mazza's scouting report of Gcocks

[smazza]

C first-year defensive backs Ko Simpson and Jonathan Joseph have no Division I-A experience, a fact that has proved to be more of a benefit than a detriment this spring.

With the Gamecocks working under their third defensive coordinator in 17 months, the man who holds the post now believes that the younger players might be at an advantage when it comes to learning the new scheme.

“What happens when you inherit a lot of seniors, and the secondary does have a lot of seniors, they’ve had a lot of things taught to them already,†defensive coordinator Rick Minter said Thursday. “So sometimes it’s an unlearning curve and then a new learning curve.

“A Ko Simpson doesn’t know anything. He just got here when we got here. It may be little wonder why he’s picking things up pretty quick because really he hasn’t had to unlearn anything.â€Â

Simpson, a freshman from Rock Hill who was “grayshirted†last year when the Gamecocks exceeded their 85-scholarship limit, is competing with seniors Jamacia Jackson and Jermaine Harris for the two starting safety spots after arriving in January.

Joseph, a transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College, is a starting cornerback in his first spring at USC. Sophomore Fred Bennett is the other first-team corner, ahead of junior Tremaine Tyler and senior Taqiy Muhammad. Minter expects all four to play.

• What’s in a name? The position formerly known as spur has a new name in Minter’s defense  Apache, for adjuster or wide-side linebacker.

Minter, who spent 10 years as Cincinnati’s head coach, used the Apache terminology at Cincinnati and did not want to change “every play in the playbook from an A to an S.â€Â

“It is the old spur concept,†Minter added, “but he’s a linebacker all the way.â€Â

• Speaking of which. Corey Peoples, who was working behind Rod Wilson at Apache linebacker, has returned to his old safety position while Jackson recovers from an ankle sprain. Minter characterized the move as an experiment, but Peoples said, “I plan for it to be permanent.â€Â

• Scrimmage, part deux. Today’s second spring scrimmage will feature more passing and more gamelike situations than last Saturday’s. The scrimmage is closed to the public.

[smazza]

     

Posted on Sat, Apr. 10, 2004

Tailback Gray a likely choice for spring MVP

With only one practice and the spring game remaining, Gonzie Gray is threatening to run away with spring MVP honors.

The seldom-used tailback continued his super spring in Friday scrimmage, leading USC in rushing with 61 yards on six carries. That followed an impressive performance in last weekend’s first scrimmage, in which Gray broke off two long gains, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

Pretty heady stuff for a rising fifth-year senior who has only 18 carries during his college career. So the question is: What took him so long?

“He’s playing physical. He’s running physical. He’s blocking physical,†USC coach Lou Holtz said of the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder. “He’s always had good speed, but he’s just playing the game the way it should be played right now.â€Â

Gray agreed, saying he hit the weights harder during the offseason in an effort to get stronger.

“I’m ready for the season to start,†he said. “This is the last go-round for us and I’m looking forward to getting back and doing a lot better in the SEC.â€Â

Tailback Demetris Summers had four carries for 31 yards and lost a fumble. But the sophomore from Lexington showed his elusiveness on a 21-yard gain in which he escaped from a scrum of would-be tacklers.

Said Holtz: “Demetris Summers near the end of the scrimmage made some big-time, SEC runs.â€Â

• Who’s No. 2? Holtz said sophomore Syvelle Newton has edged redshirt freshman Blake Mitchell for the backup quarterback spot.

Newton, who played receiver in 2003, completed 5-of-10 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and ran for 24 yards and a score on three carries.

Meanwhile, Mitchell had an interception returned for a touchdown for the second consecutive scrimmage.

“That’s the biggest thing with coach Holtz: He doesn’t want you to turn the ball over,†said starter Dondrial Pinkins, who was 5-of-9 passing for 104 yards. “If you can move the ball up the field and not turn the ball over, you’ve got a pretty good shot of moving up on his chart.â€Â

• This and that. First-team receivers Troy Williamson and Matthew Thomas combined for three receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown  a 32-yarder from Mitchell to Williamson. ... Kicker Josh Brown hit a 31-yard field goal, the only one attempted. ... Fran Person’s mild concussion left the Gamecocks with only two healthy centers  starter John Strickland and Chris White, whom Holtz would prefer to play guard exclusively. ... The Gamecocks are off for the holiday weekend and will resume practice Tuesday.

[smazza]

Gamecocks prep for Saturday's Spring Game

April 13, 2004

Columbia, SC -

o Tuesday marked practice #14 for the South Carolina Gamecocks this spring. This Saturday, April 17, marks the conclusion of spring football practice for USC. The annual Spring Game will start at 1 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. The USC Lettermen's Association uses this game as a fund raiser. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. USC students and faculty and staff will be admitted free upon showing their USC ID.

o Prior to Saturday's Spring Game, the USC players will be available for autographs and pictures on the field beginning at 11:15 a.m. 2004 football posters, schedule cards and spring media guides will be available to the public.

o Following Tuesday's practice, head coach Lou Holtz met with the media. Here are some of his comments:

"I wasn't particularly pleased with how we practiced today, but overall, these 14 practices have been pretty good. We'll have some type of game Saturday; exactly what kind I don't know right now because of our limited numbers along the offensive line. Fran Person (backup center) is still out with a concussion and that really depletes our depth at that position. We had way too many fumbles today. We've got to eliminate those. Defensively, we still give up too many big plays and on offense, we're not consistent enough. Are we satisfied where we are right now? No. Have we made progress? Significant. We've still got a long ways to go. It's like we're going to California and we're not even at Irmo yet. It will be interesting to see how some of these players react in front of a crowd on Saturday. That's one good thing about a spring game; it gives you an opportunity to see how people play in front of your fans. Troy Williamson has had an excellent spring. He's played as well as any of our wide receivers. Matthew Thomas has also had a good spring. Syvelle Newton and Blake Mitchell have been more impressive than most of the other first year quarterbacks I've been around."

 

o Offensive lineman Chris White said that with some of the injuries to the offensive line, there hasn't been much rest time for the healthy linemen. "I saw Fran on campus today and I said 'you've got to be able to go on Saturday.' We are going to need some kind of break. Seriously, I hope he's able to play, but I know what it's like to be bothered by an injury, so he should only play if he's able to."

o Tailback Demetris Summers says he feels comfortable in USC's I formation offense. "I played a lot of I formation in high school and I like lining up in the I," said Summers. "The line has been blocking pretty well and I'm going to work hard Saturday to find some running room."

o Coach Holtz said that the format of Saturday's spring game should be finalized by Thursday. This Friday night, USC will hold its annual reunion of the Gamecock Lettermen in the Zone.

o There were no new injuries to report. Coach Holtz stated that redshirt freshman wide receiver Derrick Harper, who has been out most of the spring with a broken hand, is currently under suspension while he attends to some academic and personal matters.

[smazza]

Posted on Fri, Apr. 16, 2004

R E L A T E D    L I N K S  

•  Simpson file  

USC’s Simpson a fast learner

Freshman making bid for starting role in secondary

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

USC coaches signed Ko Simpson more than a year ago, then told the Rock Hill native they did not have a scholarship for him.

Now Simpson is forcing the Gamecocks’ defensive staff to keep a spot open for him in the starting secondary.

Simpson, a first-semester freshman from Rock Hill, is one of three players vying for the two safety positions this spring. The other candidates, rising seniors Jamacia Jackson and Jermaine Harris, have been at USC a combined six years. Simpson has had four months to find his way from the Horseshoe to the practice field.

It has been a quick study for a player whose high school grades prevented him from enrolling at USC last August.

“It was hard. I was kind of upset at first,” Simpson said this week. “My mom told me to stick with it.”

Simpson is what is known in college football as a “grayshirt,” a player who signs with a school on National Signing Day in early February but enrolls the following year in order for the school to meet the NCAA’s 85-scholarship limit.

USC recruiting coordinator Rick Stockstill said most schools typically sign more recruits than their allotment, assuming that a couple of players will not qualify academically. That appeared to be the case with Simpson, who had not qualified when he signed in February 2003.

But Simpson said he made As and Bs his final semester at Rock Hill High to pull up his core grade-point average and become eligible. However, by the time Rock Hill finished classes last May, USC was out of scholarships.

“He was hurt about it, but I was telling him everything happens for a reason,” said Eva Simpson, Ko’s mother. “I didn’t want him out of school. I know Ko; he’ll get away from that kind of stuff. I wanted him to keep going so it wouldn’t be so hard when he did go in school.”

Simpson thought briefly about attending Division II Catawba, which had recruited him heavily. His mother wanted him to take classes at York Technical College. Instead, he took a job detailing cars with a Rock Hill auto dealer, but left after two months.

Mostly, he hung around the house playing video football games while explaining to former teachers and classmates why he was not in Columbia playing real games.

“You get tired of that,” said Simpson, who was at Williams-Brice Stadium for a couple of home games. “It seemed like (his hiatus) was taking a long, long, long time.”

Simpson has made a good early impression since his late arrival. In the Gamecocks’ first spring scrimmage, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder made a big hit on tailback Demetris Summers and broke up a pass.

“Ko Simpson really has been a very pleasant surprise for a first-semester freshman,” USC coach Lou Holtz said. “He’s had a very good spring and is playing very well back there, playing very mature.”

Said Simpson: “I’ve just got a nose for the ball. Where the ball is, that’s where I’m at.”

Eva Simpson, who named her only child “Yukota” after hearing the name from a friend, said her son has a long history of athletic success.

Simpson’s middle school teams won football and basketball championships, and Rock Hill took the Class AAAA Big 16 title in 2002.

“Ko has won a championship everywhere he goes,” Eva Simpson said.

“He’s going to bring one to Carolina.”

If that turns out to be true, USC will be glad it found room for him.

Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or jperson@thestate.com.

SIMPSON FILE

• Position: Safety

• Height/weight: 6-2, 195 pounds

• Class: Freshman

• Hometown: Rock Hill

• Nickname: Poodie, given to him by his mother, Eva Simpson

• Fun fact: Eva Simpson gives her son a Snickers bar before every game and plans to do so before Saturday’s spring game.

[smazza]

At 39, ‘Pops’ chasing his dream

Gulf War veteran Tim Frisby trying to walk on to the team as a wide receiver

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

They call him “Pops.â€Â

But Tim Frisby is not a grandfather. He is a father of six and an Army veteran who served in the Gulf War and the Kosovo conflict. He is an Airborne Ranger who jumped out of airplanes and rappelled from helicopters. He is a fitness enthusiast who worked out in a makeshift weight room in Kuwait.

And for the past four weeks, Frisby has been a walk-on receiver on USC’s football team. Frisby’s next goal is to run onto the field at Williams-Brice Stadium this fall and become the only 39-year-old in the country playing major-college football.

“I have to envision that moment because that’s what keeps you going,†Frisby said. “You have to set a goal, and my goal is to play in games.â€Â

Frisby did not play in Saturday’s spring game at Williams-Brice. Nor did he see action in either of the Gamecocks’ two previous scrimmages.

He realizes the odds are long on him making the Gamecocks’ roster in the fall, let along playing.

But that has done little to dampen the enthusiasm of a lifelong jock who once received a scholarship offer to play college basketball. That was 21 years and another lifetime ago.

Frisby already had enlisted in the Army before many of his USC teammates were born. He is older than secondary coach David Reaves and all of the Gamecocks’ graduate assistant coaches. His closest peer in terms of age is assistant head coach Skip Holtz, who turned 40 in March.

Not that anyone would know it looking at Frisby, who compares himself to **** Clark.

“I always felt my athleticism didn’t depreciate over time,†he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people around me not be able to do the things I can do.â€Â

Like Clark, Frisby has some strong anti-aging genes. He has only a hint of gray poking through his goatee and around his temple. And he dresses hip  oversized NFL jerseys, baggy blue jean shorts and a long, thick silver necklace with a panther pendant.

It took several days before any of his teammates figured out that Frisby was old enough to be their father. Some players refused to believe him. Senior receiver Matthew Thomas demanded to see Frisby’s ID, which showed a 2/13/65 birthdate, making Frisby a high school senior when Thomas was born in 1982.

Said Frisby: “Once they find out they have a lot of questions for me.â€Â

Receivers coach Rick Stockstill also has one: “Why?â€Â

The answer was two decades in the making.

A SOLDIER’S DREAM

Frisby was a multisport star in Allentown, Pa., where he dreamed of playing football for Penn State or Pittsburgh. But when he graduated from high school in 1983, his only scholarship offer was for basketball at Tennessee State.

Frisby never made it to Tennessee State, feeling he was not ready for college. A good student, the problem was not academics. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do yet,†he said.

So he took some time off and enlisted in the spring of ’84. He did his basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky, then moved to Columbia as an instructor at Fort Jackson from 1984-88. However, desk work did not suit Frisby, who went to Airborne school before a series of stops around the globe.

Frisby lived in Germany and Italy, in addition to his wartime service.

All the while he remained active, playing in Army basketball leagues and running regularly. The base in Stuttgart, Germany, featured a tackle football league in which he participated.

“I just kept myself sharp with a goal in mind that when I got out I’d have some other options,†he said.

His plan was to move back to the States and experience the college sports opportunity he missed as a teenager. After he was re-assigned to Fort Jackson in 2001, Frisby wrote letters to Penn State coach Joe Paterno and former USC assistant John Gutekunst, who oversaw the walk-on program.

Frisby, who enrolled at USC as a part-time student in 2002 to begin preparing for civilian life, was told that only full-time students could walk on for the Gamecocks. When he was accepted as a full-time student in the broadcast journalism department this semester, Frisby showed up at the stadium in February for walk-on tryouts.

Only a dozen of the 40-45 players were called back for physicals.

Frisby was one of them.

At his physical, Frisby says a team doctor told him he was in better shape than a lot of the younger players.

Ron Bruce, who works with Frisby in combat development at Fort Jackson’s Adjutant General school, was not surprised.

“I’ve worked out with him before, so I know his ability to run distance. ... The Army makes sure you’re in shape,†Bruce said. “To see him, he doesn’t look like he’s 40 years old. He looks like a young man.â€Â

HOPING FOR A SHOT

In order to participate in spring practice, Frisby took a month of paid leave from Fort Jackson. A week into spring drills, his wife, Anna, gave birth to their sixth child. Despite increased family demands, Anna supports her husband’s unusual quest.

“I don’t think he’s nuts, but then I’ve lived with him the last 17 years,†Anna said. “What he does and what’s nuts to everybody else is different.â€Â

Frisby, 6 feet and 188 pounds, says he has a run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. He does not say when he ran that time. He did eight reps with 225 pounds on the bench press  respectable for someone his age, but ordinary for a wide receiver in the SEC.

Frisby made some catches during 1-on-1 drills against the USC defensive backs. But when the Gamecocks began the team portion of their spring practices, Frisby never moved off the sideline.

Trying to catch on as a walk-on at a Division I school is tough. When you are an average-sized receiver whose last snap on U.S. soil came during Ronald Reagan’s first term, it borders on impossible.

USC coach Lou Holtz did not speak to Frisby the entire spring. Frisby is not certain Holtz knows who he is. But he will be prepared should Holtz ever holler for him.

“My goal is to get better everyday,†he said. “To know that playbook inside and out and be ready when I’m called upon.â€Â

Stockstill, who came up with the “Pops†nickname, said he respects what Frisby did this spring. But Stockstill felt obligated to give the scholarship receivers the bulk of his attention.

“He really tries hard. He works hard. He fits in,†Stockstill said. “He’s a really conscientious kid  I can’t say kid  conscientious man that works hard.â€Â

But that might not be enough to assure Frisby a spot in the fall, when the NCAA has stricter limits on roster size. With another 25 or so scholarship freshmen arriving in August, it is possible  maybe even likely  that Frisby will fall short of his goal.

Frisby has plans besides football for when he retires from the Army later this year. With a 3.8 grade-point average and two years left before completing his degree, Frisby is eyeing TV broadcasting as a second career.

He is thinking about sportscasting, but wonders whether a producer will notice his resume and make him a war correspondent. “They’re going to take a look at my background and I’ll end up right back over there,†he said.

But CNN can wait. Frisby wants to finish his own story.

[smazza]

Newton does it all

Quarterback leads all four scoring drives in 13-13 tie

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

In the days leading up to Saturday’s spring game, USC coach Lou Holtz went back and forth on what format to use for the traditional close of spring practice.

Ultimately Holtz decided to go with a backyard football favorite, using rising sophomore Syvelle Newton as his all-time quarterback. Newton did not play every down; it only seemed that way.

The former Marlboro County standout starred for both teams, leading all four scoring drives and accounting for 348 of the 515 total yards.

Newton, who moved back to quarterback from receiver this spring, completed 16-of-27 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another 71 yards on 11 carries.

Not that it mattered, but the game ended in a 13-13 tie. More importantly, the quarterback competition tightened up considerably based on the play of Newton and incumbent Dondrial Pinkins.

Pinkins, a senior with a 5-9 record as a starter, played with the first-team offense on Team Carolina, while Newton’s day began with the second team on Team Gamecocks. By game’s end, Newton was flinging it for both sides, directing a touchdown drive for each team in the final 1:24.

“He had an enthusiasm for the game and he had a spark and he ran around. We didn’t walk to the huddle. We jogged to the huddle and the plays got in and out  just rhythm,†Holtz said. “That’s what you look for. And you go with the guy that has the rhythm. He led the team down one way then turned around and led them back down the other. That isn’t too bad.â€Â

Pinkins held the No. 1 spot all spring and earned praises from the offensive staff for his improved leadership skills and his handling of the offense. But the Georgia native again struggled with his accuracy Saturday  the same problem that plagued him during the 2003 season  as he completed only 4-of-14 passes for 35 yards.

The first-team offense went three-plays-and-punt during its first two series and did not pick up a first down with Pinkins under center until the 10:51 mark of the second quarter. Holtz said that Pinkins “didn’t look sharp and didn’t seem to have his mind in the game.â€Â

Quarterbacks coach Skip Holtz said he was concerned about Pinkins’ attitude during the slow start.

“He probably didn’t respond as upbeat and positive as I would have liked,†he said.

Pinkins, who was unavailable for comment after the game, was in for only 30 of the 111 total plays. While Pinkins sat, Newton took 50 percent of the snaps.

“I feel like today was a test to see how my mental toughness was with the game of football,†Newton said. “(Holtz) gave me the test and I went out and tried to put answers on the paper.â€Â

Newton would not give himself a grade, but defensive players gave him high marks for his elusiveness.

“With him you’ve got to know when to break down or else he’s going to take off and nobody’s going to catch him from behind,†defensive tackle Freddy Saint-Preux said.

Newton was not perfect. He threw two interceptions and his two longest completions came in the fourth quarter against second- and third-team defensive backs. But he added flavor to an offensive gameplan that was intentionally bland.

With Holtz apparently saving much of the playbook for the Sept. 4 opener at Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks stayed exclusively in a two-back formation but never got their running game going. USC averaged fewer than 3 yards a carry and did not have a running play longer than 16 yards.

“It was tough-going in there and Syvelle stepped up,†said senior tailback Gonzie Gray, who had two short touchdown runs. “That’s what you have to do when they shut down the running game, the passing game has to step up.â€Â

Holtz said Pinkins remains the starter, followed by Newton and redshirt freshman Blake Mitchell, in that order. But he indicated that the competition is not closed.

“We aren’t going to win with one quarterback,†he said. “We’re going to go with the quarterback that has a spark and has an excitement and moves the team.â€Â

On this day that quarterback was Newton.

[smazza]

Pinkins is the man for USC, and he needs your support

By RON MORRIS

Sports Columnist

SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL fans need to get off quarterback Dondrial Pinkins’ back.

First of all, Pinkins was not the primary reason USC stumbled across the finish line last season with a 5-7 record. Blame most of that on a defense that had the misfortune of being slow, immobile and paper thin.

Second, Pinkins did not have an awful season in 2003. His was typical of first-year starters who struggle and are inconsistent. His pass-efficiency rating (110.46, whatever that means) was among the worst in the Southeastern Conference, yet he showed signs of emerging as a solid quarterback with a brilliant four-game stretch â€â€- 897 yards, no interceptions, six touchdowns  against Kentucky, LSU, Vanderbilt and Mississippi.

Third, Pinkins will not be asked to do as much this season now that Lou Holtz has taken over the offense. With a ground-oriented, conservative attack, you can bet that Pinkins’ passes will be limited to short slants over the middle, swing passes out of the backfield and low-risk fades down the sideline.

Fourth, USC is in no position to go with a first-year starting quarterback for a third consecutive season. On the heels of back-to-back losing seasons, the upcoming season is the future.

Finally, and most importantly, Pinkins is USC’s starting quarterback for a second consecutive season, despite a subpar showing in Saturday’s spring game at Williams-Brice Stadium, because he is the guy Holtz and quarterbacks coach Skip Holtz believe can lead USC to a winning season and a bowl game.

It’s OK to be impressed with the Saturday performance of sophomore Syvelle Newton, who was the game’s leading passer and rusher. But Newton still makes the kind of mistakes a first-year quarterback makes, and USC can afford to live with those only in controlled situations. He will be an able backup who can provide an occasional spark coming off the bench.

This kind of discussion about the merits of a starting quarterback is all too familiar to USC fans. Even after Phil Petty directed the Gamecocks to their first Outback Bowl victory against Ohio State after the 2000 season, there was concern that he still was not an SEC-caliber quarterback entering his senior season.

Are you ready for this? Petty and Pinkins had remarkably similar statistics during their junior seasons. Petty completed 54 percent of his passes for 2,285 yards, 10 interceptions and eight touchdowns. Pinkins completed 50 percent of his passes for 2,127 yards, nine interceptions and 10 touchdowns.

Petty’s numbers improved slightly as he led USC to another Outback Bowl victory during his final season. He completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, seven interceptions and 12 touchdowns. Petty emerged as a solid quarterback because he did not make mistakes.

It’s reasonable to expect Pinkins to do the same.

Lou Holtz has gone as far as to say that Pinkins will be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Holtz offers this insight on two fronts. First, if ever a quarterback needs support and a solid endorsement, it’s Pinkins. He suffered through the humiliation of having his job being thrown open for all competition after three games of this past season. He also has been the subject of much abuse on Internet sites and by the USC student newspaper, which recently wrote that Pinkins didn’t deserve to be the starter another game let alone another season.

Holtz also speaks the truth when he says, "Dondrial’s going to shock the conference, that’s my prediction."

Pinkins wouldn’t be the first college quarterback to make a big splash in his second season as a starter. Joe Hamilton at Georgia Tech and Kyle Boller of California are two recent examples of quarterbacks who experienced more failure than success as freshmen starters, immediately turned it around in their second seasons and were stars by their fourth year.

Hamilton completed 57.4 percent of his passes with 13 interceptions and seven touchdowns as a freshman in 1996. Boller connected on 38.6 percent of his passes as a first-year starts with 15 interceptions and nine touchdowns in 1999. By his sophomore season, Hamilton’s numbers were 64.5 percent, seven interceptions and 12 touchdowns. Boller’s were 46.7 percent, 13 and 15.

Boller eventually became a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens and was that NFL team’s starting quarterback last season until he was sidelined by injury.

Pinkins will not be an NFL quarterback. But he offers USC a great deal as its quarterback. The Holtzes say he has taken more of a leadership role this spring. Without having to make as many decisions as he did a season ago while operating out of the shotgun set, Pinkins will make fewer mistakes. He also is big and strong at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, and he offers the Gamecocks an additional runner out of the backfield. He was the team’s third-leading rusher last season with 254 yards.

More than anything, Pinkins is USC’s starting quarterback for next season. He needs all the support he can get from Gamecock fans. The situation is reminiscent of that poignant scene from the basketball movie "Hoosiers" when Hickory High coach Norman Dale introduces his new team to the student body.

When students begin chanting for star player Jimmy Chitwood, who has decided not to play, Dale grabs the microphone and tells the gathering: "I would hope you would support who we are and not who we are not. ... This is your team."

To USC fans, Pinkins is your quarterback.

[smazza]

Skip Holtz takes an ‘upstairs’ approach

Assistant coach says watching from press box has its advantages

By JOSEPH PERSON

Staff Writer

USC assistant head coach Skip Holtz enjoyed the view from on high, but is not sure he wants a permanent place in the press box.

Holtz, demoted from offensive coordinator to quarterbacks coach during the offseason, watched Saturday’s spring game from the coaches’ box at Williams-Brice Stadium. It was his first time coaching from “upstairs†since early in the 2000 season.

“I enjoy it upstairs because you can see the scheme, what’s happening, where the play broke down. It’s more of a chess game upstairs,†Holtz said. “On the field it’s more emotional and you get an opportunity to look your quarterback in the eye and really get a feeling on where he is.â€Â

Holtz said he would let his father, coach Lou Holtz, decide whether Skip is on the field or in the press box in the fall.

• Keep it vanilla. In keeping with a longstanding spring game tradition, new defensive coordinator Rick Minter stayed in his base 4-3 defense and showed none of the aggressive blitzes and stunts he talked about when he was hired.

“There weren’t many bullets in our holster today. I cheated once, I think. Fourth-and-inches, you’ve got to bring something,†Minter said. “It was a thing where we were going to be basic on both sides of the ball. We weren’t going to get in the one-back (spread formation) on offense and we weren’t going to bring pressure on defense.â€Â

• Be like Ike. For the first three weeks of spring practice, long snapper Ike Crofoot participated in practices about as much as the Gamecocks’ injured players. After moving to receiver for the final week of spring, the walk-on from Orlando, Fla., said he felt more a part of the team. On Saturday he caught a 50-yard pass to finish with more receiving yardage than either of the two starters, Troy Williamson and Matthew Thomas.

“It changed the whole practice. I used to go over to the stadium and just kind of hang out over here, snap a bunch,†said Crofoot, who still snaps for punts. “Now I’m involved more.â€Â

• Marquis de sod. USC hopes it found the man to fix its field in hiring Clark Cox as its sports turf manager. The first order of business for Cox, who held a similar position at N.C. State, will be re-sodding a Williams-Brice Stadium field that was a beat-up and sandy mess by the end of the 2003 season.

Senior associate athletics director Shawn Eichorst said workers will re-sod the field in about two weeks with 419 Bermuda after having poor results with the Bermuda Tiftsport installed two years ago.

• Award ceremony. USC presented its annual awards before the spring game.

Former offensive tackle Travelle Wharton won the Steve Sisk Award as the best blocker in 2003, while starting quarterback Dondrial Pinkins and returning defensive end Moe Thompson won the Joe Morrison Memorial Awards as the spring MVPs.

• This and that. Tight end Brian Brownlee and defensive tackle Chris Tucker were treated for heat-related problems Saturday. There were no other injuries reported. ... Tight end David Laggis had three catches for 41 yards  all in the second half. ... USC’s place-kickers had a rough day, but Joey Bowers (48.5-yard average) and Josh Brown (42.0) punted well against a live rush

[smazza]

  Is Lou Holtz losing it?

Remember when he was considered a coaching genius? After consecutive losing seasons at South Carolina, he seems more like the Nutty Professor. He has demoted son Skip from offensive coordinator and is going back to the future by dumping a spread attack for his famous run left, run right, run up the middle attack. Break a leg, coach. Oh, that's right, Holtz did that in a spring collision with a player (no, Holtz was not kicking himself for taking the Gamecocks job). Maybe good things will happen. Running backs Demetris Summers and Cory Boyd looked good working out of the I-formation.

[smazza]

   With plenty of new faces its defensive secondary, South Carolina didn’t spend spring practices installing a book full of new plays.

But in Saturday’s spring game, that group still brought something impressive to the table.

“We didn’t have a lot (of new plays) for the game, but we played with more intensity,” USC senior safety Jermaine Harris said. “You have to make the plays with intensity.”

Harris played in all 12 games for USC last season, starting five. Still, he’ll join senior Jamacia Jackson, also a part-time starter last season, to make up the graybeard portion of the secondary this fall.

USC defensive coordinator Rick Minter said sophomore Fred Bennett and junior-college transfer Jonathan Joseph will be penciled in at the starting cornerback positions when the Gamecocks open practice in August.

Freshman Ko Simpson will join either Harris or Jackson at the two safety slots.

In the spring scrimmage, the group made up for its inexperience by showing an aggressiveness that pleased USC’s coaching staff.

“There were some awful good plays,” USC coach Lou Holtz said.

“I thought our secondary played very well. Today was not atypical of our secondary play this spring.”

The action began on the first pass of the day when senior quarterback Dondrial Pinkins escaped pressure from Moe Thompson and George Gause to loft the ball down field. But Joseph was in solid coverage to knock the ball to the turf.

“It kind of surprised me for a minute, going deep on the first play,” Joseph said. “I gave up trying to make the big play to make the for sure play and bat it down.”

Joseph made two other smart plays against Pinkins on the first drive of the second half.

On the first, he sniffed out a screen pass to wide receiver Noah Whiteside, making the hit just after Whiteside caught the ball.

Simpson brought Whiteside down for a 1-yard gain.

On the next play, Joseph appeared to have a sure interception in the flat but batted the ball down for an incompletion. Minter said a 100 percent healthy Joseph likely would have made the play.

But Joseph was wearing a harness to protect an injured shoulder. He will have surgery to clean up the joint today and, after rehabilitating the injury for three-to-six weeks, most likely will be ready when fall practice begins in August.

The secondary also showed effectiveness against the run.

Harris finished with five tackles, including three solos and two tackles for losses. Simpson recorded four tackles and Bennett’s only tackle led to a 1-yard loss.

“They are showing some aggressiveness,” Holtz said. “I think that the are supporting well, hitting well and protecting well.”

Minter’s overall assessment is more lukewarm because the group is so young.

“We’re a work-in-progress,” he said.

Last year, USC relied on seniors Dunta Robinson (who is expected to be a first-round NFL draft pick next week), Deandre Eiland and Ted Crawford, along with junior Harris and Jackson, in the secondary.

This spring, in Minter’s first work with the team since replacing Chris Cosh as defensive coordinator, USC looks very different in those slots.

“The surprises have been the youngest guys, the guys newest to the program,” Minter said. “We’ve gone from being an old secondary last year to kind of a new secondary this year.

Minter described Simpson as a “special” player who shows the ability to find the ball and make a hit.

That style seems to be in the mindset of the entire secondary as the group hopes to make a major impact for the Gamecocks this fall.

“We’re being more aggressive,” Harris said. “Be aggressive when you’ve got to make a play.”