Notes | Mobility gives Garcia new role
The much-hyped Stephen Garcia has ended up being a redshirt candidate his first season at South Carolina. But the quarterback will be of use to the Gamecocks this week.
Because Stephen Garcia is the team’s most mobile quarterback, he will be acting as Florida’s Tim Tebow in practice this week. Stephen Garcia is not as big — 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, compared to the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Tebow — but the mobility puts him close enough.
“He’ll be wearing No. 15. He’ll be wearing Tebow’s number there on the scout team this week,” Spurrier said.
Stephen Garcia, who is from Florida, could end up fitting that mold in games next season. He has remained fourth on USC’s depth chart all season, but has traveled with the team in case of injury.
“We’ll wait and see. He can run around a little bit. Ball comes out of his hand nicely,” Spurrier said. “He’s got a lot to learn about trying to play quarterback. So we’ll see. We’ll worry about that in spring practice. Let he and (Chris) Smelley and (Tommy) Beecher fight it out to see who (will) maybe start next year.”
Defensive backs update. Spurrier said freshman Addison Williams will likely start if cornerback Captain Munnerlyn is out with a sprained left foot. Munnerlyn’s status is expected to be decided Thursday or Friday.
Spurrier is more optimistic on the status of safety Emanuel Cook (sprained left ankle) the team’s leading tackler.
“I think Emanuel Cook may be able to get back and play some,” Spurrier said.
Senior Brandon Isaac’s shoulder has apparently diminished his role. A starting safety when the season began who then shifted to cornerback, his injury prevents him from doing much tackling.
“If he hits anybody it’ll probably pop out,” Spurrier said. “So he’s just an emergency guy, I guess.”
Succop not on Groza list. South Carolina’s Ryan Succop was left off the list of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza award, bestowed annually on the nation’s best kicker.
Succop was a preseason first-team All-SEC pick, but Tennessee’s Daniel Lincoln is the only kicker from the conference who is a semifinalist. (Six made it from the ACC.)
Succop has made 12-of-16 field goals this season, and all 30 extra points, with a long field goal of 49. The junior’s misses have all been beyond 40 yards, but one of them was a 40-yarder at Tennessee that would have forced a second overtime.
Lincoln made two crucial field goals in that game. He is 16-for-18 on field goal attempts this year, with a long of 48.
Not an issue this year. Spurrier was asked Tuesday whether philosophically he felt a team with a 6-6 record should go to a bowl.
“I don’t know. I didn’t think Notre Dame should have gone to those BCS bowls they been to every year, but they went,” Spurrier said. “All they had to do was go 9-2 and they went. Don’t ask me about fairness in college football, now. That’s another story.”
He said it. “I really didn’t watch SportsCenter. I know what happened. I was there for the game. I just didn’t want to see the game. It was ugly.”
— USC linebacker Cody Wells on his TV-viewing habits after the 48-36 loss to Arkansasa.
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