what we needed to do to win the game and that was ball possession, field position, beat the clock, play good defense, which we did for the most part throughout the night against a very good offensive football team. So I am extremely proud of our players and the way they continued to fight in the game. There’s a lot of negativity out there. These guys pulled together and showed you a little something of what they’re about. We just need to make some plays in those situations and win the game. The bottom line is winning and we didn’t do it. We did not get the job done. So that’s on me and we will go back and continue to work hard with these last two. I’m looking forward to that. The 58-yard run there at the end, we just kind of bounced out of our gap with our corner with pressure on the four down look. We changed gaps on it and they spit on us. We know we had the safety covering on the “X” and we had no overlap. Unfortunately when you pressure a little bit, that’s what happens. The 34-yard pass on the third-and-nine was a beautifully thrown ball. South Carolina had great coverage and their guy made a play. We have got to get the ball off in those situations, but I am extremely proud of our staff and our players have pulled together, trying to put ourselves in a position to win the game on the road against a very good football team. We

just got to come up with a couple of those plays here and there. Missed two field goals and we are a team that needs to capitalize on those opportunities. So we will continue to work on that. I felt like we got some good movement in the run game tonight and we got good pressure on the quarterback. His legs didn’t hurt us like they have before. He’s an outstanding player and scrambler, so I am pleased with that. We’ll get it done, we’ll keep working.”

On the effort shown with mass injuries … “We have had one starter (on the offensive

line) play the same position for nine games. It’s difficult. It’s hard. It’s not excuses; it’s real. Probably South Carolina and Missouri are the two best fronts we’ve played this year. You know Jadeveon (Clowney) gets a lot of credit, but 90 (Chaz Sutton) is a really good player and (Kelcy) Quarles is a very good player, 99. But I was very pleased. We could not get in loose downs with them, passing situations. We had to manage down and distance because they are an extremely athletic, talented front. I though that we did a very good job for the most part putting ourselves in situations to be successful.”

Dante Fowler, Jr. • Sophomore On losing streak … “It’s frustrating, but I want to take my hat off

to my team. For us, after all this adversity we have no excuses, but we kept fighting. For 60 minutes we played tough football and we gave it all we could. They came up with the ‘W,’ but at the end of the day I’m proud of my team.”

What Florida had to say...

Coastal Carolina (10-1, 4-1 Big South)Site: Columbia, S.C. in Williams-Brice Sta-

diumTime: 1 p.m.TV: Pay-per-viewSeries: First meetingScouting: Coastal Carolina is averaging 45.5

points and 512.5 yards per game. The offense is led by running back Lorenzo Taliaferro who

has rushed for 1,466 yards and 23 touchdowns for 133.3 yards a game. The defense is led by ju-nior linebacker Quinn Backus who has 108 total tackles and three interceptions. The Chanti-cleers are defeating opponents by an average of 20 points per game. This year is the second time in CCU’s 11 years of football that the program has registered 10 wins and they also secured a share of the 2013 Big South Championship.

The Coastal Carolina game


Freshman Elliott Fry had a career-best four field goals in the win over Florida.

By BRIAN HAND

CLEMSON, S.C. - A late second-half run by Clemson proved to be too much for the South Carolina men’s basketball team in a 71-57 loss to the Tigers at Littlejohn Coli-seum.

“Give Clemson (3-0) credit … they are rock-solid in how they play,” South Carolina (1-2) head coach Frank Martin said. “I am not going to sit here and tell you I could of predicted this, but I knew unless we shot a high, high percentage we were not going to be very good defensively and good enough to beat a team that plays as disciplined as Clemson.”

Martin said that a great deal of Clemson’s success in the contest was due to the physi-cality of the Tigers on the offensive and defensive side of things.

“After the Baylor game my first comment was that our perimeter defense stunk so we had to go to the zone to save us,” Martin pointed out. “Players didn’t listen to me; our perimeter defense stinks so today we played a guard that’s a three-year guy that exposed us, drove the ball, got in the paint … that’s on us as coaches, we got to fix that and the players have to listen and be more committed to getting better on the perimeter defense.”

After the first roughly 10 minutes of ac-tion, Clemson held a eight-point, 21-13, ad-vantage. Clemson’s lead was as many as 11 points with under nine minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Clemson would go ahead by as many as 13 points in the first half, but after missing 13 consecutive field goals and being held scoreless for almost seven minutes, the Gamecocks went on a 5-0 run to pull within eight points at 26-18 with 3:20 remaining in the first half.

The two teams entered the halftime break with Clemson clinging to a 35-26 advan-tage.

South Carolina concluded the first half shooting 33.3 percent (12-for-36) as a team.

Clemson in turn shot 41.7 percent (10-for-24) as a team. Clemson (12-for-14) attempt-ed 14 free throws in the first half as a team, while the Gamecocks (1-of-3) had just three free throw attempts in the half.

Seven different Gamecocks scored in the first half with Sindarius Thornwell leading the way with seven points.

The second half commenced with the Gamecocks going on a 6-0 spurt to pull within three points at 35-32 with roughly 17 and a half minutes to play in the game.

The Gamecocks would keep inching closer over the ensuing minutes and with 12:51 to play they were down by just one at 40-39.

That would prove to be as close as the Gamecocks would be able to get the rest of the way with Clemson pulling away for the 14-point victory.

The Gamecocks closed out the game shooting 35.4 percent (23-for-65) as a team. The Gamecocks could only knock down one 3-pointer (1-of-10) in the contest. South Car-olina ended the game shooting 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the free throw line.

Clemson ended its win over the Game-cocks shooting 43.8 percent (21-for-48) from the field as a team. The Tigers hit five of their 14 (35.7 percent) 3-point attempts in the contest. Clemson shot 92.3 percent (24-for-26) from the charity stripe as a team.

Mindaugas Kacinas claimed a double-double in the game for the Gamecocks. He claimed seven of his 12 rebounds on the of-fensive glass.

Thornwell was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 10 points. He was 3-for-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.

K.J. McDaniels was the star for the Tigers as he nearly secured a triple-double on 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks. He also had two steals and an assist.

The Gamecocks held a 41-33 advantage rebound in the contest. Clemson had 12 blocks in the contest, while the Gamecocks swatted just two shots.

The early season loss to the rival Tigers stings for the young Gamecocks, but Martin and the Gamecocks know it is just one game in what is a marathon season.

“That’s why you play the season,” Martin mused. “Just like I’m not going to celebrate a win in November, I’m not going to get depressed over a loss in November … in life you get what you deserve. We got what we deserved today.”

South Carolina will next return home to welcome Florida International to the Colo-nial Life Arena for a 1 p.m. game on Sun-day, Nov. 24. The contest will be televised by SportsSouth/Fox Sports Carolinas.


Tiger defense too much for young squad


Johnson ended the Clemson loss with five points, three rebounds and two assists.

Gamecocks meet physical opponent in 71-57 loss


08/29/13..... vs. North Carolina ...........Columbia, S.C. ...........W, 27-10

09/07/13 .... at #11 Georgia .................Athens, Ga. .................L, 41-30

09/14/13 .... vs. Vanderbilt ...................Columbia, S.C. ...........W, 35-25

09/28/13 .... at UCF .............................Orlando, Fla. ...............W, 28-25

10/05/13 .... vs. Kentucky ....................Columbia, S.C. ...........W, 35-28

10/12/13 .... at Arkansas ......................Fayetteville, Ark. ...........W, 52-7

10/19/13 .... at Tennessee ...................Knoxville, Tenn. ...........L, 23-21

10/26/13 .... at #5 Missouri ..................Columbia, Mo. . W, 27-24 (2OT)

11/02/13 .... vs. Mississippi State ........Columbia, S.C. ...........W, 34-16

11/16/13 .... vs. Florida ........................Columbia, S.C. ...........W, 19-14

11/23/13 .... vs. Coastal Carolina .........Columbia, S.C. ............... 1 p.m.

11/30/13 .... vs. Clemson .....................Columbia, S.C. .................. TBA

South Carolina Gamecocks2013

football SCheduleTeam SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Home Away Neutral StreakEastErnMissouri 5 - 1 .833 9 - 1 .900 5-1 4-0 0-0 W2

South Carolina 6 - 2 .750 8 - 2 .800 5-0 3-2 0-0 W3Georgia 4 - 3 .571 6 - 4 .600 4-1 1-3 1-0 L1

Vanderbilt 3 - 4 .429 6 - 4 .600 4-2 2-2 0-0 W2

Florida 3 - 5 .375 4 - 6 .400 3-1 1-4 0-1 L5

Tennessee 1 - 5 .167 4 - 6 .400 4-2 0-4 0-0 L3

Kentucky 0 - 6 .000 2 - 8 .200 2-4 0-3 0-1 L2

WEstErnAlabama 7 - 0 1.000 10 - 0 1.000 6-0 3-0 1-0 W10

Auburn 6 - 1 .857 10 - 1 .909 7-0 3-1 0-0 W7

Texas A&M 4 - 2 .667 8 - 2 .800 6-2 2-0 0-0 W3

Ole Miss 3 - 3 .500 7 - 3 .700 5-1 2-2 0-0 W4

LSU 3 - 3 .500 7 - 3 .700 5-0 1-3 1-0 L1

Mississippi St. 1 - 5 .167 4 - 6 .400 4-2 0-3 0-1 L3

Arkansas 0 - 6 .000 3 - 7 .300 3-3 0-4 0-0 L7

standings


by brian [email protected]

The University of South Carolina athletics department held a special pioneers reception in the Frank McGuire Club at the Colonial Life Arena on Friday, Nov. 15.

The special celebration was designed to honor those who took the monumental steps to desegregate athletics at the University of South Carolina.

The evening focused on the past, while also continuing to look forward. The event was part of South Carolina’s celebration of 50 years of desegregation.

Rick Henry of WIS-TV in Columbia served as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening which honored Carlton Haywood, Jackie Brown and Casey Manning.

Haywood was the first African-American to enroll at the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship when he came to Co-lumbia in 1969. He played with the freshman team in 1969, took a redshirt in 1970 and then earned a varsity letter in 1971.

Brown, who also played football and basket-ball at South Carolina, was the first African-American baseball player at the University. He passed away in 1990, but his family was at the pioneers dinner.

Manning was the first African-American basketball player at the University, attending from 1969-73. He was a member of South Car-olina’s ACC Tournament championship team in the 1970-71 season. Manning is currently a Circuit Judge for the state of South Carolina and since 1994 he has served as the analyst for Gamecock basketball on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network.

The evening began with University President Dr. Harris Pastides dropping by the social that commenced the night to thank everyone for being there and the honorees for everything

that they have done and all they mean to South Carolina.

South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tan-ner kicked off the program portion of the evening shortly thereafter by thanking the pio-neers for what they mean to the University and what they did to make it a better place.

Columbia lawyer I.S. Leevy Johnson then addressed the crowd before giving way to for-mer South Carolina Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic Support and Student Services Harold White, who retired from South Carolina in 2007 after 36 years with the University.

White gave a history of African-American student-athletes at South Carolina before introducing each of the three honorees on the evening.

One of the most important things White talked about during his time at the podium was not just about each student-athletes contri-butions on the playing field, but rather their ef-forts in the classroom as well. He pointed out a study he did in the 90s that showed that from the time of the desegregation of student-ath-letes at South Carolina in 1969 until that point in time that among African-American student-athletes who had exhausted their eligibility at South Carolina 92 percent had graduated.

Ansel Brown then spoke on behalf of the Brown family. The current Assistant Profes-sor of Political Science and head of the honors program at North Carolina Central talked about his father’s love of South Carolina and his devout faith. Brown also marveled at the outpouring of love to his father’s legacy for his family and particularly his mother, Sharon, who received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Haywood then gave a quick speech before giving way to Manning.

South Carolina Deputy Athletics Director Charles Waddell then closed out the ceremony

by giving out game balls to the honorees. Game balls were given because the athletics department felt there was no better way to honor them since to a student-athlete a game ball signals excellence.

White was also given a game ball for his efforts because he was the first African-American coach at South Carolina as he was a graduate assistant football coach for two years before becoming an academic counselor in 1973.

Other Gamecock African-American student-athletes in attendance, including Alex English, George Rogers, Harold Green and many more were given commemorative coins to honor their efforts.

A man of few words during his official speech, Haywood was overwhelmed by the whole evening.

“It’s a wonderful, overwhelming experience. Just to see those faces, see the memories com-ing back and the relationships you had with these individuals … the kind of things we all shared at the beginning. It brought it all back into focus about how things were as opposed to how things are,” Haywood mentioned.

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley was also in attendance on the evening as she wanted to attend to soak in the rich history that surrounded the event.

“When you represent this special University you want to hear about the heritage, you want to hear about the culture, about how people’s experiences were to share some of the experi-ences with some of the students … they paved the way for so many African-Americans (stu-dent-athletes) to attend South Carolina,” Stal-ey remarked. “They paved the way and they made life easier for some of the players I coach every day and also just being a representative of the University I am just forever grateful that I can coach here, be employed here because of the efforts that they’ve gone through.”

South Carolina Athletics celebrates its pioneersphotos by brian hand

Left: Grouping of Gamecock pioneers at dinner on Friday, Nov. 15. Right: Casey Manning (left) and Alex English (right) pose with a picture of them and Frank McGuire during their playing days.



The Gamecocks took advantage of four first half goals to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after earn-ing a 5-0 victory over Furman at Stone Sta-dium Friday night.

“I’m obviously thrilled with the victory tonight ... we’re glad to be moving on. This is an exciting time for us,” head coach Shel-ley Smith said. “We had a great year as well; maybe not a championship, but we played close to a championship season. We’re just glad to be giving ourselves the chance to ex-tend it and play for a National Championship.

“This team has just worked so hard all year. The goals you saw tonight were because of that hard work and determination. They wanted to make sure they came in here and played their best at home and finished the season off here … I’m definitely proud of the team’s effort all season,” Smith continued.

The five goals were the most that South Carolina (17-3-2) scored this season and the win also gave the Gamecocks a perfect 11-0 record at home this year. The 11-0 home record is currently the best in the program’s 19 seasons.

Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo said the team was proud of the win in front of the Gamecock faithful and the job the team has done all year in posting the undefeated home record.

“It’s just a huge honor winning 11 games at home. You never want to lose at home and I think our team was determined to win the game. We knew Furman was going to be a tough game, but we came out and played our best and came out on top,” D’Angelo said.

South Carolina started the game defend-ing after a couple of free kicks threatened as scoring chances early in the first 13 minutes of the game.

After defending the early Paladin charge, the Gamecocks went on the attack as Chelsea Drennan earned a corner kick from the right side. Drennan took the subsequent corner kick and Gabrielle Gilbert flicked the ball to Taylor Leach who put her head to it from the left side of the six-yard box. The ball bounced off a Furman defender and ended up in the back of the net to put the Gamecocks up, 1-0, in the 15th minute.

South Carolina struck again quickly when just over four minutes later a long ball on a free kick by D’Angelo was headed by Dani-elle Au toward a streaking Raina Johnson. Johnson was able to maneuver past a Paladin to volley the ball past the oncoming goal-keeper to put the Gamecocks ahead, 2-0, in the 19th minute. D’Angelo earned her second assist of the season on the play.

The Gamecocks saw two goals form Coryn Bajema before the half to give them a com-manding lead heading into the break.

Bajema’s first goal came on another corner kick, this time from the left side, that was headed around in the box before she put her head to it and sent past the keeper. Elizabeth Sinclair and Daija Griffin were credited with assists on the goal in the 28th minute.

The Gamecocks took advantage of set pieces, scoring their first three goals on two corner kicks and one free kick.

“That was rewarding. We’ve been working on set pieces this week; that was something that we haven’t been very productive off of. I thought we put ourselves in good chances … tonight they were very well executed,” Smith said.

The second Bajema goal was a left footed shot from inside the 18-yard box that she put across the goal and into the bottom right cor-ner. Drennan earned her second assist of the game with a nice pass to free Bajema to put South Carolina up 4-0 in the 35th minute.

Drennan’s two assists gave her 12 for the season, which is one away from program’s single season record. Drennan already owns the South Carolina freshman assist record as well.

“I just try my best to put the ball in front of the net and pick out players to give them op-portunities to score goals. Any way I can do that, I just try my best to do that,” Drennan said.

South Carolina held a strong statistical advantage in the first half by scoring on four of six shots while only giving up three shots. The Gamecocks also held a 3-0 advantage on corner kicks, scoring on two of them.

The Gamecocks added another goal in the second half when Sophi Groff corralled a cross form Au inside the 18-yard box and put the ball off the inside of the left goalpost and past the goalkeeper. Au also collected her second assist of the game on the play.

D’Angelo kept a clean sheet, making one save to tally her 12th shutout of the year. D’Angelo’s 12 shutouts are the second-most in a season in program history, three away for the program’s single-season mark.

“She’s been great all year and obviously Furman is a dangerous offensive team … Sabrina was ready to earn a shutout for sure and she credits all the players in front of her as well. If balls do get through we can count on her to make those saves,” Smith said of D’Angelo.

South Carolina improved its all-time re-cord in the NCAA Tournament to 5-5-1. The Gamecocks garnered their first Tournament victory since defeating Texas, 1-0, at home in 2011.

The Gamecocks finished the game with a

12-4 shot advantage and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks over Furman (17-4-2).

“There were things we did tonight that we did better than we have all season, so for sure we want to take that into our next game,”

Smith said. “Whatever comes our way, we’re ready to get back to work this weekend.”

South Carolina will next face Stanford on Nov. 22 at Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

Gamecocks blank Paladins to advance in NCAA Tournament




The Gamecock women’s basketball team has started a tradition over the past few sea-sons of creating its own introduction song and video to be played each game before tip-off.

“Freshman year we had a song too, but we didn’t make it such a big deal. Then last year coach Staley asked us to write another one, so we’ll have to do it every year now as long as we’re here,” redshirt sophomore guard Tina Roy explained.

The writing of the team songs falls to Roy, who is known as an excellent musical artist by her teammates. Sophomore point guard Khadijah Sessions gives her the credit for being able to come up with the lyrics to the

song. “She’s a good artist. She’s blessed with

another talent other than basketball and she does that stuff in her sleep. It took her maybe five or 10 minutes to write that and put it together. She gets all the credit this time,” Sessions said.

Roy and Sessions worked together to cre-ate this year’s song, with Sessions serving as the the self-described “hype man.” Sessions also creates the beat and gives Roy feedback about shaping the song and what sounds good, but she does not write the lyrics.

The theme of the song is about the team and players, with references to the teams’ goals, hard work, dedication and the team motto to “be the change.”

“It’s the intent of the song to let the other team know what we’re about to do to them

and let them know what each individual player on the team brings,” Roy said.

“The real Carolina” is mentioned multiple times in the song and Sessions said that this is in reference to the impending “Battle of the Carolinas” that will take place this sea-son. The Gamecocks will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.

“We know that we play North Carolina this year … and I know they’re coming for us and we’re coming for them. We know that it’s going to be a ‘Battle of the Carolinas’ and we feel like we’re the real Carolina. That’s just how we feel as a team, a unit and a Game-cock family,” Sessions explained.

The Gamecocks feel the song is a good way to get pumped up before the game and Sessions and Roy agreed that it is a great pre-

game hype song.“I feel like when the song plays, it makes

everybody hyped for the game so that’s a re-ally good thing,” Roy said.

Sessions and Roy feel that the team song will be a tradition that will continue for the Gamecocks, at least as long as they are on the team.

“I don’t think we have a choice. As long as we’re here, we’ll do one,” Roy confirmed.

You can view the video for the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7WCeK3i-8o, or better still, come to the the Gamecocks’ home games and see it played on the scoreboard before the player introductions.

As the song says, “they say they love our swag, they love our demeanor. The real Car-olina plays at the Colonial Life Arena.”

Women’s basketball drops a beat on the courtsouth carolina athletics media relations



As a part of the Garnet Market and located near the heart of South Carolina Athletics facilities, the Addams University Bookstore serves the Gamecock community of stu-dents, alumni and fans.

Addams moved to the intersection of As-sembly and Whaley streets in 2007 from its previous location on North Main Street. This location puts the store on the way to Williams-Brice Stadium, right next to the Rice Athletics Center and the Athletics Vil-lage and in close proximity to the Colonial Life Arena and Carolina Stadium.

“It (the move) was probably a great thing for us and for all those people that we had been fortunate enough to serve over those years in that we were able to get this location down on Assembly,” store manager Ken Hal-stead commented. “There is a lot more ac-cess to parking, so it is a lot more convenient from that standpoint plus the proximity now to athletics is much enhanced.

“We’re pretty much in the center of athletic life for sure, but at the same time we’re not that far disconnected from campus life … so we’re just very, very convenient for the cam-pus community,” Halstead continued.

The upsurge in the performance of South Carolina Athletics on all fronts - from Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier, the success of the baseball team to the current administration under Athletics Director Ray Tanner - has coincided with Addams’ location change and allowed the store to grow along with the Gamecocks.

Addams has embraced the Gamecocks, especially during football season this year. They have extended their hours on gamedays and set up stands with Gamecock merchan-dise around Williams-Brice Stadium.

“This year we made sure that we stay open after each home game, no matter what time kickoff is. That means there are times that we are open here until 1 a.m. depending on what time kickoff is,” Halstead noted. “107.5 comes by with Andy (Demetra) and his team and they do the live call-in show remotely right here from Addams University Book-store.

“That brings an air of excitement to it for a lot of those fans that are on their way home from Williams-Brice who still feel like they’ve got a little football left in them for the day, they can stop by Addams, see Andy and maybe do a little bit of shopping in celebra-tion of what I hope will be another Game-cock victory,” Halstead said.

Addams tries to add to fans’ gameday experience by providing the radio show and other promotions. For the game against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 23, Addams will be hosting Mrs. Pastides, the First Lady of the University of South Carolina, for a book signing of her two cookbooks immediately after the game in the store.

Halstead explained that the involvement in Gamecock Athletics is great, but a main focus of Addams is taking care of the needs of students and faculty to deliver the high-quality education offered at South Carolina.

“When we start talking about the Univer-sity of South Carolina and the Gamecocks, sometimes it overshadows the main purpose of the University which is to provide that significant higher education for all the stu-dents,” Halstead noted. “Our core is provid-ing course materials … we take a lot of pride in our ability to able to work with adminis-tration and students to make sure that they have the exact, correct course materials that they need, whether it be a traditional text-book, the opportunity to rent a textbook or if they need a digital offering.

“Whatever they might need, we want to be able to make sure that we’re there helping them through and walking them through the different options that a lot of times they have today … we want to be sure that we offer all the options and are able to explain them to the students so they can pick the one that is just exactly right for them,” Halstead contin-ued.

Halstead noted that this provides a great value for students with their money because of the many formats in which course materi-als are offered. He added that the staff wants to be able to walk the students through the different options so that the students get ex-actly what they need.

“It has taken a focus to make sure that we stay adapted to all the change, but foremost we look at it as selling service whether it be to the professor or to the student. Either way it’s all about service and making sure that they have just exactly what they need at the best price possible,” Halstead explained.

Halstead said there are many tie-ins to the University including the majority of the staff

being made up by current students. He said that they love being a part of all of the events at South Carolina and have enjoyed becom-ing members of the Garnet Market in asso-ciation with the Gamecock Club.

“We’re very excited about this association and appreciative of the fact that there are so many members of the Gamecock Club. Sure there are fabulous benefits for the members, but then again that is a great way for them to support the Athletics Department and stay very involved with that central part of the University,” Halstead said. “We’re excited about being able to be a part of the Garnet Market and being able to offer a 15 percent discount to those customers on all regular priced merchandise.

“The fans for sure have really supported the Gamecocks over the years. We have seen it year in and year out, when times were a little lean and when times were really good. So the fan base is very, very loyal and really enjoys being able to show their pride as Game-cocks,” Halstead added. “We are glad to be a part of that tradition.”

Addams wins by offering wide selection to all Gamecockssubmitted photos



The Gamecock sand volleyball team gained experience and perspective from its first col-legiate competition against some of the best teams in the nation.

Head coach Mortiz Moritz said that the conditions were great with a little swirling wind, similar to what they can see at their own facility, which gave them a great backdrop for the matches against Florida State and Georgia State.

“It was a lot of fun and a lot of perspective gained. I think that is the huge thing for us and for what we took from it,” Moritz said. “I didn’t stress the wins and losses right now, but I wanted them to compete against some of the best teams in the country.”

The team got better as the day went along which pleased Moritz. He said the team may have felt some first match jitters, but those teams had experience, were well-coached and were good teams. Moritz added that experi-ence is a huge factor, but they are hoping to build their own and overcome that of other teams.

Moritz said that his team is learning as a new program, but the other coaches told him they

are still learning new things every day, even now in their third year of competition. He said that it was a neat experience for his team to see their first action.

“One of the things that we focused on a lot is that we mixed our kids around this entire fall so that we really didn’t allow them to develop a solid relationship with any one person,” Moritz explained. “We had a couple pairs that started off really strong with a lot of energy and maybe faded a little bit. We had the ability in this event to switch it around to find some combinations that maybe worked a little bit better chemistry-wise.

“That allowed them to compete at a growth level more than anything. The emphasis was never to go down in this first competition and “win, win, win!” It was ‘what are we learning? What are we seeing that they’re doing because they are successful and that we can take from that?’” Moritz continued.

After watching the other programs and coaches, Moritz had a pleasant realization.

“The cool thing is that it’s not so different. It’s not like I’m telling my kids anything sig-nificantly different from what they’re telling theirs or the organization is completely differ-ent,” Moritz commented. “Sure there’s some little tweaks here and there, but I think we’re

on track and that’s pretty cool.“That will be the fun thing when we get our

whole group together and do start to develop chemistry between pairs that are going to more likely be together for the season. We can develop that relationship and how they’re going to compete … it’s really going to give them the ability to compete at that level and be comfortable doing that,” Moritz said.

Moritz said that he schedules the way he has - against some of the best competition in the country - to gauge where the program is and get the team used to competing against the best teams. He said it may cause a sharp learn-ing curve at the beginning, but in the long run it will help the team grow and learn in order to reach the ultimate goal of competing for the AVCA Championship.

“I think the huge thing for us is that we ended strong. We played our best volleyball at the end of the day,” Moritz said. “It wasn’t us adjusting to what Florida State or Georgia State was doing. There was really no point where we focused at all on what our opponents were doing.

“It was always ‘what are we doing? what are we doing to control our ball control, our com-munication or the way that we’re competing so we can play at a high level?’ Down the road we

want to make more adjustments to what our opponents are doing because we’re comfort-able playing next to each other,” Moritz added.

Coming back from Tallahassee, Moritz was able to make notes on each player and things to work on going forward to build for the spring season. He said the experience helped to build perspective on where they are and what they will need to do to get to the next level.

Moritz said there are process goals that must be accomplished to build toward the bigger goals of winning in the spring. He said he is happy with the baseline the team has estab-lished and is ready to continue working on the little details - whether technique, communica-tion or other skills - the team needs to focus on to build a winning program.

“I think that the did a good job and played well and I think they got to see what high-level teams do and how they do it,” Moritz noted. “I think they also realized ‘yes, these guys have been doing this for years and years and they have more experience and we’re behind, but we’re not that far behind.’

“Ultimately if that’s where they are at year three, then maybe we can be there by year three. Maybe we could even be better than that by year three. That’s pretty cool and pretty encouraging,” Moritz concluded.

Sand volleyball digs into learning from competition


Depth Charts for November 23, 1 p.m.South Carolina

OFFENSE:WR: 4 Shaq Roland 6-1, 190, So. Lexington, S.C. 8 Shamier Jeffery 6-1, 207, So. St. Matthews, S.C. 85 Kane Whitehurst 5-11, 179, So. Duluth, Ga.WR: 23 Bruce Ellington 5-9, 196, Jr. Moncks Corner, S.C. 11 Pharoh Cooper 5-11, 184, Fr. Havelock, N.C. 80 K.J. Brent 6-4, 188, So. Waxhaw, N.C.WR: 1 Damiere Byrd 5-9, 166, Jr. Sicklerville, N.J. 3 Nick Jones 5-7, 174, Jr. Moore, S.C. 82 Kwinton Smith 6-4, 212, RFr. Hamer, S.C.LT: 53 Corey Robinson 6-8, 341, Jr. Havelock, N.C. 74 Mason Zandi 6-9, 293, RFr. Irmo, S.C.LG: 50 A.J. Cann 6-4, 314, Jr. Bamberg, S.C. 65 Brock Stadnik 6-5, 286, RFr. Greensboro, N.C.C: 51 Cody Waldrop 6-2, 319, RFr. Seffner, Fla.-OR- 54 Clayton Stadnik 6-3, 281, RFr. Greensboro, N.C.RG: 67 Ronald Patrick 6-2, 315, Sr. Cocoa, Fla. 75 Will Sport 6-5, 294, So. Milton, Fla. 55 Na’ Ty Rodgers 6-5, 296, Fr. Waldorf, Md.RT: 71 Brandon Shell 6-6, 323, So. Goose Creek, S.C. 78 Cody Gibson 6-7, 286, Jr. Tallahassee, Fla.TE: 81 Rory Anderson 6-5, 242, Jr. Powder Springs, Ga. 89 Jerell Adams 6-6, 237, So. Pinewood, S.C. 83 Mason Zandi 6-9, 293, RFr. Irmo, S.C.QB: 14 Connor Shaw 6-1, 209, Sr. Flowery Branch, Ga. 17 Dylan Thompson 6-3, 218, Jr. Boiling Springs, S.C. 5 Brendan Nosovitch 6-1, 220, RFr. Allentown, Pa.FB: 41 Connor McLaurin 6-0, 237, Jr. Raleigh, N.C. 31 Jordan Diaz 6-1, 233, Jr. Hamilton, N.J.TB: 28 Mike Davis 5-9, 215, So. Lithonia, Ga. 22 Brandon Wilds 6-2, 223, So. Blythewood, S.C.-OR- 7 Shon Carson 5-8, 219, So. Scranton, S.C.

DEFENSE:DE: 90 Chaz Sutton 6-5, 263, Sr. Savannah, Ga. 44 Gerald Dixon 6-2, 268, So. Rock Hill, S.C. 34 Mason Harris 6-3, 218, So. Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.DT: 97 J.T. Surratt 6-2, 307, Jr. Winston-Salem, N.C. 92 Gerald Dixon Jr. 6-3, 318, So. Rock Hill, S.C. 93 Deon Green 6-4, 287, So. Windermere, Fla.DT: 99 Kelcy Quarles 6-4, 298, Jr. Hodges, S.C. 52 Phillip Dukes 6-3, 315, So. Manning, S.C. 94KelseyGriffin 6-2,292,Fr. Buford,Ga.DE: 7 Jadeveon Clowney 6-6, 274, Jr. Rock Hill, S.C. 5 Darius English 6-6, 226, RFr. Powder Springs, Ga.MLB: 8 Kaiwan Lewis 6-0, 221, So. Mays Landing, N.J. 11 T.J. Holloman 6-2, 228, RFr. Stone Mountain, Ga. 28 Jonathan Walton 6-0, 234, Fr. Daphne, Ala.WLB: 10 Skai Moore 6-2, 205, Fr. Cooper City, Fla. 21 Marcquis Roberts 6-1, 225, So. Powder Springs, Ga. 18 Cedrick Cooper 6-2, 213, So. Lithonia, Ga.SPR: 9 Sharrod Golightly 5-10, 195, Jr. Decatur, Ga. 42 Jordan Diggs 6-0, 214, RFr. Fort Myers, Fla. 32 Larenz Bryant 6-0, 215, Fr. Charlotte, N.C.CB: 27 Victor Hampton 5-10, 202, Jr. Darlington, S.C. 4 Ahmad Christian 5-10, 189, So. Jacksonville, Fla.SS: 12 Brison Williams 5-11, 218, Jr. Warner Robins, Ga. 25 Kadetrix Marcus 6-1, 195, Jr. Stone Mountain, Ga.FS: 17 Chaz Elder 6-2, 199, RFr. Union City, Ga. 20 T.J. Gurley 5-10, 196, So. Cairo, Ga.CB: 15 Jimmy Legree 6-0, 187, Sr. Beaufort, S.C. 1 Rico McWilliams 5-11, 187, RFr. Hampton, Ga.

SPECIALISTS:KO: 19 Landon Ard 5-9, 172, So. Rock Hill, S.C. 29 Elliott Fry 6-0, 150, Fr. Frisco, TexasPK: 29 Elliott Fry 6-0, 150, Fr. Frisco, Texas 19 Landon Ard 5-9, 172, So. Rock Hill, S.C.P: 13 Tyler Hull 6-2, 206, Jr. Mount Airy, N.C. 18 Patrick Fish 6-0, 195, Jr. Shelby, N.C.KR: 11 Pharoh Cooper 5-11, 184, Fr. Havelock, N.C. 23 Bruce Ellington 5-9, 196, Jr. Moncks Corner, S.C.PR: 27 Victor Hampton 5-10, 202, Jr. Darlington, S.C. 11 Pharoh Cooper 5-11, 184, Fr. Havelock, N.C.SSN: 58 Ryland Culbertson 6-4, 265, Jr. Laurens, S.C.LSN: 47 Drew Williams 6-2, 190, Fr. Irmo, S.C.H: 18 Patrick Fish 6-0, 195, Jr. Shelby, N.C. 5 Brendan Nosovitch 6-1, 220, RFr. Allentown, Pa.

OFFENSE:TE: 9 Cody Craig 6-2, 225, Jr. Moncks Corner, S.C.-OR- 5 Thomas Pauciello 6-6, 250, So. Trumbull, Conn.-OR- 14 Craig Weick 6-5, 215, So. Moore, S.C.LT: 73 Chad Hamilton 6-3, 305, Jr. Charleston, S.C. 61 Voghens Larrieux 6-5, 265, RFr. New London, Conn.LG: 72 Jamey Cheatwood 6-5, 330, Sr. Boiling Springs, S.C. 53 Jon Jenkins 6-4, 300, Jr. Miami, Fla.C: 57 Kevin Hart 6-2, 260, Jr. Cornelius, N.C. 64 Dom DiGalbo 6-2, 260, RFr. Colingdale, Pa.RG: 75 Mo Ashley 6-4, 320, Jr. Honea Path, S.C. 70 Sam Ekwonike 6-4, 305, RFr. Cinnaminson, N.J.RT: 78 Drew Herring 6-3, 310, Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C. 71 Kenny Fitzgerald 6-4, 280, Jr. Wall, N.J.WR: 84 Matt Hazel 6-3, 190, Sr. North Augusta, S.C. 19 John Israel 6-1, 190, So. Florence, S.C.SLOT: 20 Niccolo Mastromatteo 5-9, 180, Sr. Ortonville, Mich.-OR- 3 Tyrell Blanks 6-0, 160, So. Fort Myers, Fla. 81 Adrian Sullivan 5-6, 165,Sr. Charleston, S.C.WR: 11 DeMario Bennett 6-2, 190, Sr. Douglas, Ga. 18 Bruce Mapp 6-1, 170, RFr. Philadelphia, Pa.QB: 4 Alex Ross 6-1, 200, So. Alpharetta, Ga. 1 Michael Church 6-4, 185, So. Kannapolis, N.C.-OR- 2DaltonDemos 6-5,195,RFr. Chesterfield,Mo.-OR- 12 Brian Kass 6-1, 195, Sr. Raleigh, N.C.RB: 15 Lorenzo Taliafero 6-2, 230, Sr. Yorktown, Va. 31 De’Angelo Henderson 5-8, 200, RFr. Chesnee, S.C. 8 Travis Small 5-10, 200, Sr. Cheraw, S.C.

DEFENSE:DE: 93 Dominique Whiteside 6-3, 240, Sr. Hendersonville, N.C. 44 Moon Edwards 6-0, 245, Jr. Pageland, S.C. 56 Aaron McFarland 6-0, 250, So. Bailey, N.C.DT: 50 Jeffery Salley 5-8, 265, Sr. Bamberg, S.C. 55 Arthur Kelley 6-3, 260, Sr. Letohatchee, Ala.DT: 99 Marcus Crowder 6-1, 290, So. Mebane, N.C. 96 Joe Coscarelli 6-0, 255, Fr. Millstone, N.J.DE: 58 Calvin Hollenhorst 6-2, 240, So. Ashburn, Va. 49 Roderick Holder 6-3, 225, So. Chesapeake, Va.SAM: 10 Mike McClure 6-0, 215, Sr. Rock Hill, S.C. 39 Colton Blackburn 6-2, 230, So. Newland, N.C.MIKE: 30 Quinn Backus 5-10, 215, Jr. Greenwood, S.C. 40 Brett Johnson 5-11, 230, Jr. North Augusta, S.C. 48 Andre Johnson 5-10, 230, So. Buford, Ga.CB: 24 Samson Baldwin 5-10, 185, RFr. Greenville, S.C. 29 Kamron Summers 5-11, 180, RFr. Statesville, N.C.SS: 6 Pernell Williams 6-1, 185, Jr. Douglas, Ga. 7ImirSanders 5-11,185,Jr. WestMifflin,Pa.FS: 23 Richie Sampson 6-1, 190, So. Kennett Square, Pa. 26 Johnnie Houston 6-1, 210, Sr. Greenville, S.C.WHIP: 25 LaDarius Hawthorne 5-9, 180, Sr. Ware Shoals, S.C. 21 Datarius Allen 5-11, 180, So. Cocoa, Fla.CB: 1 Denzel Rice 6-1, 190, Jr. Winston-Salem, N.C. 8 JaDamion Ross 5-7, 180, So. Greenville, S.C.

SPECIALISITS:KO: 46 Alex Catron 6-2, 170, Jr. Apopka, Fla. 89 Ryan Granger 6-0, 160, RFr. N. Charleston, S.C.PK: 46 Alex Catron 6-2, 170, Jr. Apopka, Fla. 89 Ryan Granger 6-0, 160, RFr. N. Charleston, S.C.H: 35 Austin Cain 6-0, 200, Jr. Kennesaw, Ga.-OR- 2DaltonDemos 6-5,195,RFr. Chesterfield,Mo.LS: 42 Shane Ballard 6-4, 210, Jr. Manning, S.C. 51 Matt Broome 6-0, 180, Fr. Chesnee, S.C.P: 35 Austin Cain 6-0, 200. Jr. Kennesaw, Ga. 38 Ben Hinson 6-3, 165, Fr. Columbia, S.C.KR: 27 Devin Brown 5-8, 155, RFr. Charleston, S.C. 3 Tyrell Blanks 6-0, 160, So. Abbeville, S.C.PR: 20 Niccolo Mastromatteo 5-9, 180, Sr. Ortonville, Mich. 36 Zach Silverberg 5-10, 195, Jr. Baltimore, Md.

Coastal Carolina

*These depth charts are taken from the listings from each team’s previ-ous game. Spurs & Feathers goes to print shortly after each football game. Please visit www.spursand-feathers.com over the course of the week for updated depth charts.


Seeking Advertising Sales ExecutiveIf you love the Gamecocks and have a proven track record of sales success there is an opportunity to join the Spurs & Feathers team. The successful candidate will be responsible for sales around the State of South Carolina for advertising in the newspaper, magazine and web site. Please email your resume and a cover letter to General Manager Tim O’Briant at tobriant@spursandfeathers.



The fifth-ranked South Carolina eques-trian team is looking to close its fall sched-ule on a strong note as they make a long trip to Brookings, S.D. to take on South Dakota State on Nov. 23.

Head coach Boo Major said that the trip will provide some unique challenges for the team.

“The first thing you can do is look at the weather out there and we’re having a cold blast, but our cold blast and their cold blast are two different things. I think the high there yesterday is something like 10,” Major said. “I have been looking at the weather and it is going to be a little ‘warmer,’ like maybe in the 40s will be the high.

“Their facility is enclosed so we’re not too worried about it. Yes it’s still going to be cold, but we’re not going to be out in the ele-ments if the weather turns bad or anything like that, so I think you have to deal with that,” Major continued.

The weather will not be the only challenge for the team as Major noted it has been a long time since South Carolina has traveled to take on South Dakota State. Since the Gamecocks last visited, the Jackrabbits have built a new facility which will create some unknowns heading into competition.

“I would say this is the first time in a long time that we’re going to a place that we’ve really never been before,” Major explained. “So we really don’t know anything about the horses, really don’t know anything about the facility, so we’re kind of going in there a

little blind as far as what’s coming our way. “That’s a good test. It will be a very good

test for us to see where we are and if we can go into a place where nobody knows any of the horses and the facility is unfamiliar to us,” Major said.

The Gamecocks are fresh off of a bounce-back, road victory over second-ranked Au-burn after two consecutive losses.

“You hate to say that a loss was kind of good for us because nobody likes to lose, but I think our team really sat down and ana-lyzed what happened, why it happened and were we going to let this happen again, that kind of thing,” Major commented. “They re-ally put in a ton of work the two weeks prior to going to Auburn and I’m not looking at them doing any less against South Dakota State even though they are not ranked as highly as Auburn was.

“I would have to say that win against Au-burn was one of our best efforts that we’ve ever put out. I know that we’ve never been to Auburn and beat them by six points ever. I think that it was a good showing for our group as to what they can really do when they’re focused and paying attention and performing at their best,” Major continued.

Major said that she was not surprised that the team’s ranking dropped from two to five following the consecutive losses to Georgia and at Texas A&M, but she added that they are both very good teams.

“For us we’ve just got to keep plugging and I’m glad to still be in the top-five,” Ma-jor said. “Our team, in my opinion, is a top-five team. I think they’re a great team. Now they have to stay there.

“What really matters in the long run is where we are when we get to SECs and the National Championship. I think that is where it all counts,” Major noted. “Cer-tainly we’ve got to win to get to the National Championship and the more we win in the SEC the better seeding we can get there, but what it all boils down to is how well these girls can stay focused when it comes to March and April.”

The Gamecocks and Major are looking for a strong finish to the fall schedule knowing that the Jackrabbits will give them a chal-lenge on Nov. 23.

“I think the last thing you want to have happen this weekend is that you have to sit on a loss to South Dakota State, or any team

for that matter, that you have to sit on that loss for the whole holiday break until we start back up in February,” Major said. “I think that’s the last thing these girls want to have happen.

“I think that’s one of the things that we’re discussing with them a lot and preaching to them a lot is ‘don’t take this team for grant-ed. We’ve got a lot of question marks going out there that we don’t know what’s going to happen and we have to be prepared for it to be a close meet.’ I bet it will be a close meet. I think after that big win at Auburn it’s kind of hard to get back up to compete against any team. I think South Dakota State is going to give us all they can,” Major concluded.

Gamecocks looking to ride strong finish to fall schedule

photo by allen sharpeLayla Choate currently leads the reining team with a 6-1 record this season. She earned her first MVP of the season against Kansas State on Sept. 20.


Samantha Smith and Gamecock horse Tucker jump a fence that was donated to the eques-trian team by University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides and his wife, Patricia.


South Carolina GamecocksFootball Roster

# Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Hometown/High School/Last College1 Damiere Byrd WR 5-9 166 JR Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek1 Rico McWilliams CB 5-11 187 RS FR Hampton, Ga./Lovejoy3 Nick Jones WR 5-7 174 RS JR Moore, S.C./Byrnes3 Jamari Smith CB 5-10 183 FR Jacksonville, Fla./Fletcher4 Ahmad Christian CB 5-10 189 RS SO Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian4 Shaq Roland WR 6-1 190 SO Lexington, S.C./Lexington5 Brendan Nosovitch QB 6-1 220 RS FR Allentown, Pa./Central Catholic5 Darius English DE 6-6 226 RS FR Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern6 Chris Moody FS 6-1 212 RS FR McDonough, Ga./Henry County6 Connor Mitch QB 6-3 227 FR Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield7 Jadeveon Clowney DE 6-6 274 JR Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe7 Shon Carson TB 5-8 219 RS SO Scranton, S.C./Lake City8 Kaiwan Lewis LB 6-0 221 SO Mays Landing, N.J./St. Joseph8 Shamier Jeffery WR 6-1 207 RS SO St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County9 Sharrod Golightly SPR 5-10 195 RS JR Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb10 Skai Moore LB 6-2 205 FR Cooper City, Fla./University10 Perry Orth QB 6-1 212 RS FR Ponde Verda, Fla./Ponte Verda/Fla. State College11 Pharoh Cooper WR 5-11 184 FR Havelock, NC./Havelock11 T.J. Holloman LB 6-2 228 RS FR Stone Mountain, Ga./St. Pius X12 Brison Williams SS 5-11 218 JR Warner Robins, Ga./Northside/Fork Union13 Grant Davitte QB 6-3 190 FR Columbia, S.C./Irmo13 Tyler Hull P 6-2 206 RS JR Mount Airy, N.C./Mount Airy/Guilford College14 Ali Groves CB 5-10 184 FR Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson14 Connor Shaw QB 6-1 209 SR Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch15 Austin Hails QB 6-2 214 RS SO Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville15 Jimmy Legree CB 6-0 187 RS SR Beaufort, S.C./Beaufort16 Kelvin Rainey TE 6-3 233 RS FR Yulee, Fla./Yulee16 Nick St. Germain PK 5-9 175 RS FR Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern17 Chaz Elder SS 6-2 199 RS FR Union City, Ga./Banneker17 Dylan Thompson QB 6-3 218 RS JR Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs18 Patrick Fish P 6-0 195 RS JR Shelby, N.C./Burns18 Cedrick Cooper LB 6-2 213 RS SO Lithonia, Ga./Lithonia19 Landon Ard PK 5-9 172 SO Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe19 Jody Fuller WR 5-11 217 RS FR Charlotte, N.C./Sun Valley20 T.J. Gurley FS 5-10 196 SO Cairo, Ga./Cairo21 Marcquis Roberts LB 6-1 225 RS SO Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern21 Andrew Bunch WR 5-11 185 RS FR Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Bishop England/Presbyterian22 Brandon Wilds TB 6-2 223 SO Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood23 Bruce Ellington WR 5-9 196 JR Moncks Corner, S.C./Berkeley24 Ronnie Martin CB 5-11 179 JR Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg/Georgia Military24 Kendric Salley TB 5-9 183 RS FR Williston, S.C./Williston-Elko25 Kadetrix Marcus FS 6-1 195 JR Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson26 Jasper Sasser S 6-0 192 FR Jacksonville, Fla./Wolfson27 Victor Hampton CB 5-10 202 RS JR Darlington, S.C./Darlington28 Jonathan Walton LB 6-0 234 FR Daphne, Ala./Bayside Academy28 Mike Davis TB 5-9 215 SO Lithonia, Ga./Stephenson29 Elliott Fry P/K 6-0 150 FR Frisco, Tx./Prince of Peace Christian30 Sidney Rhodes CB 5-10 167 JR Easley, S.C./Wren/Western Carolina31 Jordan Diaz FB 6-1 233 RS JR Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West31 Mohamed Camara SPR 6-1 181 FR Cumming, Ga./Forsyth32 Larenz Bryant LB 6-0 215 FR Charlotte, NC./Vance33 Gerald Turner DE 6-2 256 FR Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek33 David Williams TB 6-1 200 FR Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter34 Mason Harris DE 6-3 218 RS SO Fort Oglethorpe, Ga./Ridgeland

# Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Hometown/High School/Last College35 Jeff Homad TE 6-2 220 RS JR Hilton Head Island, S.C./Hilton Head/UNCP36 Kyle Fleetwood SS 5-11 216 RS FR Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson39 Max Huggins P/K 6-1 185 FR Myrtle Beach, S.C./Myrtle Beach40 Andrew Komornik P 6-5 225 FR Fort Mill, S.C./Nations Ford41 Kyle Morini LB 5-10 212 JR Lexington, S.C./White Knoll/Gray Military41 Connor McLaurin FB 6-0 237 RS JR Raleigh, N.C./Garner42 Jordan Diggs SPR 6-0 214 RS FR Fort Myers, Fla./Island Coast43 James King LB 6-0 235 SO Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek/Benedict43 Garrison Gist FB 5-10 255 RS SO Rock Hill, S.C./Northwesterm44 Gerald Dixon DE 6-2 268 RS SO Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe45 Brandon Sturdivant FB 6-2 212 RS FR Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford/York Tech47 Drew Williams LS 6-2 190 FR Irmo, S.C/Dutch Fork48 Caleb Kelly PK 6-0 184 RS FR Cayce, S.C./Brookland-Cayce49 Garrett Shank S 6-0 171 FR Marietta, Ga./Lassiter49 Devin Potter TB 5-10 200 FR Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell50 A.J. Cann OG 6-4 314 RS JR Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt51 Cody Waldrop OC 6-2 319 RS FR Seffner, Fla./Armwood51 Devin Washington DE 6-3 225 FR Orlando, Fla./Jones52 Phillip Dukes DT 6-3 315 RS SO Manning, S.C./Manning52 Bryce King OG 6-3 281 FR Dillon, S.C./Dillon53 Corey Robinson OT 6-8 341 RS JR Havelock, N.C./Havelock54 Clayton Stadnik OC 6-3 281 RS FR Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford55 Na'Ty Rodgers OT 6-5 296 FR Waldorf, Md./McDonough55 David Johnson LB 6-1 268 FR Lithonia, Ga./Lithonia57 Cedrick Malone SPR 6-0 201 RS FR Camden, S.C./Camden/Coastal Carolina58 Ryland Culbertson LS 6-4 265 RS JR Laurens, S.C./Laurens Academy59 Coleman Harley LS 6-1 264 RS SO Aiken, S.C./South Aiken65 Brock Stadnik OG 6-5 286 RS FR Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford67 Ronald Patrick OG 6-2 315 SR Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa69 D.J. Park OT 6-4 334 FR Dillon, S.C./Dillon70 Alan Knott OC 6-4 272 FR Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek71 Brandon Shell OT 6-6 323 RS SO Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek73 J.P. Vonashek OT 6-6 283 FR Saint Marys, Ga./Camden County74 Mason Zandi OT 6-9 293 RS FR Irmo, S.C./Chapin75 Will Sport OG 6-5 294 RS SO Milton, Fla./Pace76 Mike Matulis OT 6-5 266 JR Boynton Beach, Fla./Park Vista78 Cody Gibson OT 6-7 286 RS JR Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln80 K.J. Brent WR 6-4 188 RS SO Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge81 Rory Anderson TE 6-5 242 JR Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern82 Kwinton Smith WR 6-4 212 RS FR Hamer, S.C./Dillon83 Carlton Heard WR 6-0 178 SO Athens, Ga./Clarke Central/Garner-Webb84 Matthew Harvey WR 6-8 225 SO Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill85 Kane Whitehurst WR 5-11 179 RS SO Duluth, Ga./Chattahoochee/Arkansas86 David Wilkins WR 6-1 182 SR Cowpens, S.C./Broome87 Drake Thomason WR 6-1 205 RS JR Greenville, S.C./Eastside88 Drew Owens TE 6-6 244 RS SO Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell89 Jerell Adams TE 6-6 237 SO Pinewood, S.C./Scott's Branch90 Chaz Sutton DE 6-5 263 SR Savannah, Ga./Jenkins/Fork Union Military92 Gerald Dixon, Jr. DT 6-3 318 RS SO Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern93 Deon Green DT 6-4 287 RS SO Windermere, Fla./Olympia94 Kelsey Griffin DT 6-2 292 FR Buford, Ga./Mill Creek95 Michael Washington DE 6-3 243 SO Allendale, S.C./Allendale-Fairfax/S.C. State97 J.T. Surratt DT 6-2 307 RS JR Winston-Salem, N.C./Parkland99 Kelcy Quarles DT 6-4 298 JR Hodges, S.C./Greenwood/Fork Union

Coaches

Steve Spurrier - Head CoachDeke Adams - Defensive LineKirk Botkin - Linebackers/SpursGrady Brown - Secondary/Assistant Special Teams CoordinatorShawn Elliott - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive LineG.A. Mangus - Quarterbacks

Joe Robinson - Special Teams CoordinatorEverette Sands - Running BacksJamie Speronis - Associate AD/Football OperationsSteve Spurrier Jr. - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers/ Recruiting CoordinatorLorenzo Ward - Defensive CoordinatorRobbie Liles - Director - Recruiting OperationsPatrick Shine - Administrative Coordinator - Recruiting


Coastal Carolina ChanticleersFootball Roster

# Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Previous School1 Denzel Rice JR DB 6-1 190 Winston-Salem, N.C./Jacket Academy at Carver1 Michael Church SO QB 6-4 185 Kannapolis, N.C./A.L. Brown HS2 Dontay Hears FR DB 5-11 165 Gaithersburg, Md./Watkins Mill HS2 Dalton Demos RS FR QB 6-5 195 Chesterfield, Mo./Christian Brothers College3 Kelvin Deveaux JR S 5-11 190 Abbeville, S.C./Abbeville HS3 Tyrell Blanks SO WR 6-0 160 Fort Myers, Fla./Atlanta Sports Academy4 Alex Ross SO QB 6-1 200 Alpharetta, Ga./Buford HS5 Thomas Pauciello SO TE 6-6 250 Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull HS6 Pernell Williams JR DB 6-1 185 Douglas, Ga./Coffee County HS7 Imir Sanders JR DB 5-10 185 West Mifflin, Pa./Lackawanna College8 Travis Small SR RB 5-10 200 Cheraw, S.C./Cheraw HS8 JaDamion Ross SO DB 5-7 180 Greenville, S.C./Carson-Newman Univ.9 Cody Craig JR TE 6-2 215 Moncks Corner, S.C./Timberland HS9 Delton Wells RS FR LB 5-11 220 Ladson, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS10 Mike McClure SR LB 6-0 215 Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill HS11 Nicholas Clark FR DB 5-11 160 Hampton, Va./Bethel HS11 DeMario Bennett SR WR 6-2 190 Douglas, Ga./Univ. of South Carolina12 Brian Kass RS SR QB 6-1 195 Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook HS/Wofford13 Andrew Allen SR DE 6-0 230 Aiken, S.C./Aiken HS13 Tyler Keane FR QB 6-0 185 Myrtle Beach, S.C./Myrtle Beach HS14 Craig Weick SO TE 6-5 215 Moore, S.C./Byrnes HS15 Lorenzo Taliaferro SR RB 6-2 230 Yorktown, Va./Lackawanna (Pa.) JC16 C.J. Thompson FR DB 5-10 185 Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg HS17 Tim Burns FR QB 6-4 225 Carrolton, Va./Nansemond-Suffolk Academy17 Michael Battle SO LB 6-1 215 Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s Belfield School18 Jesse June FR DB 5-11 190 Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School18 Bruce Mapp RS FR WR 6-1 170 Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic19 John Israel SO WR 6-1 185 Florence, S.C./Wilson HS20 Niccolo Mastromatteo SR WR 5-9 180 Ortonville, Mich./Phillips Exeter (N.H.) Acad.21 Datarius Allen SO DB 5-10 180 Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa HS22 Adam June FR LB 5-9 185 Bonneau, S.C./Timberland HS22 Bucky Kennedy SR RB 5-10 200 Columbia, S.C./Ridge View HS/The Citadel23 A.J. Sattinger FR TE 6-2 230 Clearrwater, Fla./Countryside HS23 Richie Sampson SO DB 6-2 195 Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville HS24 Samson Baldwin RS FR DB 5-10 170 Greenville, S.C./J.L. Mann HS24 Taylor Bagley FR DB 6-1 185 Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville HS25 LaDarius Hawthorne SR DB 5-9 180 Ware Shoals, S.C./Ware Shoals HS26 Johnnie Houston SR DB 6-1 210 Greenville, S.C./Woodmont HS27 Devin Brown RS FR WR 5-8 155 Charleston, S.C./James Island Charter HS28 Lorenzo Boyles SR DB 5-10 190 Columbia, S.C./Columbia HS29 Kamron Summers RS FR DB 5-11 180 Statesville, N.C./West Iredell HS30 Quinn Backus JR LB 5-10 215 Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood HS31 De’Angelo Henderson RS FR RB 5-8 200 Summerville, S.C./Summerville HS31 Markel Hill FR DB 6-0 180 Chesnee, S.C./Chesnee HS32 Osharmar Abercrombie FR RB 5-10 190 Greenwood, S.C./Emerald HS33 David Gaydosz FR RB 5-11 195 Ona, W.Va./Cabell Midland HS34 Rayshaud Shields SO DB 5-10 195 Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise HS35 Austin Cain JR P 6-0 200 Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison HS36 Zach Silverberg JR RB 5-10 195 Baltimore, Md./Franklin HS37 Kerron Johnson FR DB 6-3 180 Woodbury, N.J./Highland Regional HS38 Ben Hinson FR P-K 6-3 165 Columbia, S.C./Irmo HS38 Jarius McMillan FR LB 5-10 215 Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS39 Colton Blackburn SO LB 6-2 230 Newland, N.C./Avery County HS40 Kenneth Daniels RS FR RB 5-10 180 Waldorf, M.D./Great Mills HS40 Brett Johnson JR LB 5-11 220 North Augusta, S.C./Air Force Academy41 Marcellus Hunter SR DB 5-10 185 Anderson, S.C./T.I. Hanna HS42 Shane Ballard JR LS 6-4 210 Manning, S.C./Manning HS43 Denzell Thomas RS FR LB 5-11 210 Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep

# Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Previous School44 Moon Edwards JR DE 5-10 245 Pageland, S.C./Chesterfield HS45 Alex Scearce FR DB 6-3 190 Huntersville, N.C./Lake Norman Charter46 Alex Catron JR PK/P 6-2 160 Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS47 Chase Travis RS FR DB 6-0 205 Sevierville, Tenn./Tennessee-Chattanooga48 Andre Johnson SO LB 5-11 220 Buford, Ga./Buford HS49 Roderick Holder SO DE 6-3 225 Chesapeake, Va./Indian River HS50 Jeffery Salley SR DT 5-8 265 Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt HS51 Jaz Strong SR LB 5-10 225 Chester, S.C./Chester HS51 Matt Broome FR LS 6-0 180 Chesnee, S.C./Boiling Springs HS52 Devan Miller SO LB 6-1 220 Leetonia, Ohio/Leetonia HS53 Jon Jenkins JR OL 6-4 300 Miami, Fla./ASA (N.Y.) College54 Tyler Watkins JR LB 6-1 230 Indian Land, S.C./Presbyterian55 Arthur Kelley SR DT 6-3 260 Letohatchee, Ala./Carver HS56 Aaron McFarland SO DE 6-1 245 Bailey, N.C./Southern Nash HS57 Derek Carter FR DL 6-2 245 Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS57 Kevin Hart JR OL 6-2 260 Cornelius, N.C./Hargrave (Va.) Military Acad.58 Calvin Hollenhorst SO DE 6-4 240 Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge HS59 Shane Johnson FR LB 6-2 220 Yeadon, Pa./Salisbury (Conn.) School61 Voghens Larrieux RS FR OL 6-5 265 New London, Conn./New London HS62 Randall Drayton RS FR DT 6-4 290 Tampa, Fla./Armwood HS63 Ryan Barkley FR OL 6-4 290 Fort Mill, S.C./Charlotte Catholic HS64 Dom DiGalbo RS FR C 6-2 260 Colingdale, Pa./Monsignor Bonner HS65 Joe Kaleta JR DT 6-8 315 Utica, N.Y./Washington State66 Nicholas Bonaparte FR OL 6-4 295 Baltimore, Md./Paul L. Dunbar HS66 Drew Dettra FR DL 6-3 250 Leesburg, Va./Stone Bridge HS67 Cooper Clegg FR OL 6-1 285 Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill HS68 Rodney Mitchell FR OL 6-3 290 Cartersville, Ga./Atlanta Sports Acad.70 Sam Ekwonike RS FR OL 6-4 305 Cinnaminson, N.J/Cinnaminson HS71 Kenny Fitzgerald JR OL 6-4 270 Wall, N.J./Red Bank Catholic HS72 Jamey Cheatwood SR OL 6-5 330 Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs HS73 Chad Hamilton JR OL 6-3 305 Charleston, S.C./James Island HS74 William Walker RS FR OL 6-2 310 Greenwood, S.C./Emerald HS75 Mo Ashley JR RG 6-4 320 Honea Path, S.C./Belton-Honea Path HS77 Devin Taylor JR OL/LS 6-3 300 Summerville, S.C./Summerville HS78 Drew Herring SR OL 6-3 310 Myrtle Beach, S.C./Carolina Forest HS79 Ashton Culick FR OL 6-6 265 Aynor, S.C./Aynor HS80 Chris Jones FR WR 5-11 165 Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville HS81 Adrian Sullivan RS SR WR 5-6 165 Charleston, S.C./Bishop England HS82 Tyler Gilmore JR WR 6-1 180 Kannapolis, N.C./A.L. Brown HS83 Trey Gattison FR WR 6-0 175 Hartsville, S.C./Hartsville HS84 Matt Hazel SR WR 6-3 190 North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta HS85 Shelton Whittaker FR WR 6-4 185 Columbia, S.C./A.C. Flora HS86 Stephen Denuel RS JR P/K 6-0 180 Moseley, Va./Christopher Newport Univ.87 Storm Baker RS FR P/K 6-5 195 Raleigh, N.C./Hargrave (Va.) Military88 Landon Moss FR WR 6-4 195 Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams HS89 Ryan Granger RS FR P/K 6-0 160 North Charleston, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS90 Dwayne Price FR DL 6-3 250 East Orange, N.J./East Orange Campus HS91 Ed Brown FR DL 6-2 225 Cedar Bluff, Miss./West Point HS92 Clark Krimmer RS FR DE 6-3 225 Kathleen, Ga./Houston County HS93 Dominique Whiteside RS SR DE 6-3 240 Hendersonville, N.C./Hendersonville HS94 Elijah Griffin FR DL 6-3 265 Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East HS95 Darrin Phillips FR DL 6-3 240 Chicago, Ill./Chicago Hope Academy95 Masamitsu Ishibashi FR P/K 5-11 155 Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek HS96 Joe Coscarelli FR DL 6-1 260 Millstone, N.J./Red Bank Catholic HS97 Leroy Cummings JR DL 6-1 270 Thomson, Ga./Thomson HS/Savannah State98 Andrew Mitchell JR DL 6-4 255 Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood HS99 Marcus Crowder SO DT 6-1 290 Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance HS

Coaches

Joe Moglia - Head CoachCory Bailey - Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coord. & DL CoachClayton Carlin - Assistant Coach/Defensive CoordinatorDave Patenaude - Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator/QuarterbacksCurt Baldus - Assistant Coach/Specialists/Special TeamsDoug Colman - Assistant Coach/Linebackers/Special Teams

Patrick Covington - Assistant Coach/Offensive Line CoachCurome Cox - Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs/Special TeamsRenato Diaz - Assistant Coach/Wide ReceiversNick Jones - Assistant Coach/Tight Ends & TacklesBrock Olivo - Assistant Coach/Running Backs/Special TeamsGeorge Glenn - Chief of StaffJosh Stoner - Director of Speed, Strength and ConditioningLouis Francois - Coordinator of Football Technology


South Carolina GamecocksReCRuitinG Roundup

by phil koRnblut

DL Abu Lamin of Fort Scott JC, KS has been committed to USC since July, but in interviews after visiting Tennessee

over the weekend, Lamin indicated he had something thinking to do be-tween the Game-cocks and Vols. Apparently he’s thought enough about it and will be sticking with his pledge to the Gamecocks. “It’s close to home and they’ve been loyal from the begin-

ning,” said Lamin who is a native of Fay-etteville, NC. “There’s no need to switch. They’ve been doing everything right. It’s the loyalty. I went on the visit to check it out. I really enjoyed it but I was commit-ted to South Carolina and they just didn’t sway me off things that I should get off South Carolina.” Lamin said his academ-ics look good as he needs only to complete a college algebra course and a couple of electives to be able to graduate in Decem-ber and enroll in January. He also took official visits to USC, Florida, Nebraska, Arkansas and he plans to be at USC for the Clemson game. Lamin finished his season with 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss and he hopes to give the Gamecock defensive line another force in the middle. “I feel good about it and con-fident,” he said. ‘I’m an inside pass rusher and that guy fighting in the trenches to hold my side down.”

USC had a large number of major pros-pects on hand for the Florida game Satur-day night. It has not yet been determined if former commitment DB Wesley Green of Lithonia, GA will be among them. “He may be going to Auburn but he’s not quite sure yet,” Green’s coach Cortez Allen said Wednesday. “I’m not sure if he’s going to South Carolina or Auburn.” Allen said his junior DE Arden Key, also a former USC

commitment, is planning to go to Auburn Saturday for the Georgia game. As for Green, Allen said he also wants to visit Ole Miss. USC recruiter Lorenzo Ward was by the school in the last few weeks and recruiters from Georgia, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Ole Miss also have been through. Green’s top four remain USC, Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss and he as not yet set his official visit dates. Allen says Green remains open minded about the four with no favorite.

DB DJ Smith of Marietta, GA has vis-ited three of his final four schools. He’ll make it four for four this Saturday when he comes to Columbia to watch USC take on Florida. “I want to see how the crowd and the team are in to it,” said Smith. “I’ll be checking out the coaches and how they prepare the corners, and checking if the players are having fun.” Smith said his dad and some teammates will join him and he plans to stay overnight. He was at Tennessee last weekend and has also been to Clemson and Georgia. All four are even and he plans to take official visits to each before making his decision. That deci-sion may not come until National Signing Day. Smith talked to USC recruiter GA Mangus Monday but he feels right now Tennessee is recruiting him the hardest of his final four schools.

DE Andrew Williams of McDonough, GA has been working with a short list of six schools but only four are assured of official visits later this recruiting season. Williams said he’ll definitely set dates with USC, Clemson, Ole Miss and Au-burn. He’s considering LSU and Tennes-see for his fifth visit. Williams said he’s in regular weekly contact with his recruiters from his top four. Williams plans to make his decision after the official visits. He was at Clemson for the Florida State game and is going to Auburn this Saturday. He also will try to get to USC and Ole Miss for games. There is no favorite.

OL Damian Prince of Forestville, MD has his list down to seven and three of those are set for official visits. He actually

went to Maryland this past weekend and will go to Florida December 7th. He’ll also set a date with Florida State. The oth-ers he’s considering are USC, Ohio State, Miami and Georgia.

WR Jamil Kamara of Norfolk, VA just picked up an offer from USC Monday. At that time he had not scheduled an of-ficial visit with the Gamecocks. That’s changed now as Kamara revealed on his Twitter page Wednesday that he will visit the Gamecocks officially for the Clemson weekend. That visit replaces one he had scheduled for Virginia. Kamara has taken official visits to Michigan State and Wis-consin and is scheduled to visit Pittsburgh November 22nd. Earlier in the week he stated that Wisconsin was his leader ahead of Michigan State.

Junior News:OL Zack Bailey of Summerville has

been to Clemson twice this season for games. This month he plans to make two trips to USC, for the Florida and Clemson games. He’s not picked up any new offers so he’s sitting on ones from USC, Clem-son, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and The Citadel. Bailey said he will also visit Oregon either late in the season or in December. Right now he has no favorites. “It’s going to come down to what the school brings as far as educa-tion and if it has my field of study,” Bailey said. He wants to major in criminal jus-tice, engineering or architecture and con-struction. He did say USC and Clemson working the hardest for him and there’s no favorite between the two. He will not make a decision until sometime during his senior season.

With several offers, junior DL Tim Settle (6-3 307) of Manassas, VA does not have any favorites but he knows when he will make a decision…October 18th, 2014. Included in his offers is USC. He has visited Virginia, Virginia Tech, Michi-gan, Alabama, North Carolina and Ohio State. He also has plans to attend the Virginia-Virginia Tech game as well. His

other offers include Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, UCLA and Wisconsin.

RB Nyheim Hines (5-9 181) of Garner, NC last week he picked up an offer from USC. Hines also has offers from Clemson, NC State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Wake Forest, Ten-nessee, Connecticut and Akron. He has been to games at Clemson, North Caro-lina, Duke and NC State. He plans to be at USC this Saturday. Hines does not have a favorite from a recruiting standpoint, but from a personal standpoint he’s a long time Clemson fan. Hines also runs track and his coach is former USC track athlete Chris Love. “I believe it’s a great school,” he said of USC. “I always hear great things about South Carolina and I just like the university.” Hines doesn’t have a favorite and said he values all his offers equally. “I’m looking at the offenses and I have to see myself fitting there,” Hines said. “Nobody’s ahead. I’m graduating early so my decision will be sometime between next October and December.” Going into last Friday’s game Hines had rushed for 2450 yards and 38 touchdowns and has 600 receiving yards and 8 touch-downs. He said USC likes him as a slot receiver.

OL Joseph Legg Jr. (6-4 300) of Fay-etteville, NC is seeking his first offer but has received interest from USC, Duke, NC State, Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Louisville, Michigan and Kentucky among others. Legg attended a camp at USC over the summer. Legg wants to stay close to home and is looking to play in the SEC or ACC. He has visited several schools this fall including Wake Forest and Duke.

DB Kaleb Chalmers of Greenwood received an offer from Georgia Tech during a recent visit. The Yellow Jackets join Clemson, USC, Stanford, Tennessee, Duke and North Carolina with offers for Chalmers. He’s also hearing from

Phil KornblutContributing

Writer


Alabama, Michigan State, Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt among others. He does not have any favorites and hopes to get to USC and Tennessee before the season is over.

USC was one of the first offers for OL Ste-ven Gonzalez of Union City, NJ and recruit-er GA Mangus is keeping in touch with the big tackle. As are others. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer checked in on Gonzalez at his school last week and left a strong impres-sion on Gonzalez. Gonzalez has not been to any games this season but will visit Ohio State after the season. The Buckeyes, USC, Wisconsin and Rutgers have been showing the strongest interest and are his favorites at this point. All have offered along with Lou-isville, Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse and Massachusetts. Gonzalez doesn’t plan to make a decision until National Signing Day 2015.

OL Jake Fruhmorgen (6-5 280) of Tampa has already received 26 offers with USC in that group. Fruhmorgen’s father is a former Alabama offensive lineman where his team-mates included Lorenzo Ward. Next spring and summer father and son play to take a tour of the schools in the Southeast and USC will be a stop. Some of his other offers in-clude Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Tennes-

see, Georgia, Notre Dame, Louisville, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Cal.

Basketball News:6-2 Marcus Stroman of Keenan signed

his letter of intent with USC last Thursday morning during a ceremony at his school. Stroman is regarded as the top senior pros-pect in the state. He has been committed to the Gamecocks since July of 2012. At that time Clemson was his other offer and he was also getting interest from Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Auburn.

USC officially welcomed the second member of their 2014 recruiting class with the signing last Friday of 6-5 TeMarcus Blanton of Locust Grove, GA. Blanton committed to the Gamecocks in September over Florida State, George Mason, Arkansas and Auburn.

The USC women are set to sign the fol-lowing prospects who committed to Dawn Staley:

• Kaydra Duckett, PG, 5-11, Dreher• Bianca Cuevas, PG, 5-6, Brooklyn, NY• Doniyah Cliney, 2G, 6-0, Newark, NJ• Jatarie White, C, 6-4, Charlotte

Baseball News:The USC baseball team picked up a com-

mitment earlier in the week from catcher Christopher Cullen (6-4 190) of Cum-ming, GA. “It’s an honor and a blessing to say that I have committed to play baseball at the University of South Carolina!” Cullen tweeted Monday night after visiting USC over the weekend. PerfectGame.com named Cullen a 2nd team underclass All American last season and offers this scouting report on the righthanded swinger.

Long and slender athletic build. Right handed hitter, exaggerated open stance, bent knee start, deep hand load, exaggerates stay-ing inside the ball, has bat speed and the ball comes off the barrel very hard when weight comes through and he squares up, has hit-ting tools that project very well but a com-plicated approach. 6.98 runner, very good arm strength behind the plate, lower release angle creates issues when throwing with left handed hitters at the plate, can soften hands behind the plate. Has the athleticism to play in the outfield. Young player with lots of ath-letic tools to grow into with experience.

Cullen played on USA Baseball national teams in two of the past three summers. Cullen is the 12th commitment for the Gamecocks’ 2015 class and the second catcher.

And Gamecock baseball coach Chad

Holbrook is set to sign another highly rated class. Here’s the list of players who have committed:

• Clark Scolamiero, OF, 5-11, 160, Greenville

• Junior Harding, RHP, 5-10, 170, Cambrdge, MD

• O’kevius Conway, INF, 5-10, 175, Clinton

• Jared Williams, SS, 5-9, 160, Gilbert• Braden Webb, RHP, 6-4, 185, Owasso,

OK• Alex Destino, LHP, 6-2, 200,

Weaverville, NC• Tyler Johnson, RHP, 6-2, 170,

Midlothian, VA• Brandon Murray, RHP, 6-3, 200,

Hobart, IN• Hunter Taylor, C, 5-11, 190, Oleny, VA• Dylan Rodgers, RHP, 6-2, 170,

Spartanburg Methodist JC• Clarke Schmidt, RHP, 6-1, 165,

Acworth, GA• Everett Eynon, 2B, AC Flora• Madison Stokes, SS, 6-3, 195, AC Flora• Jared Martin, C, 5-11, 200,

Chattahoochee Valley JC, AL• Banks Cromer, LHP, 6-3, 150, AC Flora • Collin Steagall, 1B, 6-1, 240,

Spartanburg Methodist JC


It is funny how quickly perceptions change.As Gamecocks we now feel it is our right to

play for championships. We now feel that any-thing less is a travesty.

That thought process is exactly spot-on and is the way it should be, but is it always the most logical?

Let’s delve deeper. The football team is battling year in and year

out for championships and national attention.Total credit to Steve Spurrier and his staff for

everything that they have done to change the perception of Gamecock football, but let’s be honest it has not even been 20 years since the Gamecocks were in the midst of a 21-game los-ing streak.

Lou Holtz looked to be changing the fortunes of the Gamecocks forever in the early 00s, but after great seasons to start the decade it was quickly shown how hard it is to compete not only nation-ally, but even in your own league.

When Spurrier took over the Gamecocks he quickly took the thoughts of the Red Sox who that year had just changed the complexion of Boston baseball forever and said “why not us? Why not the University of South Carolina Game-cocks?”

Spurrier’s first year at the helm of the Game-cocks was a success in that the Gamecocks finished 7-5 and obtained wins against Tennes-see and Florida. The next year the Gamecocks went 8-5. The Gamecocks would not win more than seven games in a season for the next three seasons before breaking out with an SEC East championship and nine wins in 2010.

The Gamecocks under Spurrier’s tutelage en-tered the 2013 season coming off back-to-back top-10 final national rankings and back-to-back 11-win seasons.

These things had never been done in Game-cock football history, but yet as the 2013 season commenced it was decreed by most that nothing but battling for a championship would suffice.

Well, the Gamecocks are battling for a champi-onship and they are still in the top-10 nationally in the BCS. Next year should be much of the same for Spurrier and the Gamecocks.

Sometimes it just takes having the right people on the bus and when Spurrier was hired at South Carolina it was known that it would take time, but that the goods would be delivered at some point.

This understanding of the efforts it takes to truly build a program is exactly what Frank Mar-tin needs of Gamecock fans.

When Martin was hired to take over the Game-cock basketball program to say the cupboard was

not exactly full would be a vast understatement, but yet despite having a team that should not have been in many games the Gamecocks fought and eventually ended their first season under Martin last year with 14 wins.

As evidenced by his team’s play so far in the 2013-14 season, Martin has indeed in year two started to bring in the individuals needed to make the Gamecocks a player in the SEC, which in turn will also mean nationally in the future.

The thing that Martin needs the most from Gamecock fans is for them to understand that it takes ownership from Gamecock Nation as well.

Gamecock basketball unlike football for the most part before Spurrier’s arrival had been a na-tional player before with the Gamecocks winning big in the 70s behind Frank McGuire and win-ning an SEC championship in the 90s.

Martin will get the Gamecocks back to these heights, but what he needs now is the support of Gamecock fans to help sustain success.

The Colonial Life Arena could be one of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball if it is packed out.

Martin has been dreaming about that since tak-ing over the program a short time ago.

Williams-Brice Stadium has undoubtedly become one of the toughest – if not the toughest – places to play in college football. The current home winning streak proves that point.

If Colonial Life Arena is packed in the same way, not only will it be great for the current student-athletes, but even more top-notch recruits will take notice and make Columbia their desti-nation of choice.

This is exactly what is happening right now for sixth-year head coach Dawn Staley and Game-cock women’s basketball. Staley had to endure some bad times at the beginning of her tenure, but the Gamecocks entered this season coming off back-to-back 25-win seasons and recruits are more than taking notice as South Carolina pres-ently is putting together one of the elite recruiting classes in the nation.

Now nobody is looking past Staley and the Gamecocks.

Gamecock women’s basketball foes know that the Gamecocks may just be seen as a contender for the SEC championship this year, but they know that soon the Gamecocks quite possibly could be the team to beat for years to come in the SEC.

Big things are also ahead for the Gamecock men’s basketball program and this is still just the beginning of the Martin era at South Carolina.

Join the movement. It truly will be a fun ride.

HandWriting

photos by allen sharpe

Colonial Life Arena could be one of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball. Martin needs Gamecock Nation to help him build the program into a consistent winner.


Athletics development communicAtions

Under the direction of Athletics Director Ray Tanner, the University of South Caro-lina Athletics Department has launched a new initiative to assist former Gamecock student-athletes with employment after their time at the University. Titled the “Gamecock Career Network,” the mission of the Network is to utilize relationships within the business community in order to facilitate greater job and internship opportunities for Gamecock student-athletes and recent grad-uates.

On October 21st, the Athlet-ics Department held a luncheon in the Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium to kick off the Net-work. Over 200 guests attended the luncheon, all of which represented companies who will potentially participate in the program.

During the luncheon, Tanner commu-nicated the importance of this initiative, explaining how strongly he feels about the program.

“When student-athletes come to Caro-lina, wear the garnet and black and gradu-ate, they are Gamecocks for life,” Tan-ner noted. “We want to help our former student-athletes transition to a career after college athletics, be successful and make a positive contribution in their communities. We appreciate the members of the business community who attended our Gamecock Career Network luncheon and are willing to invest in our former student-athletes.”

Former football student-athlete, Andre Goodman, has played a tremendous part in the creation of this program. In his current role as Director of Football Student-Ath-lete Development, Goodman helps Game-cock student-athletes grow to achieve their athletic, personal and professional goals. During the luncheon, Goodman spoke about his time as a student-athlete and pro-fessional athlete and how those experienc-es have prepared him to be successful as a professional. He mentioned the benefits of hiring student-athletes due to the skills they acquire during their time competing at the collegiate level.

“I ask you guys to consider the attributes you’re getting when you hire a student-athlete: team oriented with the desire to win, they demand results, they’re driven to overcome, they take initiative, they accept criticism, they have the ability to adapt and maneuver in a highly competitive en-vironment while maintaining focus on the big picture,” Goodman remarked. “Those attributes are relative to any successful business.”

Special Assistant to Athletics Develop-ment, Clyde Wrenn, also shared respon-

sibilities with Goodman in launching the Network. Wrenn previ-ously spent 11 years at the Uni-versity in the football office and has main-tained strong relationships with numerous former student-athletes and business leaders from across the state. Wrenn was essential in the execution of

the luncheon to kick off the program. “We were ecstatic to receive the type of

response for this event that we did,” Wrenn commented. “Over 100 corporations par-ticipated and each was very open to our suggestions. I feel like this will be a good relationship going forward between our student-athletes and these businesses.”

Erica Nelson, Life Skills and Community Outreach Coordinator, has been essential in planning and communicating the impor-tance of this program. Nelson also spoke at the luncheon, elaborating on a day in the life of a student-athlete and the challenges she’s witnessed of student-athletes trying to secure employment after graduation. Nelson works closely with all student-ath-letes, and was able to provide a perspective on their dedication to the University.

“This initiative means so much to the student-athletes,” Nelson said. “They have devoted four and sometimes five years to this university, so with the help of the business community we can give back to them.”

For more information about or if you would like to participate in the Gamecock Career Network, contact Andre Goodman at [email protected] or Erica Nel-son at [email protected].

South Carolina Athletics launches Gamecock Career Network

“When student-athletes come to Carolina, wear the garnet and black and graduate, they are Gamecocks for life. We want to help our former student-athletes transition to a career after college athletics, be successful and make a positive contribution in their communities.

~ Ray tanner

submitted photo


Damiere Byrd has always had the ability to make himself a blur. But that was the prob-

lem - the rest of the world became a blur to him, too.

The Gamecocks’ junior wide re-ceiver has always possessed the kind of blazing speed that instills fear in opposing de-fensive backs. A former nationally-ranked sprinter in high school, it was no secret what Byrd planned to

do when he lined up wide. Go fast and go far.

But when he peered into the sky, his hands in a textbook triangle, everything changed. The junior struggled to catch the ball on deep routes, a problem not due to stone hands or mental frailty.

“My eyesight has always been bad,” he explained. “On deep balls, I was running so fast that my eyesight would get lost.”

At the most important moment, Byrd’s strength also revealed his greatest weakness.

But after undergoing LASIK surgery last February, Byrd has blossomed into a key piece of the Gamecock receiving corps. He entered the Florida game as South Carolina’s leader in receiving yards. He’s the fifth re-ceiver in Gamecock history with two touch-down catches of 75 or more yards.

But to credit eye surgery for Byrd’s improved numbers would be, well, short-sighted. The junior has worked hard to turn

himself into a more complete receiver. “Everybody thinks that because I got

LASIK, I’m a totally different athlete or something. It definitely has benefitted me. But I also feel like the amount of time I’ve put into my skills in the offseason has really been what’s turned everything around for me,” Byrd said.

It started with becoming a better route-runner. Byrd had gaudy numbers coming out of Timber Creek High School in Erial, N.J., gaining more than 1,500 yards from scrim-mage his senior year. He also ran a 10.41 100-meter dash in track, the eighth-fastest non-wind-aided time in the nation that year. But when he enrolled at Carolina, he lacked

the polish of other wideouts.“Coming in, I wasn’t really comfortable

as a receiver. I played in the slot, but most of my catches were on bubbles or screens. For the most part, they just wanted to get the ball in my hands. Probably 75 percent of my touches were from screens or running the ball out of the backfield,” he said.

In the world of receiving, “fast” and “quick” often mean two different things. To take the next step, Byrd knew he needed to refine his technique, rather than rely on his raw speed. A hamstring injury sidelined him for most of Spring practice, but once he was cleared, Byrd returned to the field with focus. He did ladder drills to improve his footwork. He ran routes with quarterbacks Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson two to three times a week over the summer.

He also added more muscle to his 5’9” frame. Though still 166 pounds, his arms have a noticeable ripple. After a slow start to the season – he only caught three passes in his first three games – Byrd broke out against UCF, hauling in a career-high five passes for 74 yards. He backed that up with five more catches against Kentucky, includ-ing a 62-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the game. No longer just a once-in-a-while deep threat, Byrd has shown he can hold his own in the high-traffic, hard-hitting areas of the secondary.

“It definitely feels good to be able to be known as a guy who can run whatever route. I can go across the middle and make tough catches,” he said.

He’s always had the speed to make oppo-nents nervous. Now, with better vision and more precision, Byrd is truly ready to take off.

Andy DemetraContributing Writer



The Florence County Gamecock Club hosted a Pre-Florida Rally at Red Bone Alley Restaurant & Bar in Florence, S.C. on Nov. 14 with a turnout of around 50 to 75 fans.

The rally was in conjunction with local ra-dio host Ken Ard’s daily show on 98.9 ESPN Radio. The rally allowed the Gamecock fans an opportunity to discuss everything Game-cock-related on the show.

The local Gamecocks were able to come together to have a good time in preparation for the showdown with the Gators and swap their favorite South Carolina stories with each other and Ard.

“It’s really the first time that we’ve done anything like this and … we had a Game-cock rally with several of us on the radio talking about Gamecock Athletics, favorite moments, childhood memories and what it means to be a Gamecock,” chapter president Michael “Scat” Scaturro said. “There’s a lot of excitement out there right now … so it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of good times, a lot of stories and I think everyone enjoyed it.”

Former chapter president Rod Jernigan agreed that it was a great time for everyone

who came out and Scaturro and he both said they would like to do something like this event again.

“It was a great turnout and we had a lot

of fun,” Jernigan said. “It was the first time we’ve ever done something like that … you get all the different stories for the different Gamecocks and it was a great time.”

Florence Gamecock Club hosts Pre-Florida Rally

submitted photo

Radio host Ken Ard (left) and Rod Jernigan discuss the Gamecocks on 98.9 ESPN Radio.

The Gamecock Club remembers the following member of Gamecock Nation who recently passed away.

James saye – James Saye was

born in Rodman, S.C. and he was the son of the late James H. Saye, Sr. and the late Jean Lyle Hollis Saye. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church where he served as elder and deacon. He served in the U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II flying the B24 bomber. Mr. Saye retired from the U. S. Air Force Reserve with the rank of Major. Mr. Saye was also an avid Gamecock fan and a 33 year member of the Gamecock Club.

Spurs and Feathersonline at:

www.spursandfeathers.com

In Memoriam



City Call letters FrequenCy Football basketball CoaChes shows baseballAbbeville WZLA-FM 92.9 X X Johnston/Aiken WKSX-FM 92.7 X X X XAllendale WDOG-FM 93.5 X X X XAnderson WRIX-FM 103.1 X X X XCamden WPUB-FM 102.7 X X X XCamden WCAM-AM 1590 X X X Charleston WWIK-FM 98.9 X X X XCharleston WTMZ-AM 910 X X X XChesterfield WVSZ-FM 107.3 X X X XClinton WPCC-AM 1410 X X X XColumbia WISW-AM 1320 Women’s BasketballColumbia WNKT-FM 107.5 X X X XFlorence WHYM-AM 1260 X X XFlorence WOLH-AM 1230 X X XFlorence WOLH-FM 98.9 X X XFlorence/Lamar WFRK-FM 95.3 X X Gaffney WZZQ-FM 104.3 X X Gaffney WZZQ-AM 1500 X X Greenville WROO-FM 96.7 X X X Greenville WGVL-AM 1440 XHilton Head WGZO-FM 103.1 X X Kingstree WDKD-AM 1310 X X X XMyrtle Beach WSYN-FM 103.1 X X X Myrtle Beach WHSC-AM 1050 XNewberry WKDK-AM 1240 X X X Rock Hill/Lancaster WRHM-FM 107.1 X X X XRock Hill/Lancaster WVSZ-FM 107.3 X X X XSeneca WSNW-AM 1150 X X X Seneca WSNW-FM 103.5 X X X Spartanburg WSPG-AM 1400 X X X XSumter WIBZ-FM 95.5 X X Sumter WDXY-AM 1240 X X XUnion WBCU-AM 1460 X X X Woodruff WQUL-AM 1510 X

The Gamecock Sports Network from IMG College counts 34 affiliate stations for the 2013-14 season. For Sirius/XM subscribers, follow the Gamecock Radio Twitter page for weekly updates on chan-nel information for Gamecock broadcasts.

The weekly Carolina Calls show will air from 7-8 p.m. on the flagship station of the Gamecocks, WNKT-FM (107.5 FM), and over the Internet at www.Gamecock-sOnline.com. The show takes place each week at Wild Wing Café, located at 729 Lady Street in the Vista. Wild Wing Café, which is South Carolina’s home for the best wings south of Buffalo, has 12 loca-tions in the Palmetto State. Visit www.wildwingcafe.com for more information.

Inside the RoostSouth Carolina Athletics Director Ray

Tanner and Derek Scott from the Game-cock Sports Network from IMG College host an hour long radio show every Mon-day night at 7 p.m. from Hilton Columbia Center in the Vista. The show is broadcast on 107.5 FM and features discussions on current issues with Ray Tanner and inter-views with coaches and athletics depart-ment staff.

South Carolina- Coastal Carolina television The game will be available on pay-per-view. Visit www.GamecocksOnline.com for more information.

Gamecock Radio/Television Information2013-14 Radio Affiliates


Reminder from Gamecock Club: Please remember that the Gamecock Club renewal deadline is January 31, 2014.

New York City Gamecock ClubWeekly Football Game-Watching EventSaturdays at The Mason Jar.The best place to watch Gamecock foot-ball if you can’t be at Williams-Brice!Located at 43 E 30th Street in Manhat-tan, with a Gamecock-inspired menu and discounts for Gamecock fans. Call them at: (212) 213-3587.For more information, check out the website at: www.nycgamecocks.com or email chapter president JR Buzzelli at [email protected].

Savannah Gamecock Club SocialTuesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m.B&D Burgers - 209 W. Congress St. Savannah, Ga.Get to know other fellow Gamecocks, hear from some of the Gamecock Club staff members and talk about future events. Don’t forget to bring your busi-ness card for the raffle; prize is a signed Steve Spurrier football. RSVP by Nov. 13 to Reeves Skeen at [email protected].

Fairfield County Gamecock Club Meeting Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m.All Gamecock Club members and fans are invited to the Fairfield Cove Res-taurant (1418 Hwy 321 Bypass South, Winnsboro, S.C. 29180) for the Fairfield County Gamecock Club business meet-ing. The meal will be a Dutch treat and there will be great door prizes. Addition-ally, a 2012 Outback Bowl autographed Steve Spurrier football will be raffled. Tickets will only be sold at the meeting

and you must be present to win. Guest speaker will be Jay Brown, Assistant Director of the Gamecock Club. A special thanks to Carolina Wings (Blythewood), Frank’s Carwash, Jewelry Warehouse Garnet and Black Traditions, and Scot-ties’ Café and Grill (Blythewood) for their generous donations to the Fairfield County Gamecock Club.

Colleton County Gamecock Club - Pep RallyMonday, Nov. 25 from 6-8 p.m.Walterboro Elks Lodge at 236 Milestone Ln. in Walterboro, S.C. 29488.Fun for all ages! DJ and Cocky will be present with raffle tickets for awesome prizes. For more information contact Lori Beard at [email protected] or (843) 909-1919.

Kershaw County Gamecock Club Meet-ingLangston Moore, former Gamecock great and current Gamecock Radio Sideline reporter, will address the Kershaw County Gamecock Club on the Monday (No-vember 25) before the Carolina-Clemson game! The event will be held at Gadget’s in Camden and is free of charge! The bar and the restaurant will be open for your convenience. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. with Langston Moore speaking approx. 6:50-7 p.m. ALL GAMECOCK FANS AND FRIENDS ARE WELCOME! You do not have to be a Gamecock Club member to attend. There will also be raffle drawings and a drink special if you have on Garnet and Black. Come on out with your Kershaw County Gamecock friends and get ready to make it 5 IN A ROW against “that school in the upstate.” Contact Gamecock Club President Casey Robinson for more information at (803) 669-0273.

Upcoming South Carolina Athletics Events

z November 20

Women’s Basketball at Clemson .............................................7 p.m.

z November 22

Volleyball at Arkansas ..................................................................8 p.m.

z November 23

Cross Country at NCAA Championships ............................ 11 a.m.

Football vs. Coastal Carolina .....................................1 p.m.

Women’s Basketball at San Diego State ...............................4 p.m.

Equestrian at South Dakota State ............................................... TBA

z November 24

Men’s Basketball vs. Florida International ..............1 p.m.

Volleyball vs. LSU .................................................. 1:30 p.m.

z November 25

Women’s Basketball at Southern Cal .....................................8 p.m.

Home events listed in Bold

Gamecock Club Upcoming Events

Gamecock Club Holiday Hours

We highly recommend taking advantage of this membership payment option. You must enroll in this three-month payment plan option by November 27th. Please see below for a chart showing your monthly installments should you to take advantage of this offer.

To enroll in a payment plan, please log into your AccountManager by visiting

www.GamecocksOnline.com/Tickets, or contact the Gamecock Club at 803.777.4276 or [email protected].

As a reminder, the renewal deadline for 2014 Gamecock Club membership is Janu-ary 31, 2014.

Thank you for your support of South Caro-lina Athletics. It’s great to be a Gamecock!

(Story by the Gamecock Club)

Spread your 2014 Gamecock Club Membership out over the next three months


by brian [email protected]

The University of South Carolina Athletics Department is undertaking a “Hoops for the Holidays” program for the upcoming holiday season.

“Hoops for the Holidays” will allow organiza-tions and people to purchase tickets that will be donated on their behalf to bring deserving youth and military to a Gamecock basketball game during the holiday season.

“It is important to us to connect with our community and the ‘Hoops for the Holidays’ program can bring smiles to many deserving faces,” South Carolina Associate Athletics Di-rector/CMO Eric Nichols said of the promotion.

“Hoops for the Holidays” is being run through the Gamecocks Group Sales office. They are hoping to really help out some great organizations by obtaining their goal of 2,500 or more tickets being donated throughout the holiday season.

The minimum investment to sponsor a group of 15 people is $150 for Gamecock men’s bas-ketball games. To sponsor a group of 15 people for a women’s basketball games is $60.

“Hoops for the Holidays” will be held for the

following men’s games at Colonial Life Arena: Dec. 17 against Manhattan, Dec. 19 against USC Upstate, Dec. 28 against Akron and Dec. 30 against Marshall.

The women’s basketball games as part of “Hoops for the Holidays” at Colonial Life Arena will be Dec. 20 against Winthrop, Dec. 22 against South Carolina State and Dec. 28 against Savannah State.

The Athletics Department will be working with organizations such as the Epworth Chil-dren’s Home, Children’s Chance, Dickerson Center for Children, Family Connection of South Carolina, St. Lawrence Place, Palmetto Place Children’s Shleter, Sistercare, Carolina Children’s Home, Family Shelter, Inc., Vital Connections of the Midlands, Inc. and Fort Jackson as part of “Hoops for the Holidays.”

For more information on this great cause, or to donate please call the Gamecocks Group Sales office at 803.777.8850. You can also fill out the form included in Spurs & Feathers and mail form and payment to:

University of South Carolina athleticsattn: hoops for the holidays1304 heyward Street, Columbia, SC 29208**Make checks payable to South Carolina

Athletics**

South Carolina Athletics announces ‘Hoops for the Holidays’ program





For the last few home games, I have parked and gone straight in to the press box to take in the football. It is something I had not done at a Carolina game since the early 1980s. A lot had changed. That press box is way up there, in the air that is. A little high for my liking. But it is very nice and there is a lot more room than in the “old” days. Great food is the same. Seawell’s is still doing the buffet and it is always a highlight of the day. I am sure that my fel-low journalist in the box would all agree, it is much easier to do your job when you are not hungry and USC does a tremendous job of making sure nobody goes hungry. So it is a different type of tailgating.

But Saturday I went back to my roots and tailgated on the traditional side: in the park-ing lots. I was able to spend some time with the family as well as catch up with old col-lege friends that I have not seen in 30 years and spend a little time with new friends in a cockaboose with Kevin Hunter and his fam-ily from Simplified Office Systems. With all due respect to the “press,” I will take the traditional style.

There is no better way to get ready for the game. So rather than go up top for the game, I had decided to sit in my regular seat. You may not be aware, but in the press box it is frowned upon to “cheer” for your favorite team (though I understand that there was need for a reminder after the Auburn tip drill touchdown). With the Gamecocks playing

for a chance to win the SEC East against Florida, I knew going in, there was just no way I was going to be quiet, so I better sit in my seat.

And it is not a bad deal. I get to sit next to my favorite former Gamecock football player of all time … my Dad! And there are lots of family and old friends who sit around us. We have been there since I was a little kid. And most of the fans in this area would not sur-vive the “silence” of the press box. It is the place to be on a Saturday gameday.

And what a day! First the Auburn win over Georgia. USC had to have the Dawgs lose one and what a way to lose it. I still cannot believe that we were able to watch the end of the game on the big board while we had a timeout on the field. From a fan’s point of view, it was great! And since the final result was a 19-14 Carolina win, the night was perfect. We now await Missouri’s final two games. The Tigers will go on the road to Ole Miss and then host Johnny Football and Tex-as A&M. Lose one, and the Gamecocks are going to Atlanta. Who would have thought that after the loss at Tennessee? Well, I guess we did, but I don’t know that we really be-lieved it, but the chances are pretty good.

In the meantime, South Carolina just needs to take care of business. Coastal Carolina will waltz in with one loss next weekend and visions of shocking the world a la Ap-palachian State beating Michigan in the Big House. There is no doubt in my mind that the fans helped carry the Gamecocks over Flor-ida on Saturday night and the fans will need to be in the stands and make as much noise as was made on Saturday over the Gators.

The atmosphere was thunderous particularly when it needed to be in the fourth quarter. It will be a great warmup for Thanksgiving!

Another record was tied Saturday night and it is a personal record by Connor Shaw as he tied Todd Ellis’ record of 24 wins as the starting quarterback at USC. This is quite an accomplishment by both Ellis and Shaw. Todd started 1986 as a redshirt freshman and as anticipated a player as we have ever had at Carolina. The team only won three games that year, but should have had more. That year included the home Nebraska game which was the first time I actually saw the east side of the stadium swaying. I’m glad we fixed that. The Cornhuskers were No. 3 in the nation and it was a heartbreaker for the Gamecocks as we lost it by three after lead-ing in the fourth.

The next year, 1987, included the payback, 48-0, game over NC State and the “Rodney” game against No. 8 Clemson in the freez-ing cold, winning 20-7. I swear I started the “Rodney” chant, but I guess a lot of others think that as well. The 1988 season included the win at home against No. 6 Georgia that included the Ellis to Robert Brooks pass for a touchdown that is still as good as any you’ll ever see on replay. And in 1989, there was the win at No. 23 Georgia, before Todd’s ca-reer was cut short with a knee injury against NC State. It was as quiet as I have ever heard Williams-Brice until Lattimore’s injury last year which made the stadium equally as quiet. Quite frankly, it still makes me sick to think about it.

It was a great four years and its fitting that Todd is still right here in the middle of it do-

ing the play by play on radio for Carolina Football and pulling for Shaw and the Game-cocks. He as much as any of us, wants him to get the record next weekend, and then follow it with at least three more wins after that (wouldn’t that be something?).

Free throwsWhile heading down Huger Street one

day a couple of weeks ago, I came across Cocky Town. I had never noticed it before which was somewhat embarrassing in that it is located in the Colonial Printing Building which is directly over the right field fence at Carolina Stadium and is where we happen to park at baseball games. Inside they have quite a selection of Gamecocks apparel and items, including all the tailgating supplies you would ever need. One thing that in-trigued me most was the table top, corn hole set. It’s not as heavy as the big set (which they have, too) and can be played indoors or outdoors without all the heavy lifting. At $39.95 it makes a great Holiday present for any age. Rather than sit in traffic on the way to the stadium, I encourage you to stop by and check it out at 419 Huger Street.

It was a rough week for the men’s basket-ball team, losing a heartbreaker by two at No. 23 Baylor and then losing at Clemson. Right now, the defense is certainly playing well at times, but the offense will need some work. These are the tough road games which will pay dividends as the season goes on, particularly once conference play begins. I still believe this team will make noise and be the surprise of the SEC before it is over with. Hang in there. Better days are ahead.

There is no better way to get ready for the game

Ed GirardeauContributing

Editor

photo by jEnny dilworth



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