USC renews military theme for home matchup with Tigers
Steve Spurrier said Tuesday he is a traditionalist when it comes to uniforms.
But he’ll make an exception and let South Carolina wear special uniforms Saturday against Auburn in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project.
Well, as long as they don’t look like the special uniforms that, almost a month later, still have the college football world talking.
“It doesn’t look like Maryland’s outfit, does it?,” said Spurrier, in jest, to Under Armour sports marketing manager Ryan McDermond prior to the start of his weekly press conference. Spurrier was referencing the gaudy uniforms based on the Maryland state flag the Terrapins, also an Under Armour client, wore in their season opener against Miami.
The jerseys USC will wear against the Tigers don’t look like Maryland’s. But they do look different from what USC usually wears. The uniforms are heavily influenced, from helmet to cleats, by a stars and stripes theme.
They were designed as part of Under Armour’s UA Freedom initiative, which supports U.S. military and public safety workers, as well as the company’s partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides support to injured servicemen and servicewomen and their families.
USC is one of three teams that will wear special jerseys this season in connection with the cause. Texas Tech and South Florida will also participate in November. The jerseys will be auctioned on the school website the Monday after the game with all proceeds going to the Believe in Heroes initiative sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project.
Linebacker Rodney Paulk, whose father Leonard served in the Army for 22 years, said he and his teammates feel privileged to wear the jerseys and show support for the armed forces.
“It’s an honor playing for those guys, especially the Wounded Warriors,” Paulk said. “They’ve done so much for our country. That’s why we’re able to sit here right now.”
USC first wore Wounded Warrior Project jerseys in 2009, when the Gamecocks lost to top-ranked Florida 24-14 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Stephen Diaz, a Columbia native and graduate of A.C. Flora High School, served as USC’s honorary captain for that game. Diaz, a former soldier who was wounded in a roadside bombing in Iraq, is now a student at USC according to Spurrier. He has spoken to the team at practice already this week, Spurrier said, and will again be the team’s honorary captain against Auburn.
“Hopefully it’ll work out that we can give him a game ball (after a win),” Spurrier said.
Byrd to play: Spurrier reiterated that freshman wide receiver Damiere Byrd will play this weekend.
“He’ll suit up,” Spurrier said. “He’ll be in the mix.”
Byrd sat out of USC’s first four games after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for receiving approximately $2,700 in impermissible benefits through his connection with the Student Athlete Mentoring (SAM) Foundation, the group that is one of the focal points of the notice of allegations USC received from the NCAA last week.
Spurrier objected to the term “suspension” being used to define Byrd’s absence from the playing field, saying that should only be used when a player does something wrong. Spurrier was adamant in saying Byrd has done nothing wrong.
“I don’t know if ‘suspended’ is the correct word for that,” Spurrier said. “He was just ruled ineligible.”
Byrd has been working out with USC’s offensive unit and not the scout team over the past four weeks, Spurrier said. Special teams coordinator John Butler said Monday that Byrd, a world class track sprinter with tremendous speed, is “on the depth chart” for several specialty units, presumably return teams.