USC moves up in polls; Bama game time set

Whitlock fills in nicely for defense

By JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com

The Gamecocks, now ranked No. 22 in both major polls, will face the Crimson Tide at 7:45 p.m. this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

ESPN will televise the contest (which begins at 6:45 p.m. central time).

USC (5-1, 2-1 SEC) is No. 22 in the latest Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches' polls. Alabama (6-0, 3-0) leapfrogged Texas in the AP poll and is now No. 2; the team is third in the Coaches Poll. in the AP 3.

The Crimson Tide lead the all-time series, 11-2, but the Gamecocks have won two of the last three meetings.

Game ball for Whitlock? USC coach Steve Spurrier plans to review the video to see whether cornerback C.C. Whitlock is worthy of a game ball for his performance in Saturday's 28-26 victory against Kentucky.

Spurrier might want to do so with the volume turned down.

Whitlock made a loud statement Saturday with six tackles while filling in again for the suspended Akeem Auguste. Just as lively was the chatter between Whitlock and Wildcats receiver Gene McCaskill, Whitlock's teammate at Chester High, between plays.

"You know there was going to be a lot of trash-talking. There was a lot going back and forth," Whitlock said. "It was a great experience to be able to go out there and make a couple plays with one of the best corners being down."

Whitlock's biggest play might have been when Kentucky tried a fake field goal late in the third quarter with holder Randall Cobb. Whitlock and Darian Stewart were not fooled and forced Cobb out of bounds 9 yards short of a first down.

"I kind of had that in my head. I was just saying, 'Watch the fake,' because we were beating up on them so much," Whitlock said.

As for the game ball?

"He made a lot of tackles, didn't he? A lot of our guys were saying he was deserving of a game ball," Spurrier said. "It was nice to see Whitlock (play well). He may get a game ball."

Crowd control. The announced crowd of 68,278 was the smallest at Williams-Brice Stadium since 67,930 turned out for a 41-28 loss to Arkansas in 1998 during the Gamecocks' 1-10 season in Brad Scott's final year.

There were dozens of empty rows in the upper east stands and the student section had plenty of seats available.

USC president Harris Pastides said scheduling fall break during a home football weekend was a mistake and vowed it would not happen again.

"I think probably athletics and academics weren't as coordinated as we needed to be. We just need to take that one on us and not let it happen again," Pastides said. "Let me just say for the record, academics always comes first in the interests of the students. But I don't expect the fans will have this issue next year."

An athletics department official said 5,500 students requested tickets - about half of the usual student orders for home games.

Streak ends. Stephen Garcia's interception-free streak ended at 124 passes when he was picked off by Kentucky linebacker Sam Maxwell in the second quarter. It was Garcia's first interception since the second quarter against Georgia on Sept. 12. He said he threw into double coverage on the play.

Taking on Tech. USC will play Georgia Tech in a home-and-home series in 2020 and '21, associate athletics director Charles Waddell said Saturday. Waddell said USC would have played the Yellow Jackets sooner, but Tech prefers to schedule SEC opponents every four years because of its annual rivalry with Georgia.

The Gamecocks are 9-12 all-time against Tech. The schools have not met since 1991, a year after the Jackets split the national championship with Colorado.

Waddell said he also has talked to Virginia about playing a future home-and-home series, although nothing is imminent.

Extra points. Counting victories last year against Tennessee and Arkansas, USC has won six consecutive home games - its best home stretch since a 13-game winning streak spanning the 1986-88 seasons. ... The Gamecocks failed to record a sack for the second consecutive week. ... USC improved to 5-7 as a top-25 team under Spurrier and moved over .500 all-time. The Gamecocks are 532-531-44 in 116 seasons.

Injuries force more defensive changes

From The State

Dickerson will start at middle linebacker; Auguste can return on Oct. 24

Written by JOSEPH PERSON

Rich Glickstein/rglickstein@thestate.com/

S.C. State running back No. 28 William Ford puts his head down before he hits South Carolina linebacker No. 41 Josh Dickerson with defensive end No. 96 Clifton Geathers and linebacker No. 44 Tony Straughter assisting on the play.

As usual, Ellis Johnson's weekly chat with reporters Thursday turned into another personnel update.

Because of injuries and suspensions, Johnson, USC's assistant head coach for defense, has fielded a different starting lineup in each of the Gamecocks' five games. Saturday's game against Kentucky will be the sixth lineup.

JUCO transfer Josh Dickerson will make his first career start at middle linebacker in place of Shaq Wilson, who practiced on a limited basis most of the week with a neck injury.

Wilson will be available to play against the Wildcats, but Dickerson will become the third player to start at middle linebacker. Rodney Paulk was lost for the year in the opener at N.C. State after tearing a knee ligament.

Dickerson, who transferred from Georgia Military in January and went through spring practice, has 19 tackles - the most among USC's reserves.

Defensive end Clifton Geathers will make his first start of the season in place of Devin Taylor, USC coach Steve Spurrier said on his call-in show Thursday. Geathers has 13 tackles in four games since missing the opener due to suspension.

Johnson is counting on a couple of backup cornerbacks to step in for suspended starter Akeem Auguste, who is sitting the second game of an expected three-game suspension.

Sophomore C.C. Whitlock will start at field corner for the second consecutive week, while freshman D.J. Swearinger will spell Whitlock and boundary corner Stephon Gilmore.

Though Kentucky is ranked among the country's worst passing teams, Johnson said Whitlock and Gilmore will be tested more than they were last week against S.C. State.

"I have full confidence in them. But you're going into the SEC slate and you've got the kind of depth problems we've got, you're always a little nervous," Johnson said. "But as far as those guys, I have a lot of confidence in them."

Auguste update. Johnson said Auguste will be eligible for the Vanderbilt game Oct. 24 as long as he complies with a number of university-imposed stipulations. Auguste's suspension stems from a non-academic violation of team and university policy.

"He's got a pretty good slate he's got to work on. If he hits all the right bases, we get him back. If he doesn't, there's no telling what happens," Johnson said. "He has certain things he has to comply with, or he'll never be back."

Bad break. After less-than-capacity crowds at the first three home games, Spurrier implored students to return from fall break for Saturday's game.

"We're on fall break here - a little unusual. We're out of school here Thursday and (today)," Spurrier said. "But hopefully all of 'em will come back and do their part cheering our guys on."

Purr-fect vs. the Wildcats. Spurrier's 16-0 mark against Kentucky is the third-longest undefeated streak by a FBS coach against one school. Penn State's Joe Paterno has the top two marks - 26-0 vs. Temple and 24-0-1 vs. Maryland.

Extra points. Quintin Richardson, who started the first four games at right tackle, lost 10 pounds - to 270 - while battling the flu last week. "He looks like a tight end trying to play tackle right now," Spurrier said. ... Spurrier said guard Heath Batchelor was out of the lineup last week because of missed classes. Batchelor is slated to start at left guard. ... Center Garrett Anderson, who missed a day with a back injury, returned Thursday. But fifth-year center Lemuel Jeanpierre still is expected to start.

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