Whitlock next up after senior corner reaggravates arch injury
When defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram each suffered minor injuries at practice last Tuesday, coach Steve Spurrier brushed it off, insisting that if it had to happen that it happened in enough time before the game.
Spurrier was right, as both returned to practice. However, the Gamecocks didn't get it easy Monday, as they suffered another injury.
Senior cornerback Akeem Auguste reinjured his foot and will not start, defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said. Instead, senior C.C. Whitlock will start opposite Stephon Gilmore.
"[Auguste] was doing well, then he twisted it and hurt his foot again," Ward said. "We'll see an evaluation in the morning. I don't know if he reinjured to the point it was at first, but he was doing well, and then all of a sudden he made a cut on it and hurt it again."
With the injury to Auguste, Ward is "100 percent sure that C.C. will start." Marty Markett will back up Whitlock.
"C.C.'s doing fine," Ward said. "He's gotten better this camp. Even coach Spurrier will admit that he's better — better at making plays when he has the opportunity to."
For Gilmore, it won't be an issue on Saturday who starts beside him.
"It don't matter," Gilmore said. "Both of them go 100 percent every play."
Though the secondary appears to be thin against an ECU offense that is pass-heavy, the defensive line is back to full-strength, as the focus is on bringing pressure as ECU gets rid of the ball quickly.
"They throw the ball very quick," Clowney said. "They get it out of there in two seconds, three seconds. They're pretty good off screens. You have to rally to the ball. Different linemen make a lot of plays on the screen, so we have to make them from the backside and keep running."
For Clowney, the foot injury is the last thing on his mind during practice.
"I'm just playing," Clowney said. "You've got to be. Coach don't play that. You go out there and play around and he'll cuss you out."
Scribner-Howard named starting punter: Special teams coordinator John Butler named Joey Scribner-Howard the starting punter for Saturday's game.
As far as the punt returner position, Gilmore has been working as the primary punt-returner in practices, though Butler sees both him and D.J. Swearinger as candidates.
"Quite frankly, D.J. Swearinger, as far as my profile and my experience when I've had success, he fits that profile — strong, physical, tough," said Butler of punt-return. "Same thing with Stephon. You don't want to put a guy back there as a punt-returner who's never caught a punt in a game."
Paulk to play against brother: For linebacker Rodney Paulk, Saturday's game will be more than just an opener against ECU, as he will be facing off against his brother, defensive back Leonard Paulk.
"We've been talking about it ever since we found out that we were going to play each other," Paulk said. "Pretty much, whenever we call each other, we ask each other, 'How's your day going? How's everything going?' We're not really talking too much about the game."