 "Photo: Katie Kirkland / The Gamecock")
Daccus Turman has seen it all during his career at Carolina. It doesn't matter what "it" might be. He's seen it.
The senior tailback from Washington, Ga., has played for two coaches, two offensive coordinators (three if you count Lou Holtz's play-calling from last year), five quarterbacks in only the last three years, and he's split the backfield with more running backs than anyone can count. He's even seen guys such as Kenny Irons and Demetris Summers come to school and leave, and eventually played against Irons at Auburn earlier this season.
Through the turmoil and changes of USC's football program during the last several years, there's been one constant: Turman has been there, wearing No. 32 and sporting his trademark beard. That's quite impressive for a guy who, in a different twist of fate, could have been chasing Herschel Walker's ghost across the Savannah River at UGA.
Turman is in Georgia high school record books for most rushing yards in a season: 3,167 yards in 2000, breaking the mark set by Walker in 1979. But when it came time to choose his college, Turman welcomed the chance to leave the state.
"Well you know, growing up 20 minutes away from (the University of) Georgia, I didn't think it was a good idea to go that close to home, and I didn't want to go too far away from home either. Carolina's only a couple hours away. And then when I was on my visit, they just convinced me."
But that was a different time, a different coaching staff, even different jerseys. He was one of Holtz's biggest recruits in spring 2001, but now Turman is playing for a coach who contrasts pretty sharply to the one who recruited him.
"The biggest difference is ... their style. Coach Holtz was more of a motivator. Coach Spurrier, I mean, he does a lot of motivation, but he's more of a perfection type guy," Turman said. "I mean, (with him) practice makes perfect."
With an extra week of practice to get ready for the Homecoming tilt against surprising Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks have a chance to build off the near-perfection displayed in the second half against Kentucky. When asked what a perfect day included, Turman, one of four senior captains for the game, offered a selfless answer.
"I think the perfect day on the field is, of course, first off you've got to have a victory and you know, I think the perfect day for me personally as a running back is when I know that I didn't have any missed assignments, and I played the game hard and to the best of my ability."
Playing with Blake Mitchell at quarterback, Turman finds it easier to perform at a high level.
"I enjoy playing behind Blake ... I just got to be honest," Turman said. "Blake is a real calm quarterback, you know, like when things get tough, he'll still be calm, and if he can keep the other players calm and keep himself calm, that's just something to feed off of."
The 230-pound back also has some help staying calm in the huddle. A large tattoo on his left bicep shows an open Bible, a sign of a faith in which Turman takes pride.
"It's just a tattoo of a Bible. I got the answer, y'know, I'm just a firm believer. I'm a Christian, and I believe in the Bible."
His belief and his work ethic have made him a staple in Carolina's backfield for the past several years. These same traits, coupled with an obvious talent, are what typically separate men who play Sunday from those who watch at home. But even if he can't latch on to an NFL team by this time next fall, Turman's got plenty of options, as he'll be armed with a degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management and an entrepreneurial father involved in real estate.
Still, this weekend, Vanderbilt is on the slate, and Turman is excited about the contest.
"It's a game that we really want to win," he said. "Especially the seniors; it's our last Homecoming football game, so it's going to be a special game for us."
If the game gets close and it comes down to one play at the end, Turman, who has never backed down from a challenge, knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball.
"Call a dive play, y'know, just a straight-ahead run. Give me the ball and let me run behind a stack of guys. You know, I'm down for that."
When Carolina looks for its fourth win of the season and second consecutive victory Saturday, No. 32 will be, as always, a pillar of stability ready for whatever the Commodores might throw his way.
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