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in the air, with his feet,qb leads with intensity

September 25, 2013 • Volume 35 • Issue 26

shawesome!

Alum serves our nation and the gamecock nation

2 • Spurs & Feathers September 25, 2013

A bye week can be good for a lot of things that count big in college football and while you seldom hear about it, there are any number of examples of teams that success-fully addressed issues and readjusted them-selves by doing the right things in a week away from the field.

The Gamecocks aren’t in need of ma-jor upgrades, which is the case for most highly-ranked teams after a few games, but every team can benefit from a fresh look in the mirror at the way they’ve done things and what lies ahead.

All the attention has been on junior Jade-veon Clowney, the subject of any number of sensationalized offseason stories mak-ing grandiose predictions about his future without much discussion about the present.

Prior to fall camp, defensive coordina-tor Lorenzo Ward talked to me about his concerns with Clowney, which were all about the present. Ward wanted to know how hungry Clowney would be, whether

he would let the attention affect him in a negative way, what he might do if offenses ran away from him all game long, how his All-American defensive end might cope with frus-tration and whether he would take a play off here and there.

What we know af-ter three games is that teams have been able to minimize the disruption Clowney causes by run-ning away from him and getting rid of the ball quickly after the snap. This should not have come as a surprise to anyone who has spent much time watching the game of football.

We’ll see what happens, but as the young linebackers behind Clowney grow into their roles and make more significant con-

tributions, it will become increasingly dif-ficult for teams to play hideaway. This is a great time for Clowney to understand all of that in ways he hasn’t previously under-stood.

Experience is the best teacher and you can go look at Clowney’s sacks, forced fumbles and other statistics and realize he’s had a pretty impressive first three games for a guy that opponents tried to stay away from.

The other thing worth noting this week is the contribution to the roster made by quar-terbacks coach G.A. Mangus.

Fans commonly don’t hear a lot of names of assistant coaches who are good recruit-ers. There might be a dozen names out there nationally, guys who have gained respect from their peers over the course of a career, but it’s a select list.

Mangus deserves some recognition for what he’s done with the quarterback posi-tion. If all he did was locate and sign Con-nor Shaw, it would be enough, but Mangus

has upgraded the position with all his recruits.

He may not have the national attention of some, but Mangus knows something a lot of those guys don’t know – he knows the kind of quarterback Steve Spurrier wants in his offense.

Finding the right talent for a specific ar-chitecture the head coach has in mind is the best attribute an assistant can have and Mangus has surely passed that test with Shaw, who is everything Spurrier wants in a quarterback.

Mangus played for Spurrier, he was a graduate assistant for the Head Ball Coach, he knows the physical attributes and the leadership skills his coach needs and he’s found a perfect fit.

On a week away, it’s good to remember where to go from here, but it’s also impor-tant the things you’ve done right to get in a good position to take on the balance of the season.

Remember the things you’ve done right to take on balance of the season

Bart WrightContributing

Writer

photo by allen sharpe

September 25, 2013 Spurs & Feathers • 3

Open dates. Though I was somewhat lost on Saturday, it did give us some time to catch our breath and think about some other things. Foot-ball never stops and is always on our minds, but I enjoyed playing catch up on a couple of things.

The yard needed work and raking as the pine straw had invaded. Also, had a chance to spend some quality time with my wife on Saturday evening. I was even lucky enough to take a nap over the past weekend.

This past Wednesday evening, Brian Hand and I were fortunate to get to spend some time with the great Gamecocks in Florence. Football was of course on the menu, in terms of conversa-tion, but also baseball and basketball, as coach Holbrook and coach Martin, as well as coach Tanner were on hand. Fall baseball practice is starting and talk of getting back to Omaha was discussed.

However, the reminder that basketball is right around the corner was brought into focus. I talked a little with coach Frank Martin and if

you cannot get excited about basketball once talking to him, there must be something wrong. With one year under his belt, the man is build-ing and re-establishing the program here at South Carolina.

Re-establishing you say? Perhaps you don’t remember. In 1964, another coach named Frank took over the basketball reins in Colum-bia. His first team went 6-17 and 2-12 in the conference. Nothing to get excited about there. The second year 11-13 and 4-10. I was a little young, so I do not remember this period, but I can imagine that the overall excitement level was pretty low. That was about to change.

My earliest memories were as a 10-year-old in 1970. The Carolina Coliseum was opened in 1969 and the next year Cremins, Roche, Ow-ens, Riker and Ribock, et al, went 14-0 in the vaunted ACC. As a kid, I can remember that the place would just roar during those home games. Tickets were impossible to come by. They even had to televise all the games due to the demand (unheard of in those days). I can remember standing there (nobody sat) at the Maryland game when all heck broke loose.

In 1971, Kevin Joyce “jumped to the moon” to tip the ball to Tom Owens for a layup and we

won our ACC championship over North Caro-lina. The next year, the new freshman class included Alex English and Kevin Dunleavy. There was the incredible come-from-behind win led by Kevin Joyce’s 41 points over Bobby Knight’s Indiana team. There was Brian Win-ters last second jumper to beat Digger Phelps’ Notre Dame. I was there and the Coliseum shook!

In the years that followed there was no place like the Carolina Coliseum. Zam Frederick leading the nation in scoring in 1981. The 1997 team beating Kentucky at home and going on to win the SEC championship behind BJ McK-ie, Larry Davis and Melvin Watson.

The move over to the Colonial Life Arena has had its moments. Beating No. 1 Kentucky behind Devan Downey; the full court pass with four seconds left to Zam Federick II for a layup at the buzzer to beat Florida. But consistency has not been a hallmark since moving to the Arena in 2002.

Things are getting ready to change. Coach Martin has recruited a class of eight new play-ers to go with a solid returning group. They stand to take a few lumps along the way with a tough out of conference schedule to go along

with the conference portion. But it’s coming. To be honest, I have not had much faith in basket-ball since its move to the Arena, but I’m jump-ing on the bandwagon now. In talking with the new coach named Frank at the end of the eve-ning last Wednesday, he told me, “we’re going to make it happen.” I for one, believe him!

Basketball is moving to a new level. And not only in the men. Hall of Famer Coach Dawn Staley has her Gamecocks poised for success NOW. These two coaches have intensity like no others and are getting ready to go on a run that you do not want to miss. Season tickets are available and are extremely reasonable. The deadline for renewals is fast approaching on Sept. 27 before going to the public.

If you missed the days of the Carolina Coli-seum and you did not experience the inability to get a ticket to the games, that is right around the corner for the Colonial Life Arena. Now is the time to get your tickets and get ready for the ride. You only have one chance to say I was there when this all started and now is the time. In the years to come you will say one of two things. “I wish I had” or “I’m glad I did.” Be in the glad you did crowd and get ‘em before they are gone!

Martin: ‘We’re going to make it happen’

Ed GirardeauContributing

Editor


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What’s Inside? - Table of Contents

It was a great weekend for the nationally third-ranked eques-trian team as they opened their season with an emphatic win. The Gamecocks soundly defeated No. 5 Kansas State, 15-5, on open-ing day at their home facility One Wood Farm in Blythewood, S.C. They will next be in action on Friday as they play host to Fresno State.

The Gamecock volleyball team also had an excellent weekend by claiming the title in the Carolina Classic Tournament. South Carolina defeated Western Carolina, Robert Morris and Pres-byterian College while dropping only one set during the tourna-ment. South Carolina posted victories of 3-0, 3-1 and 3-0. The Gamecocks are set to begin SEC play starting Friday.

Individually, two Gamecocks took home honors as well as senior outside hitter Juliette Thévenin was named Tournament MVP and sophomore middle blocker Darian Dozier was selected to the All-Tournament team as well.

Gamecock Club’s Jay Brown .......................................5

South Carolina - Central FloridaDepth Charts ....................................................................6

Gamecocks’ football scheduleand SEC standings..........................................................7

South Carolina’s sand volleyballholds first full team practices .....................................9

Checking in with members of the Gamecock baseball battery ........................10

Legendary Fan profile - RJ Moore ..........................12

Women’s basketball schedule released ...............13

Alum keeps Gamecocks close to his heart .........14

Compliance Corner .....................................................15

Andre Goodman profile ............................................16Women’s soccer goakeeper talks team goals ...........................................................17

“Inside the Chart” with Andy Demetra ................18

Joey Pankake’s changing role .................................19

Florence County Gamecock Clubholds its fall rally ..........................................................21

Upcoming events: Gamecock Club ......................23

Something to crow about!


by brian [email protected]

The Gamecock Club is the foundation of the University of South Carolina athletic depart-ment and to Assistant Director of the Game-cock Club Jay Brown it is very fitting that the first grouping of offices on the far left corner of the Rice Athletics Center are the Gamecock Club offices.

“The Gamecock Club is the foundation (of Gamecock athletics) and our members set the foundation for the athletic department. We couldn’t do it without our Gamecock Club members,” Brown mused.

Brown’s assertions are made even more profound by the fact that not only is he a cur-rent Gamecock Club staff member, but also because he was a part of South Carolina’s baseball program for four years. In South Carolina’s National Championship-winning 2010 season, Brown, a captain along with Kyle Enders, was 3-0 in 17 appearances on the mound for the Gamecocks.

“I guess to bring it full circle in this position, I can speak on my experience as a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina and what the Gamecock Club did for me,” Brown noted. “Maybe not specifically me, but what they did for our baseball program, for our ath-letic department.

“I was here when the Dodie was first opened. I was here and I experienced the support and the financial support it took to build Caro-lina Stadium so I kind of have that first-hand knowledge of what the Gamecock Club, what our boosters and what all of that goes toward as a student-athlete,” Brown said.

Brown is quick to point out that he realizes his unique experiences give him instant cred-ibility when explaining the importance of the Gamecock Club to others.

“I’m not just another person that is talking. I not only went to this University, I was a student-athlete at this University and now I am trying to stress to them how important their contributions are for the student-athletes at this University,” Brown remarked.

His National Championship pedigree is also something in which he understands that people are going to be interested in when he is ex-plaining his Gamecock experiences.

“I joke around with people because obviously everybody wants to see the ring,” Brown com-mented. “I don’t take it a whole lot of places because whenever those were ordered they are big … they are nice to look at; they are not as nice when you are trying to eat a meal, or shake a lot of peoples hands.

“You’ve got to show them off. Maybe I won’t be wearing them a lot, but a lot of times I’ll

have it with me in the car. That way if some-body would like to see it, I can go grab it.”

Brown overall likes to bring the National Championship ring around because to him it is as much a ring for the members of Gamecock Nation as it is for the 2010 South Carolina baseball team.

“If you go back, I would say that there is no way we win a National Championship without the financial contributions to make the facility what it is in order to get the student-athletes we need to win a National Championship. I couldn’t tell you how many times during that 2010 year that we were down, or we needed some kind of spark. When you have 7 or 8,000-people at each game there is that instant spark,” Brown said.

Brown’s playing days at Carolina ended with the right-handed pitcher leaving South Caro-lina with a perfect 8-0 record in 118.1 innings pitched. He fanned 89 in his 33 games on the hill for the Gamecocks. Brown started 21 of the 33 games in which he appeared.

Brown departed South Carolina with two degrees as he picked up his Bachelor’s Degree in political science and his Master’s in public administration during his four years at South Carolina.

Just mere weeks after helping lead South Carolina to its first National Championship, Brown joined the staff at Young Harris College where he had originally suited up when the institution was a junior college before transfer-ring to South Carolina.

Brown joined the Mountain Lion staff as a pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.

Despite being part of a family where his fa-ther was his high school coach, the Brunswick,

Ga. native had never really thought about working in baseball, but with Young Harris making the move to the NCAA Division II ranks and the Peach Belt Conference it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Brown learned a great deal at the NCAA Division II institution that he feels only make him more of a valuable staff member of the Gamecock Club.

“You are wearing a lot of different hats (at a small school). I’m doing some administrative duties for other sports. I am helping with tick-eting, gameday operations for a lot of different sports. In such a closed environment in DII, you are involved in a lot of strategic planning and that combined with my background in public administration kind of led me away more towards a more administrative type process. I wanted to be involved in the bigger picture, the administrative side of things,” Brown said.

Being able to combine all of those compo-nents of his background whether it was his student-athlete experiences, coaching, recruit-ing or being part of administration are what led him to take the opportunity with the Game-cock Club a short time ago.

“I’m obviously not talking to student-ath-letes, or prospective student-athletes, but I’m talking with donors, boosters and prospective donors, establishing those relationships. So, there is that relationship factor that is very much comparable as a coach to your prospec-tive student-athletes and families. In this posi-tion as the Assistant Director of the Gamecock Club it is establishing those relationships and being able to communicate with people,” Brown said.

The Gamecock Club is currently in the midst of record numbers, but Brown notes that they are not content with the record numbers. They want to raise the bar each and every year.

“We are involved in the bigger picture of growing the Gamecock Club, enhancing the game experience for our Gamecock Club members,” Brown said. “All of that is very fun to me. You are always trying to improve the experience for the Gamecock Club members. Yes, I’m here to improve and enhance the Gamecock club members’ experience, but I try to portray to them as best that I can that what they are doing is enhancing and improving the experience for our student-athletes. I think coach Tanner says it best when he says we are all trying to just make it better for our student-athletes.”

In addition to helping current Gamecock student-athletes realize their potential, par-ticularly by serving as a contact to the Upstate Gamecock Club chapters, one of Brown’s main passions as part of his current job is maintaining strong relationships with former Gamecock lettermen.

“I also work with Clyde Wrenn (Special As-sistant to Development) here in really trying to reach out to former student-athletes and also work with the Lettermen’s Association, serving as their liaison to really create a part-nership where we can do our best to go out and get our former student-athletes and really make them feel good about coming back to the University.

“There’s all kinds of a brotherhood and a sisterhood of former student-athletes here at South Carolina so we are just trying to get all those interests and everything together in supporting the University of South Carolina,” Brown concluded.

What can Brown do for you?



OFFENSE

WR: 1 Damiere Byrd 5-9, 166, Jr.; Sicklerville, N.J. 4 Shaq Roland 6-1, 190, So.; Lexington, S.C. 8 Shamier Jeffery 6-1, 207, So.; St. Matthews, S.C.WR: 23 Bruce Ellington 5-9, 196, Jr.; Moncks Corner, S.C. 80 K.J. Brent 6-4, 188, So.; Waxhaw, N.C. 85 Kane Whitehurst 5-11, 179, So.; Duluth, Ga.WR: 3 Nick Jones 5-7, 174, Jr.; Moore, S.C. 11 Pharoh Cooper 5-11, 184, Fr.; Havelock, N.C. 82 Kwinton Smith 6-4, 212, R-Fr.; Hamer, S.C.LT: 53 Corey Robinson 6-8, 341, Jr.; Havelock, N.C. 74 Mason Zandi 6-9, 293, R-Fr.; Irmo, S.C.LG: 50 A.J. Cann 6-4, 314, Jr.; Bamberg, S.C. 65 Brock Stadnik 6-5, 286, R-Fr.; Greensboro, N.C.C: 51 Cody Waldrop 6-2, 319, R-Fr.; Seffner, Fla.-OR- 54 Clayton Stadnik 6-3, 281, R-Fr.; Greensboro, N.C. 70 Alan Knott 6-4, 272, Fr.; Tyrone, Ga.RG: 67 Ronald Patrick 6-2, 315, Sr.; Cocoa, Fla. 75 Will Sport 6-5, 294, So.; Milton, Fla.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. 88 Drew Owens 6-6, 244, So.; Charlotte, N.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, R-Fr.; 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. 7 Shon Carson 5-8, 219, So.; Scranton, S.C.

DEFENSE

DE: 90 Chaz Sutton 6-5, 263, Sr.; Savannah, Ga. 34 Mason Harris 6-3, 218, So.; Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. 44 Gerald Dixon 6-2, 268, So.; Rock Hill, S.C.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.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, R-Fr.; Powder Springs, Ga.MLB: 8 Kaiwan Lewis 6-0, 221, So.; Mays Landing, N.J. 11 T.J. Holloman 6-2, 228, R-Fr.; Stone Mountain, Ga. 28 Jonathan Walton 6-0, 234, Fr.; Daphne, Ala.WLB: 21 Marcquis Roberts 6-1, 225, So.; Powder Springs, Ga. 10 Skai Moore 6-2, 205, Fr.; Cooper City, Fla. 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, R-Fr.; Fort Myers, Fla.CB: 27 Victor Hampton 5-10, 202, Jr.; Darlington, S.C. 4 Ahmad Christian 5-10, 189, So.; Jacksonville, Fla

SS: 25 Kadetrix Marcus 6-1, 195, Jr.; Stone Mountain, Ga.-OR- 20 T.J. Gurley 5-10, 196, So.; Cairo, Ga.FS: 12 Brison Williams 5-11, 218, Jr.; Warner Robins, Ga. 17 Chaz Elder 6-2, 199, R-Fr.; Union City, Ga.CB: 15 Jimmy Legree 6-0, 187, Sr.; Beaufort, S.C. 3 Jamari Smith 5-10, 183, Fr.; Jacksonville, Fla. 1 Rico McWilliams 5-11, 187, R-Fr.; 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: 7 Shon Carson 5-8, 219, So.; Scranton, S.C. 23 Bruce Ellington 5-9, 196, Jr.; Moncks Corner, S.C.PR: 23 Bruce Ellington 5-9, 196, Jr.; Moncks Corner, S.C. 27 Victor Hampton 5-10, 202, Jr.; Darlington, S.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, R-Fr.; Allentown, Pa.

OFFENSE

WR: 9 J.J. Worton 6-2, 211, Jr.; Homestead, Fla. 2 Jeff Godfrey 5-11, 190, Sr.; Miami, Fla. 19 Josh Reese 6-0, 184, Jr.; Miami, Fla.WR: 11 Breshad Perriman 6-2, 209, So.; Lithonia, Ga. 6 Rannell Hall 6-1, 196, Jr.; Miami, Fla.LT: 72 Torrian Wilson 6-3, 308, Jr.; Miami, Fla. 74 Michael Campbell 6-5, 273, R-Fr.; Pensacola, Fla.LG: 63 Jordan McCray 6-3, 310, Sr.; Miami, Fla. 65KellyParfitt 6-5,316,R-Fr.;BocaRaton,Fla. 75 Tate Hernly 6-2, 290, Fr.; Fort Myers, Fla.C: 55 Joey Grant 6-2, 285, So.; Apopka, Fla. 61 Tarik Cook 6-2, 294, So.; Stone Mountain, Ga.RG: 64 Justin McCray 6-3, 310, Sr.; Miami, Fla. 76 Colby Watson 6-4, 303, R-Fr.; Pensacoal, Fla.RT: 70 Chris Martin 6-5, 303, Sr.; Fort Walton Beach, Fla. 71 Chester Brown 6-4, 312, R-Fr.; Hinesville, Ga. 77 Kelly Davison 6-5, 310, Sr.; Washington, Ind.TE: 84 Justin Tukes 6-5, 257, Jr.; Sylvester, Ga. 85 Kevin Miller 6-4, 254, So.; Deiran, N.J.QB: 5 Blake Bortles 6-4, 230, Jr.; Oviedo, Fla. 13 Justin Holman 6-4, 206, Fr.; Snellville, Ga.-OR- 14 Pete DiNovo 6-1, 207, Fr.; Tarpon Springs, Fla.RB: 8 Storm Johnson 6-0, 215, Jr.; Loganville, Ga. 17 Cedric Thompson 6-0, 226, So.; Miramar, Fla.

DEFENSE

DE: 47 Deion Green 6-1, 247, So.; Orlando, Fla. 44 Miles Pace 6-2, 242, So.; Miami, Fla.DT: 94 Demetris Anderson 6-2, 303, So.; Ft. Pierce, Fla. 98 Rob Sauvao 6-2, 276, Jr.; Leesville, La.DT: 95 E.J. Dunston 6-2, 302, Sr.; Eatonville, Fla. 99 Jaryl Mamea 6-1, 269, Jr.; Fagasa, American SamoaDE: 69 Thomas Niles 6-2, 270, So.; Gainesville, Ga. 92 Luke Adams 6-4, 265, R-Fr.; Pensacoal, Fla.OLB: 57 Troy Gray 6-1, 210, Jr.; Kennesaw, Ga. 15 Michael Easton 5-11, 197, Jr.; Winter Haven, Fla.MLB: 41 Terrance Plummer 6-1, 234, Jr.; Orange Park, Fla. 52 Maurice Russell 5-11, 233, R-Fr.; Fort Meade, Fla.OLB: 23 Willie Mitchell 6-0, 228, Jr.; Deltona, Fla. 40 Chequan Burkett 6-1, 212, Fr.; Mongomery, Ala.CB: 12 Jacoby Glenn 6-0, 174, R-Fr.; Prichard, Ala. 10ShaquillGriffin 6-1,180,Fr.;St.Petersburg,Fla.SS: 26 Clayton Geathers 6-2, 207, Jr.; Georgetown, S.C. 31 Sean Maag 6-1, 194, Sr.; Orlando, Fla.-OR- 22 Jared Henry 5-11, 201, R-Fr.; Jacksonville, Fla.FS: 37 Brandon Alexander 6-2, 191, Jr.; Orlando, Fla. 21 Drico Johnson 6-2, 200, R-Fr.; Orlando, Fla.CB: 38 Jordan Ozerities 5-10, 191, Jr.; Mount Dora, Fla. 29 D.J. Killings 5-10, 180, Fr.; Jacksonville, Fla.

SPECIALISTS

PK: 83ShawnMoffitt 5-11,178,Jr.;Orlando,Fla. 18 Rodrigo Quirate 6-1, 195, Jr.; Queretaro, Mexico 35 Sean Galvin 6-3, 221, Jr.; Cork, IrelandP: 36 Caleb Houston 6-2, 206, R-Fr.; Cleveland, Tenn. 35 Sean Galvin 6-3, 221, Jr.; Cork, IrelandLS: 56 Scott Teal 6-2, 225, Jr.; Longwood, Fla. 54 Gage Marsil 6-1, 234, R-Fr.; Daytona, Fla.H: 9 J.J. Worton 6-2, 211, Jr.; Homestead, Fla.KR: 6 Rannell Hall 6-1, 196, Jr.; Miami, Fla. 15 Michael Easton 5-11, 197, Jr.; Winter Haven, Fla.PR: 9 J.J. Worton 6-2, 211, Jr.; Homestead, Fla. 2 Jeff Godfrey 5-11, 190, Sr.; Miami, Fla.

Depth Charts for Sept. 28, 12 p.m.South Carolina

Central Florida

*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.


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. ................. 12 p.m.

10/05/13 .... vs. Kentucky ....................Columbia, S.C. .................. TBA

10/12/13 .... at Arkansas ......................Fayetteville, Ark. ................ TBA

10/19/13 .... at Tennessee ...................Knoxville, Tenn. ................. TBA

10/26/13 .... at Missouri .......................Columbia, Mo. ................... TBA

11/02/13 .... vs. Mississippi State ........Columbia, S.C. .................. TBA

11/16/13 .... vs. Florida ........................Columbia, S.C. .................. TBA

11/23/13 .... vs. Coastal Carolina .........Columbia, S.C. .................. TBA

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

South Carolina Gamecocks2013

football SCheduleTeam SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Home Away Neutral StreakEastErnFlorida 1 - 0 1.000 2 - 1 .667 2-0 0-1 0-0 W1

Georgias 1 - 0 1.000 2 - 1 .667 2-0 0-1 0-0 W2

South Carolina 1 - 1 .500 2 - 1 .667 2-0 0-1 0-0 W1Missouri 0 - 0 .000 3 - 0 1.000 2-0 1-0 0-0 W3

Tennessee 0 - 1 .000 2 - 2 .500 2-0 0-2 0-0 L2

Vanderbilt 0 - 2 .000 2 - 2 .500 1-1 1-1 0-0 W1

Kentucky 0 - 0 .000 1 - 2 .333 1-1 0-0 0-1 L1

WEstErnAlabama 1 - 0 1.000 3 - 0 1.000 1-0 1-0 1-0 W3

LSU 1 - 0 1.000 4 - 0 1.000 3-0 0-0 1-0 W4

Ole Miss 1 - 0 1.000 3 - 0 1.000 1-0 2-0 0-0 W3

Auburn 1 - 1 .500 3 - 1 .500 3-0 0-1 0-0 L1

Arkansas 0 - 0 .000 3 - 1 .750 3-0 0-1 0-0 L1

Texas A&M 0 - 1 .000 3 - 1 .750 3-1 0-0 0-0 W1

Mississippi St. 0 - 1 .000 2 - 2 .500 2-0 0-1 0-1 W1

standings


by mike [email protected]

The South Carolina sand volleyball team has now been able to step on the sand for full team practices for the first time in school his-tory. The Gamecocks began team practice sessions on Monday Sept. 16.

“We have the whole group, all eight of them, together on the sand for the first time. It’s pret-ty awesome,” head coach Moritz Moritz said.

The team will make use of the allotted time this fall, about six weeks for full-team training, to continue to focus on the technical aspects of the game and prepare for their only fall com-petition. Moritz said he will continue to rotate the players, rather than working in designated pairs, to mix the group together so they can play with a range of different players.

“Even within a group of eight, it’s amazing the variety that you can have from one person to the next as far as one person talks more than the other and even the different responsibili-ties they will take on when partnering with someone else,” Moritz noted. “At this stage, it’s such a good thing to challenge themselves, to constantly adapt to the new partner and to

really learn not just how their partner plays or communicates, but how they communicate with their partner … making sure that we’re working on that adaptability constantly is im-portant.”

Moritz has said that the team is being pushed physically now with the longer practices along with the strength and conditioning training. He explained that this will give them some perspective on the environment and conditions they will face playing in weekend tournaments.

“I think ironically yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 18) was a lifting day for the group and it sounds like they had a pretty good lift and

conditioning session,” Moritz said. “Then to come into a two-hour practice in the afternoon, there’s some fatigue for sure. But that’s exactly what we talked about, ‘this is the second day of a major tournament. Maybe this is the differ-ence between us beating Florida State or beat-ing whoever the opponent is in that situation.’”

Moritz has said that the team has embraced every challenge thus far and they continue to bring the determination to work and improve their games. He said that the players are focus-ing on becoming comfortable moving in the sand, finding their timing and communicating as well as possible.

The excitement level that has been constant since the student-athletes arrived on campus remains around the team according to Moritz. He said they show up early to practice with en-thusiasm for the chance to work as a team to-ward the beginning of the competition phase.

“To constantly see the improvement is what we’re working on right now,” Moritz said. “They always make jokes, ‘oh I’m so sore, I’m so tired,’ but they’re also so fired up for that opportunity to work with our strength and conditioning coaches and to get better in the

weight room. They are starting to see how that translates to them being better on the sand as well.

“There is this exuberance from them that is fun to watch and fun to see because they’re so fired up to get on the sand to play, train and get better. I think that’s huge for us. It makes my job from a technical standpoint that much easier because we have kids that are excited to train,” Moritz added. “Even though they might be tired, fatigued and not jumping as high, they’re just ready to get on the court again to keep going, keep learning and keep improving. It’s just an awesome opportunity as a coach to be able to work with student-athletes like that.”

Intensity level rises as full team practices begin

PHOTO BY JUSTIN HOLT



South Carolina catcher Grayson Greiner is bringing his experience of playing international baseball this summer with him back to school. He recognizes that as one of the upperclassmen with great ex-perience he will be called upon to take a larger role with the team this season.

“That was awesome. Getting to play with 20 of the best players in the country kind of helped me elevate my game and my self confidence as far as the fact that I can hang with those guys,” Greiner said. “It kind of helped me to try and bring a leadership role back to Columbia.

“The first two years we’ve had some older guys that have won National Cham-pionships and they were kind of showing us the ropes a little bit. Now that core group of us juniors feels like it’s our team now … we’re just excited to get back out here on the field and see what these talented young guys can do,” Greiner ex-plained.

The Gamecock baseball team has an influx of youth this season and some of these newcomers will be counted on to contribute right away, whether in the field on on the mound. Greiner explained that he will have a large role in helping to smooth the young players’ transition to college. His experiences on the field for the Gamecocks as a 2013 second-team All-SEC honoree and on Team USA this summer will help make a basis for for that leadership.

“There’s not as many older guys on the

team as there have been in the past when I was a freshman and sophomore, but it’s that core group of juniors that came in as fresh-men and played a good bit,” Greiner said. “We’ve been in big SEC games, big national games and we’re just going to try and make these younger guys feel as comfortable as possible. We know they’ve got a lot of talent and we’re just going to try to get them out

of it.”Greiner’s work behind the plate could go

a long way in helping with the adjustments the new pitchers must make in taking over for the large amount of innings pitched by players who are no longer at South Carolina, either from graduation or getting drafted.

Pitching coach Jerry Meyers believes that

having Greiner’s experience well help the newcomers to get the most out of their talent. Greiner said that this will be a focus for him during the fall practices.

“I’m just going to try to make them feel as comfortable as I can out there. When you come in as a young freshman, you sometimes try and do too much instead of just doing what you know you can do,” Greiner said. “We’ve got some real-ly talented freshman arms coming in and we’ve got to just see how mentally tough they are out there. I’m just going to try to help them along in that process.

“That’s what I’m going to try and do, just try and take someone under my wing, help them relax and have fun out here,” Greiner explained.

The Gamecocks, and Greiner person-ally, are looking forward to working on the little things and trying to improve each day. Greiner buys into the adage that “every day you can either get better, or get worse.”

Greiner noted that everyone has been working to improve over the summer and they are ready to get after it “… be-cause the moment you get satisfied, that’s when you start getting worse.” He added that he is not looking ahead to the sea-

son or the MLB Draft next June, but rather making goals for the fall practice session.

“I just want to get better every day, help these young guys come along and get more consistent. I want to make solid contact every time up, never throw any at-bats away and continue to play well behind the plate,” Greiner concluded.

Catcher taking the lead in the locker room


Grayson Greiner knows he will have a huge leadership role for the Gamecocks this year.


The Gamecocks lost a substantial per-centage of innings pitched through Nolan Belcher’s graduation and Tyler Webb and Adam Westmoreland being drafted, but Jack Wynkoop, a Freshman All-SEC selection from a year ago, should be ready to step up and play a major role for the pitching staff.

Wynkoop is ready to embrace the challenge and take the mound for the Gamecocks.

“We lost Nolan, we lost Webb, we lost a lot of good players, but it will be a good op-portunity for a lot of guys to step up this year and hopefully I can be one of those guys. Hopefully we can pick up where we left off

last year and maybe improve upon it and I can do whatever I can to help,” Wynkoop said.

Wynkoop’s makeup has allowed him to get the most out of his talent and excel on the mound for South Carolina. He is known as an even-keeled pitcher with the personality to deal with good and bad outings.

“I think that’s kind of what you want. You don’t want to be out there losing your head or showing too much emotion,” Wynkoop said. “I think keeping your composure out there is one of the biggest parts of pitching.”

Head coach Chad Holbrook said that Wyn-koop got much stronger over the summer and Wynkoop confirmed it saying that he put on about 10 pounds by focusing on training,

thinking about last season and ways to im-prove going forward.

“You hope that lends itself to becoming more durable, stronger, more velocity and hopefully just day-in, day-out being able to bring their best stuff to the table more often,” pitching coach Jerry Meyers said.

Wynkoop also said that he wants to add more physical tools to his repertoire, includ-ing working on the sharpness of his slider and curveball along with throwing harder.

The sophomore southpaw is slated as the second pitcher in the Gamecock rotation go-ing into fall practice, but he is not concerned with his role right now. He noted that Jordan Montgomery will be a great frontline pitcher and he just wants to be able to contribute to

the team. “I’m just going to pitch in whatever role the

coaches want me to play. I’m fine with doing whatever. Jordan’s a good pitcher and we’re excited about having him as the possible ace of our staff. Right now no roles are really set in stone, so I’m just going to go out and pitch this fall and see what happens,” Wnkoop said.

His goal for the fall are to continue improv-ing and working to prepare for the spring.

“I just need to keep mixing pitches and throwing strikes. I need to continue to work on sharpening my pitches, mixing my pitch-es and just getting outs … just to go have fun with it, relax and play loose,” Wynkoop explained.

Wynkoop looking to continue improving and fill in for lost innings



Jim Schaper (center) served as the Honorary Captain in South Carolina’s victory over Vanderbilt. He was joined by his wife, Rebecca, and Athletics Director Ray Tanner.



RJ Moore has attended Gamecock football, basketball and baseball games for multiple years and served the Columbia community while running RJ’s Exxon service station for 45 years.

Moore is an honorary lettermen and he has supported the Gamecocks for many years. For his dedication to South Carolina he was honored as the Legendary Fan at the football game against Vanderbilt.

“It was a big honor, all my family was there and they re-ally enjoyed it too,” Moore said. “Seeing all the people in the stands, all 84,000 people, it was really a thrill to be able to wave to them all. You don’t really know all of them, but you do know them at the same time because we’re all Game-cocks.”

Moore went about 38 years without missing an out-of-town game and only missed one in-town game, which he credits to great health over the period. He said that he was thankful for that opportunity which has given him a wealth of great memories from following the Gamecocks. He remembered traveling across the country to follow the Gamecocks from

California to Michigan to New Orleans and many places in between.

Moore also said that along with his great memories there were some disappointments, but he remained positive always by keeping the games in perspective.

“It’s a game; it’s just a game and you should treat as such. That’s what I always try to do and try to always stay posi-tive,” Moore said. “Sometimes you just have to shake hands and say ‘you were the best today and we’ll get you next time.’”

RJ’s Exxon was run by Moore for 45 years and he said that he never had a slack day in the business. He had 14 employ-ees who were always working hard to serve the community and he looked forward to go to work every day. Moore added that the customers were a great part of running the station in-cluding Gamecock coaches, players and students at Carolina.

“My brother told me ‘you couldn’t have put yourself in a computer and found a place better suited for you than your service station on Rosewood Drive,’” Moore said. “I always liked the coaches and how they got the guys to give 110 percent. This is a great way to live life and I tried to do that as well. You always try to do the best you can and you try to improve at every job.”

One of his greatest thrills was talking with Bob Fulton, the “Voice of the Gamecocks” for 43 years, when he used to come by Moore’s station. Fulton had a close relationship with Moore and paid him a high compliment.

“He said, ‘RJ you’ve got more true friends than anybody I know in this world and that includes me.’ When he said ‘that includes me,’ it really meant something to me when he told me that,” Moore said.

Moore not only served his community, he also served in the US Army for 24 years in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War before returning to Columbia and founding his service station.

Moore’s perspective and positive attitude have led to many connections within Gamecock Nation and it helped him make a lasting impression on the people he has met and helped during his life.

“If somebody wanted to argue about a game, I would just say ‘hey, you’ve got your opinion and I’ve got mine, why don’t we just shake hands and be friends?’ … then you’ve got a friend so next time you go down there you tailgate with them and when they came here they would tailgate with me,” Moore said. “You can always try to get along with people by just staying positive.”

RJ Moore honored as Legendary Fan at Vanderbilt game


RJ Moore (center) has been attending Gamecock football, basketball and baseball games for many years. He served the Columbia area by running RJ’s Exxon Service Station for 45 years.


South Carolina Gamecocks2013 - 2014

WOMen’S BaSketBall SCheduleDate OppOnent / event LOcatiOn time

11/01/13 . vs. north Greenville (exhibition) .......columbia, S.c. ..............tBa11/08/13 .........vs. charleston Southern ..............columbia, S.c. ..............tBa11/10/13 ............. vs. Louisiana tech ...................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa11/14/13 ........vs. college of charleston ..............columbia, S.c. ..............tBa11/17/13 ................. vs. Seton Hall .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa11/20/13 ...................... at Clemson ............................. Clemson, S.C. .................TBA11/23/13 .................at San Diego State ..................... San Diego, Calif. ...............TBA11/25/13 ...................at Southern Cal ......................Los Angeles, Calif. .............TBA12/02/13 ...... vs. north carolina central ............columbia, S.c. ..............tBa12/08/13 ...................... at Charlotte ........................... Charlotte, N.C. ................TBA

Myrtle Beach Classic12/18/13 ................ vs. North Carolina ...................Myrtle Beach, S.C. .............TBA

12/20/13 ..................vs. Winthrop .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa12/22/13 .........vs. South carolina State ..............columbia, S.c. ..............tBa12/28/13 ............. vs. Savannah State ...................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa01/02/14 .....................at Arkansas # .........................Fayetteville, Ark. ...............TBA01/05/14 ............... vs. vanderbilt # .....................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa01/09/14 ................ vs. Kentucky # ......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa01/12/14 ......................at Auburn # ............................. Auburn, Ala. ..................TBA01/16/14 .................. at Texas A&M # ...................College Station, Texas ..........TBA01/19/14 .................vs. alabama # .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa01/26/14 ................... at Vanderbilt # .........................Nashville, Tenn. ...............TBA01/30/14 ................. vs. Ole miss # .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa02/02/14 .................vs. missouri # .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa02/06/14 .............. at Mississippi State # .................... Starkville, Miss. ...............TBA02/09/14 .................vs. arkansas # ......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa02/16/14 .........................at LSU # .............................Baton Rouge, La. ..............TBA02/20/14 .................... at Kentucky # ........................... Lexington, Ky. .................TBA02/23/14 .................. vs. Florida # ........................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa02/27/14 ..................vs. Georgia # .......................columbia, S.c. ..............tBa03/02/14 ....................at Tennessee # ........................ Knoxville, Tenn. ...............TBA

SEC Tournament03/05/14 ......................First Round .............................. Duluth, Ga. ...................TBA03/06/14 ....................Second Round ............................ Duluth, Ga. ...................TBA03/07/14 .....................Quarterfinals ............................. Duluth, Ga. ...................TBA03/08/14 ....................... Semifinals ................................ Duluth, Ga. ...................TBA03/09/14 ............................Final .................................... Duluth, Ga. ...................TBA

# denotes SEC games ................................................. Home games listed in bold


by Mike [email protected]

As a lifelong fan of the University of South Carolina, Jay Alverson has carried his Game-cock pride with him throughout his pre-college years, during his time as a Gamecock and across the globe while serving his coun-ty. That pride remains with him to this day.

Gamecock fanhood goes back in his fam-ily to his father’s time at USC where he had a couple of classes with one of the all-time great Gamecocks on the hardwood, Alex English. When Jay was born in August of 1975, his father had just graduated earlier that year in May. In order to attend his first football game as an alumni, his father took the one-month and one-day old Jay to see the Gamecocks beat Georgia Tech, 23-17.

Alverson graduated from Boiling Springs High School in 1993 and spent a year at USC Upstate before he joined the US Marine Corps Reserves in 1995 to earn money for his education at the main campus in Columbia.

“I remember filling out my first schedule in my bunk at Parris Island S.C. by flashlight af-ter hours. We didn’t sleep much period down there ... that night I didn’t sleep at all,” Alver-son said. “And I don’t know what made my Dad cry harder, the fact that I was a Marine or the fact that I had been accepted to USC.

“Mom and dad were both very proud of me getting into USC and really supported most of my efforts and ‘crazy ideas’ to try while I was down there. If it was not for their support and encouragement I would not have gradu-

ated, so I owe them a big debt of gratitude and thanks,” Alverson added.

During his time on campus, Alverson be-came a part of the Student Gamecock Club after seeing a sign urging students to join. He then began his first real leadership experi-ence as he worked his way from recruiter for intramural sports, to vice president and up to president his senior year. He noted that he was impressed when he talked with then Athletics Director Dr. Mike McGee with the time the administrator took to talk about his personal future and vision for the Student Gamecock Club.

“My senior year was the year that the Student Gamecock Club became the largest non-greek organization on campus. Baseball was our life back in those days. The basket-ball team won the SEC championship and then had that huge win up at Kentucky, but baseball was far and away my favorite sport mainly because we had such an effect on the game itself,” Alverson said. “We were far and away the ‘best fans’ in college baseball and I will never forget when players from the visit-ing school would give us ‘material’ to use against their own players because we were clean, funny and family friendly, but highly effective.”

The “Third Base Hecklers” were equipped with t-shirts and sharp wits to help the Game-cocks on the diamond and another special memory came in 1997 when South Carolina defeated Clemson, 38-16, on the diamond in Columbia after the football team downed the Tigers in Clemson the previous fall, 34-31.

After graduating from Carolina in 1998, Alverson finished his time with the USMCR and ended up joining the Air Force in 2000 becoming a photographic intelligence in-terpreter and moving to California. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Alverson’s life changed drastically as he took 113 trips in support of various engagements ranging from Guanta-namo Bay to South Korea.

“The one constant? The Gamecocks! Ev-erywhere I went I wore the Garnet and Black and there was instant connection with anyone who ‘flew the colors’ as proudly as I did,” Alverson said.

The hours required to work live intelligence missions were unusual because when it is day in Iraq, it is night in California so the missions were generally at night. He said that the group often spent football Saturdays do-ing imagery missions, but they found a way to keep Gamecock fans abreast of the action despite difficulties.

“So my fellow Gamecocks got together and we devised a genius plan to keep the guys who were deployed informed ‘real time’ on the games that were happening,” Alverson said. “We would set up one of the unclas-sified computers with the ‘game tracker’ software … then relay the play-by-play to our deployed comrades over the classified chat system.

“It worked so well that several other people started doing it for their teams. In the end we had to set up an entire room on the classified chat network for providing sports updates. We did this for several years; football, basket-

ball and baseball all went out to guys in for-ward locations. It was just one way we could help them feel a little bit more ‘normal’ and a little closer to home,” Alverson explained.

During the early Spurrier years in Carolina, Alverson noticed a bit of a backslide in 2006 after a successful season the year before. He heard there were some issues with the team’s chemistry and pride, so he wrote an open letter to the team. In the letter he explained the student-athletes were lucky to have the chance to play football while others their age were serving their country overseas and that the team represented thousands of alumni, so they should step up and seize their oppor-tunity.

“I did not expect anything to really come of the letter … but I was sitting at my desk when my phone rang and the lady on the other end said she worked for Coach Spurrier. He had received my letter, shared it with the team and he wanted to send me a ‘thank-you’ and needed my address,” Alverson said.

Three days later an autographed picture and letter arrived from Spurrier saying he would relay the inspirational message to the team. Spurrier also thanked him for being a “Super Gamecock.”

In 2008-09, Alverson was in South Korea, which is about 13-14 hours ahead of South Carolina. He and a few other Carolina fans formed an informal Gamecock Club, entailed “Cock of the ROK” (Republic of Korea) and they would watch the football games at 2

Alum keeps Gamecock Nation close to heart while serving his country

SUBMITTED PHOTOFormer president of the Student Gamecock Club Jay Alverson holds his Gamecock Flag at Panmujom South Korea, a South Korean Marine base on the border with North Korea.

Please see Alum, Page 17



After a successful career on the football field as a Gamecock and a 10-year NFL vet-eran, Andre Goodman has returned back to the program at South Carolina to help mold and prepare the football student-athletes as the Director of Football Player Development.

Goodman works closely with the academic advisors and focuses on the off-the-field aspects of the lives of the student-athletes. His role is to help them to find the balance in their lives among all of the demands they face during their transition into and out of college athletics.

Goodman knows about the transition peri-ods firsthand, which has helped him to better relate to the players. He took his current posi-tion two years ago while transitioning out of football himself after his 10 years playing in the NFL in Detroit, Miami and Denver. He said that he didn’t directly seek out the posi-tion, but he was grateful the circumstances al-lowed him the opportunity to remain around the game.

“I called over for season tickets and talked to some people I know in the athletic de-partment and they said ‘oh you retired; why are you asking for season tickets?’ Well the thought was there, I wasn’t sure if I was going to retire, but the thought was there,” Good-man said. “They said ‘Terry Cousins left, are you ready to get back in it? Is this something that you are ready to consider or do you really need time away from the game?’

“I was like ‘you know what, I think it would be healthy for me to stay involved instead of sit around and wonder’ … so it was a very healthy transition for me and the fact that the school was able to consider me and hire me means a lot because I think a lot of it came from my reputation,” Goodman said.

Not only did he come on staff while dealing with transition, but Goodman also said that he dealt with transition during his NFL career as well. He added that each place he played was a perfect scenario for him and moving around gave him different challenges at every stop.

From starting in Detroit with not many off-the-field distractions, to playing in Miami in the prime of his career when he could deal with the party atmosphere in the city, to playing in Denver, a family-oriented city, Goodman said that he was never able to be-come complacent because he always had to re-prove himself on every team.

“Every time I went to a different team it was like re-proving yourself every time and that’s what you have to do in the NFL because your job is on the line every day. It’s a daily

evaluation, guys don’t know that. It is a daily evaluation and the door revolves all the time. It kind of helped me in that regard,” Good-man said.

Finishing his career in Denver allowed him to take the family-oriented atmosphere with him into his new role with the Gamecocks.

“We talk about a lot of the personal stuff off the field and that is a big part of it. I tell the guys that I’m trying to grow providers and leaders because that is what we’re missing. A lot of us are coming from single parent homes where that doesn’t take place; there’s no real model for that,” Goodman said. “So I’m one of those guys, I didn’t have a father growing up. So the fact that I have four kids now, it’s a huge priority; it’s my only priority and it’s probably the last purpose that I’ve got left on Earth now that I’ve fulfilled my athletic potential.

“But when I’m talking to these guys, it’s all about being providers and leaders for your family and whatever you felt like you missed because that person wasn’t around, become that person. Instead of judging that person, let’s see if you can become it. If you can’t become that person then don’t judge them as hard because again, we’re all it it together. That challenge does not change. It doesn’t. It’s a tough world. It’s tough to make it on the roster here, it’s tough to climb up the depth chart, but as soon as you graduate, the rat race doesn’t change,” Goodman explained.

His transitional resilience can even be traced back to his career wearing the Garnet and Black as a player, as he had to deal with returning from a devastating knee injury in his redshirt freshman season. His second game back from injury, at Georgia in 2000, provided his best memory from his collegiate playing days.

“The Georgia game, I had an interception that probably should have been a touch-down, but I was still slow at the time … I didn’t expect to play football again and that game against Georgia was my second game back healthy and I made a game-altering interception,” Goodman recalled. “It kind of propelled us from the 0-21 team to the two Outback Bowls. When I say propelled, it’s not like I’m taking credit for it, but to beat Geor-gia at home, with them being a top-10 team and us being Carolina the 0-1 team, we went on to have a decent record - at the time it was historical - until Coach Spurrier took over.

“That’s probably my favorite memory be-cause I remember the feeling after that game and it almost felt like the whole locker room said ‘hey, we belong in the SEC and we can compete with these guys.’ It helped us get to where we were then, but Coach Spurrier has taken it to a different level,” Goodman said.

Goodman has been dealing with transitions his whole career and he said that his close work with the academic advisors is focused on preparing the student-athletes for a career and giving them life skills to help ensure that they can maneuver in professional settings of which they have never been a part before.

He added that he gets a lot out of helping prepare the players who will not go on to play professionally because that advice will come easily from his own life experiences. Goodman noted that it is tough to replace the feeling of electricity that the players get on

Saturday and he has to help them to become a little more grounded, which takes a level of reality and humility to accomplish.

“My passion is if the game ends 15 years af-ter the NFL or after your four-year collegiate career, gain something that is going to help you maneuver better and become a better provider and leader for your home and also your community. It matters, it lends to pur-pose and purpose feeds your spirit. If you’ve got a healthy spirit then life tends to be a little bit easier and more tolerant,” Goodman con-cluded.

Where are they now? - Andre Goodman


A 10-year NFL veteran, Goodman is currently the Director of Football Player Development.



The Gamecock women’s soccer team fin-ished the nonconference portion of the sched-ule undefeated at 7-0-1 heading into SEC play and a large contributor to the success has been goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo. The South Carolina defensive unit, anchored by D’Angelo’s play at the back, only surrendered one goal in eight nonconference matches.

D’Angelo said that it is an honor to get through the early portion undefeated and it is a testament to the whole team raising its level of play. However, she noted that the team has a lot left to prove heading forward into SEC action.

“It’s nothing yet because we haven’t played SEC games and that’s our true test,” D’Angelo said. “All the teams are fighting for the same thing. We’re all fighting for that SEC title, to get into NCAAs and to get that championship.

“It’s just such a tough conference. I think if we come out with the right mindset going for-ward we will do fine,” D’Angelo said.

The Gamecocks have garnered national at-tention by earning top-25 national rankings and multiple players have received individual honors as well. D’Angelo said that it is nice to be getting the recognition and the attention brought to the team, but they need to remain grounded and focused on the ultimate goals for the season. She added that the awards mean nothing if they are not performing well and every game is a new test for the team.

D’Angelo said that she has always demand-ed the best from her teammates and hopes that they do the same for her because that is the only way to improve. This raised standard has helped to lead to the team’s early success and it is a level D’Angelo strives for since she felt she did not play as well last year following

a great freshman campaign.“Now I’m mature, I learned from my fresh-

man and sophomore year and I’m ready to go,” D’Angelo said. “Now I have to re-prove myself and show that I can play well, I can be a top goalkeeper and I can be there for my team when they need me.”

The Gamecocks have shutout seven op-ponents through nine games in the year, but D’Angelo explained that she would not be able to have any shutouts without the 10 play-ers in front of her. She added that everyone must do their job for a shutout and these will often bolster the success level of the team.

“If I’m keeping the ball out of the net then that’s a good thing for the team. I mean, that’s my job … it’s such a team effort that those shutouts aren’t just mine, they’re the whole team’s shutout,” D’Angelo explained. “It does feel good being the goalkeeper, you kind of get more credit than the other players, but it comes from them too.”

The ultimate goals for D’Angelo and the team remain the same for the success of the team going forward. Her personal goals mir-ror those of the team and she said more ac-colades or national attention may come if the team can continue the strong play and rack up wins in the SEC.

“My personal goals kind of work in with the team, just coming up with that confer-ence title. I want that bad. I want to be in the NCAA’s and to be a contender in that Final Four. To be there when people are overlook-ing you this year would just be amazing,” D’Angelo said.

South Carolina will look to the steady strong play in the net from D’Angelo as they head into the meat of their schedule. If the team can continue improving and playing at a high level, those team goals may be within reach.

Gamecock goalkeeper talks team goals

photo by allen sharpeLed by D’Angelo, the Gamecocks only surrendered one goal in nonconference play.

a.m. or over breakfast on the Armed Forces Network.

“It was a great experience to find myself sitting in a foreign country eating breakfast in a big food court and watching the Game-cocks put it on then fourth-ranked Ole Miss with 10-15 guys who were missing their fam-ilies as much as I was. At that moment for me ‘Gamecock Nation’ truly was my Garnet Family. And while I would have much pre-ferred to have been at home with my wife and kids, it is a moment I will never forget,” Alverson said.

Alverson resides in Virginia Beach, Va. today and is a Gamecock Club member who works for the 27th Intelligence Squadron, 480th Intelligence Surveillance and Recon-

naissance Wing, United States Air Force In-telligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. As he winds down his military career, Alverson always has the same answer when people ask what he will do with his time and money once retired.

“I always reply the same way, ‘spend it all on tickets and hotels.’ I realize that I am not the oldest, the richest, the greatest and certainly not the most famous Gamecock fan out there, but I am PROUD to be a GAME-COCK and even prouder to take my kids to see my brick on the ‘shoe.’ I know everyone’s life story is different but MY CAROLINA will always be about family, both blood and Garnet,” Alverson concluded.

ALum, continued from page 14


Are we witnessing the return of the “Fun and Gun” Steve Spurrier?

Okay, so the season is only a quarter of the way through and early-season numbers

can be notorious-ly skewed. But the Gamecocks have already moved the ball in ways that conjure memories of the Head Ball Coach of, well, “Ol’”.

In three games, the Gamecocks have rolled up 1,439 yards of offense (479.7 ypg), their high-est total through

three games since full offensive records began in 1962. The Gamecocks have also gained 400 yards in each of their first three games, something they hadn’t done since 1976.

Much of that has to do with the returning experience on offense. Connor Shaw (num-bers above) has begun his third season as a starter and his chemistry with play caller G.A. Mangus shows. Shaw’s numbers have

increased with each game and his 388 all-purpose yards against Vanderbilt were the second-highest of his career.

“I think he can throw it a little better than how he’s thrown it thus far. So we’ll keep working on it all the time,” head coach Steve Spurrier said. “He throws a beautiful spiral. It’s easy to catch.”

It’s also been hard to pick off. Dating back to last season, Shaw has gone 116 consecu-tive pass attempts without an interception, easily shattering his career high of 81.

Behind him, sophomore Mike Davis has emerged as a powerful, punishing heir to Marcus Lattimore. Fellow sophomore Brandon Wilds has given the Gamecocks another tough, downhill option in the back-field. Together, they’ve run the read-option with deft efficiency. Excluding the three times that Shaw has been sacked – which, to my eternal disdain, count against a quar-terback’s rushing numbers – the Game-cocks have had 120 running plays this year. They’ve only had a negative rushing play three times.

Credit an offensive line that has so far lived up to its veteran billing. Even the position where Carolina had to replace its most career starts has been solid. Redshirt freshman center Clayton Stadnik, subbing

for an injured Cody Waldrop, earned SEC Lineman of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt. Shawn Elliott’s group - which drew a rebuke from Spurrier follow-ing Carolina’s second preseason scrimmage - has kept the backfield uncluttered and the running lanes unclogged.

On a national scale, the Gamecocks’ of-fensive numbers may not stand out. Their total offense, in spite of those historical milestones, still ranks seventh in the SEC and 39th in the Football Bowl Subdivi-sion. But in the first weeks of the season, only South Carolina and Notre Dame have played all three of their games against BCS AQ opponents. They haven’t used any FCS lightweights or lower-conference can-non fodder to inflate their totals.

Of course, the Gamecocks won 11 games last year with an offense that finished 82nd in total offense. Yards don’t win games; points do. And nobody’s under the illusion that the schedule gets easier in the weeks ahead. But in a league that has become in-creasingly offense-driven, the Gamecocks have shown they’re more than capable of keeping up.

The man who ushered in the golden age of offense to the SEC – you know him as the HBC - might like that.

Andy DemetraContributing Writer

Date Opponent Surface Result Att Comp Pct. Yards Yards/Att TD Int Rating08/29/13 North Carolina Grass W 27-10 20 11 55.0 149 7.5 1 0 134.0809/07/13 @Georgia Grass L 30-41 25 16 64.0 228 9.1 2 0 167.0109/14/13 Vanderbilt Grass W 35-25 29 21 72.4 284 9.8 3 0 188.81



South Carolina standout baseball player Joey Pankake is a fan favorite and not just for his name alone.

Pankake has been a part of some success-ful Gamecock teams the past two years. He also provided a highlight home run against North Carolina in last season’s Super Re-gional that flew over a building out past the left field wall.

This season he will move from shortstop to play all around the diamond. Whatever position he plays will be one that should pro-tect his throwing arm because head coach Chad Holbrook even has designs for him to make his way to the mound.

“The only reason we’re really moving him around is to protect him so he can pitch. He’s going to pitch quite a bit. He hasn’t missed a bullpen since he’s been back to school and his bullpen’s have been very en-couraging,” Holbrook said.

Pankake has been enthusiastic about his work in the bullpen thus far and pitching coach Jerry Meyers confirmed these ses-sions have been productive.

“He’s been good so far. We’re just in the bullpen and he’s doing a good job. For the

most part he’s looked pretty sharp. Just get-ting some innings under his belt is going to be the key. Hopefully with intersquads he’ll pick up right where he left off when he was throwing on a consistent basis,” Meyers said.

Pankake will start the fall practice ses-sions at third base, but Holbrook said that he may also see time at first and in left field. Thus far Pankake has responded well to the change and eagerly done everything the coaches have asked of him.

“He’s going to continue to play; he’s still probably going to hit third or fourth in our lineup,” Holbrook said. “What position he’s going to play right now, I don’t know. We’re going to move him off of shortstop just right now to protect his arm.”

Pankake said that his comfort level is in-creasing at third base and in left field due to the large amount of work he has done in preparation for the season. He said that he played third in high school and has been able to make the adjustment.

Whatever his position, Pankake recognizes that he, like the other juniors on the roster, will need to step up to take on a larger lead-ership role this year.

“I may have to change in certain situa-tions, but I don’t know. I won’t change a

whole lot,” Pankake commented. “We’ve al-ways had some older guys around and I feel like there aren’t as many guys older than us around now … I’m pretty excited about the role we have this year.”

Both Holbrook and Meyers plan to see Pankake’s contributions on the mound as an added bonus and they will use the fall to get an idea of what they can expect for the spring.

“We’re expecting some contributions, how big an impact he makes will also depend on how much he’s needed as a position player. We know he’s needed there. He’s going to be in the heart of our lineup, so what he does on the mound for us, hopefully right now we’re going to look at it as a bonus,” Meyers said. “If we really have to lean on him and he’s one that we’re going to consider a ‘go-to guy,’ then that might change things a little bit in terms of his routine and what he does as a position player in terms of watching his throws a little bit.”

“I think it’s best for Joey, it’s best for our team and it’s certainly best for his profes-sional future as well that we move him around a little bit and showcase him on the mound from time to time,” Holbrook said.

As far as Pankake is concerned, he is will-ing to fill any role that the coaches ask him

to. He is excited to help the team win and move toward the ultimate goal of another appearance in Omaha at the end of the sea-son.

“I’m just ready to do however much the team needs. If I don’t have to pitch at all, then that’s fine if I can just hit. But if they need me, I’m going to throw as much as I need to,” Pankake said.

Joey Pankake to become ‘jack-of-all-trades’PHOTOS BY ALLEN SHARPE

A true fan favorite among the Gamecock faithful, Pankake could see time in the infield and the outfield. He also could be utilized as a pitcher in the upcoming year.


The Florence County Gamecock Club held their annual fall rally on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Floyd Conference Center on the grounds of the Carolina’s Hospital System in Florence, S.C.

On a beautiful evening accurately de-scribed by Florence County Gamecock Club president Scat Scaturro as “Chamber of Commerce” weather, South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner, head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin and head baseball coach Chad Holbrook all made ap-pearances.

Prior to the start of the rally, Gamecock Club Executive Director Patrick McFarland, Spurs & Feathers’ Brian Hand and Ed Gi-rardeau, Tanner, Martin and Holbrook all made appearances with Ken Ard and the team from Miller Communications FM 98.9 WOLH to talk about Gamecock athletics.

After a tremendous catered meal from Rogers BBQ House inside the Floyd Con-ference Center, the event moved outside where Tanner, Martin and Holbrook all spoke to those in attendance about being a part of the Gamecock family.

Florence County Gamecock Club holds fall rally

all photos by brian handRay Tanner, Chad Holbrook and Frank Martin pose with the Delmae Dixie Youth Base-ball “AA” pitching machine state championship team.

Tanner Signs Gamecock memorabilia prior to making an appearance on the radio.

Attendees enjoying a meal catered by Rogers BBQ House before the start of the program.


New York City Gamecock ClubWeekly Football Game-Watching EventSaturdays at The Mason Jar.The best place to watch Gamecock football if you can’t be at Williams-Brice!Located at 43 E 30th Street in Manhattan, 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 Buz-zelli at [email protected].

Parking Information for Central FloridaGeneral Parking: Blue Zone lots are located in the northwest sector of campus. Parking is free and pro-vided on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise designated. The Blue Zone includes Garage H located between the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Lake Claire Apartments. Garage H will be reserved for autho-rized students displaying SGA-provided parking passes, credentialed staff and cash-paying customers ($20) on a first-come, first-served basis. Preferred campus entrances for Blue Zone parking are on Alafaya Trail at Gemini Boulevard North, Centaurus Drive or University Boule-vard.RV Parking: Vistor RV parking on a first-come, first-served basis in Lot B7 (Red Zone) between the old Wayne Densch Sports Center and the Center for Mul-tilingual/Multicultural Studies (Barbara Ying Center) starting at 4 p.m. the day prior to a weekend game and starting at 9 a.m. the day of a weekday game. The cost is $100 per game (or $500 for the season). Fans should pre-register their RV vehicles at the Visitor Information Center or call 407-823-2131.For more information visit: http://www.ucfknights.com/brighthouse/fan-guide.html

Darlington County Gamecock Club - Board meetingMonday, October 7, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. Heritage Community Bank206 South Fifth Street in Hartsville, S.C.Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.All Gamecock fans are invited to attend!

New York City Gamecock Club

Tuesday, October 8; 6-8 p.m. at The Mason Jar Cost: $20.00 Please join us as we welcome USC Athletics Director Ray Tanner to NYC. Appetizers will be provided and a cash bar will be on hand. There will be a ton of great prizes and raffle items from the Gamecock Club. RSVP on NYC Gamecocks Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].

Schedule: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.: Gamecock Happy Hour; 7:00 - 7:20 p.m.: Coach Tanner talk and Q & A; 7:20 - 8:00 p.m.: Photos, autographs, raffle winners.

Spartanburg County Gamecock Club – October Meeting

Thursday, October 17th 7 p.m. at Spartanburg Downtown Marriott Convention Center

“Catching up with Yolanda and Vern”Guest Speakers: Yolanda & Vern Smith, parents of Marcus Lattimore.Come hear it from the parents’ viewpoint ... his years at Carolina, the injuries, the NFL Draft, his faith and his life with the 49ers.Admission is FREE and open to all Gamecock fans.

Spartanburg County Gamecock Club

“Leave the driving to us!” First come, first serve so don’t wait; seats will fill up fast! Oct. 19 - Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) COST: Early Bird (Before Sept. 15th) $50/seat; After Sept. 15th $55/seat) Departure Time & Place: Jason Deli’s Parking Lot (W.O. Ezell Blvd. Spartanburg), time:TBA (once gametime is confirmed) Please make Check payable to : Spartanburg County Gamecock Club Mail to: P.O. Box 5146, Spartanburg, SC 29304 Please remember reserved bus seats DO NOT include game tickets. Please contact Glenn Cox, (864) 597-8380, with questions.

USC Aiken Men’s Basektball Tip-Off BanquetSpecial guest speaker: Gamecocks’ men’s basketball head coach Frank MartinOctober 29 at USC Aiken Convocation CenterMeet and greet session starting at 6 p.m. with the banquet starting at 7 p.m.Tickets are $50 for the meet and greet and banquet, $35 for the banquet only. Contact USC Aiken Athletics at (803) 641-3486 or USC Aiken men’s basketball head coach Vince Alexander at (803) 641-3438 for tickets.

Darlington County Gamecock Club - ElectionMonday, November 4, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. Heritage Community Bank206 South Fifth Street in Hartsville, S.C.wLight hors d’oeuvres will be served.All Gamecock fans are invited to attend!

Upcoming South Carolina Athletics Events

z Sept. 29-Oct. 1

Men’s Golf Badger Invitational

z September 27

Equestrian vs. Fresno State .......................................2 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Auburn ......................................7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer at Charlotte ..........................................................7 p.m.

Volleyball at Missouri ............................................................. 7:30 p.m.

z September 28

Football at Central Florida ...........................................................12 p.m.

Cross Country 28th Annual Roy Griak Invitational ...........12 p.m.

z September 29

Women’s Soccer vs. Arkansas ...................................1 p.m.

Volleyball at Tennessee ......................................................... 1:30 p.m.

z Oct. 1

Men’s Soccer vs. Presbyterian College .....................7 p.m.

z Oct. 2

Cross Country Gamecock Invitational #2 .................6 p.m.

Home events are .............................................................................. Bold

Don’t forget to check the calendar on spursand-feathers.com for all upcoming events.

Spurs & Feathers 925

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