USC continues preparation for the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska
After South Carolina’s fourth bowl practice, coach Steve Spurrier didn’t want to talk about the history his team could make if it beats Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2.
“It’s important to all of us here to try to do things that have never been done before here,” Spurrier said on the possibility of getting a school-record 11th win. “We’ve already talked about that. Now we need to talk about what it takes to play the very best we can. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves about the total wins and this, that, and the other. We need to talk about what it takes for us to beat Nebraska because right now, our guys weren’t real sharp today.”
Why weren’t the players “sharp” like they were at Thursday’s practice? Spurrier thought it might be the heat, as temperatures reached 75 degrees in the afternoon.
Wide receiver Ace Sanders had a different explanation.
“It was just a long morning,” Sanders said. “We had to go out with the kids and chased the kids all around the theme parks. Everybody was a little tired. We’ll bounce back and regroup. It’s not really a concern.”
Both USC and Nebraska players participated in Day For Kids at Walt Disney World, where players interact with disadvantaged youth from across Central Florida. Sanders, a native of Bradenton, Fla., said that even though the event tired the players before practice, it was well worth it.
“We’re a team, but a lot of people don’t really interact with everybody,” Sanders said. “When we do these team functions, they have no choice, and you’d be amazed to know what’s going on in another team member’s life. It’s a lot of bonding.”
Just as Spurrier would rather focus on beating Nebraska rather than what’s happened if the Gamecocks beat the Huskers, the players also enjoy the free time they have to get their mind off football.
“We’re here in the mornings and then we’re off, so it’s like kind of on vacation, but it’s business at the same time,” Sanders said. “You’ve got to work in the morning, then it’s free time, then we’re back at work. It’s kind of on and off. It’s keeping us sane.”
Along with interacting with kids at Walt Disney World, the Gamecocks have also been to Universal Studios and visited SeaWorld after Friday’s practice. Center T.J. Johnson, who’s part of an offensive line that reshuffling with Terrence Campbell being doubtful and the return of Kyle Nunn, said that the activities help the team get its mind off things.
“This has been a great bowl,” Johnson said. “One of the things I like about this bowl the most, as far as the ones I’ve been to, is we’ve got a lot more free time. A lot of times we get to these bowls and they’ve got us so planned out that we don’t have any time to really relax and enjoy ourselves. With this bowl, after practice, we can go to the park, we can go to the pool, and we can go downtown and get something to eat. That’s something I really enjoy.”
The Gamecocks look like they’re enjoying themselves. Even after a practice in the midday heat, the players were all smiles. Byron Jerideau pretended to interview Travian Robertson with other reporters, filming him with a small camera. While one player was being interviewed, another stood behind the cameraman, making faces to try to get his teammate to lose his composure.
Though the squad has been able to treasure its time away from focusing on getting a history-making 11-win season, it hasn’t made light of the task.
“There’s been a lot of talk,” Sanders said. “It’s real big. That’s something that was on our team door list—to go ahead and have an 11-win season.”