It Begins! USC Spring Practice Kicks Off
(Columbia, SC) - The USC football team has begun its 2007 spring practice schedule.
The team took to the field Tuesday at the practice fields on Bluff Road.
Unlike last year, the Head Ball Coach did not call a trick play. You may recall Steve Spurrier opened the Gamecocks' 2006 spring training camp a day earlier than originally scheduled because it was such a nice day.
After reeling off three straight wins to close out last season, the Gamecocks and quarterback Blake Mitchell, begin the spring with high expectations. Mitchell, a rising fifth-year senior, played his best football after regaining his starting role and was especially sharp in leading USC to victories at Clemson and over Houston in the Liberty Bowl.
"I'm excited to be back out here," Mitchell said. "I hope to continue where I left off last year, hopefully even better."
With standout freshman Stephen Garcia suspended through the spring semester because of his legal issues, Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley will have the chance to battle for the back-up QB spot.
Stephen Garcia did make a cameo at practice, watching the drills away from the field. He at first showed up wearing a jersey, but was told by USC officials to take it off. Coach Spurrier says Stephen Garcia didn't understand that he wasn't allowed to wear it while he's suspended.
The Associated Press reports that after practice was over, Stephen Garcia threw the ball to a team manager while USC quarterbacks coach David Reaves watched and gave pointers.
Mike Davis, the standout running back out of Columbia High, and linebacker Jasper Brinkley, who emerged as the top player on defense last year, will miss spring ball while recovering from injuries.
The receivers will receive a great deal of attention in the spring as the Gamecocks look to fill the shoes of Sidney Rice, the record-setting receiver who left school early for the NFL. Kenny McKinley is the new star of the squad, after proving himself last season.
"I'm not Sidney, I'm a different type of receiver, but I'm capable of putting up those kinds of stats," McKinley says. "We gotta step up as a receiving corp and show what we can do."
In Tuesday's practice, junior college transfer Larry Freeman showed good hands, catching much of what was thrown at him.
"Everyone wants me to come and replace Sidney, but I'm not really trying to do it," Freeman says. "I'm just trying to come out here and help the team win. Coach Spurrier wants to win the SEC Championship this year, so I'm trying to help them win the SEC Championship, maybe the national championship."
The first of 14 workouts began Tuesday and it all wraps up April 14 with the Garnet and Black Game at Williams-Brice Stadium.
See more at www.wltx.com
