GoGamecocks.com

Practice report: Johnson interested in Army

Written by Joseph Person

Posted on 12.17.08
Bookmark and Share
email this story to a friend E-Mail print story Print Reprint
Text Size:

tool name

close
tool goes here

Related Content

Outback Bowl

WHO: Iowa (8-4) vs. USC (7-5)

WHEN: 11 a.m., Jan. 1

WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

TV: ESPN (channel 26 in Columbia, HD channel 950)

RADIO: WNKT-FM 107.5, WISW-AM 1320

LINE: Iowa by 3.5

TV, radio notes

Sean McDonough will do the play-by-play, Chris Spielman will offer analysis and Rob Stone will be on the sidelines. The game can be heard on WNKT-FM 107.5 and WISW-AM 1320 with Todd Ellis and Tommy Suggs in the booth and former USC and NFL star Duce Staley on the field.

News of the day

USC defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson played one season at Army before returning to The Citadel, where he started and ended his college career.

Nearly four decades later, Johnson would like to head back to West Point as the Cadets’ coach. Johnson, whose two older brothers also played at Army, asked an intermediary to let officials know he is interested in the school’s vacancy.

“I have a lot of respect for the place,” Johnson said Tuesday. “It’s something I’d love to have an opportunity for, but I don’t know if there’s anything to it or not.”

Army fired Stan Brock last week after the Cadets went 6-18 in his two seasons, including a 34-0 loss to Navy. The Cadets have not had a winning season since 1996.

Johnson, a Winnsboro native who turns 57 next week, is in his first season at USC. The Gamecocks are ranked fourth in the SEC and 11th nationally in total defense.

Johnson, who received a midseason extension that kept three years on his USC contract, expressed interest in the Mississippi State job before the Bulldogs hired Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen.

Johnson was 12-22 in three seasons as The Citadel’s head coach before becoming Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator before the 2004 season.

Stock rising

Kevin Young. The sophomore guard is third team, but practicing in full pads for the first time in a year following complications with his left shoulder, which has undergone three surgeries.

Plus, Young is fired up about the Outback Bowl, which will be played 15 miles from his hometown of Clearwater, Fla.

“You can go to the beach year-round – awesome beaches,” he said. “I just can’t wait to be home.”

Stock falling

The run defense. There’s never a good time to lose your leading tackler. But USC could have used strong safety Emanuel Cook against Iowa’s Shonn Greene, the nation’s second-leading rusher and winner of the Doak Walker Award that goes to the country’s top running back. Injury report

Guard Lemuel Jeanpierre, who started five games this season before injuring his right knee against Tennessee, is uncertain whether he can play in the bowl game. Jeanpierre missed the final three regular-season games with a partially torn ligament that did not require surgery.

“There’s time, and I’m working hard to try to get back,” he said.

Quotable

“Sam Bradford said that he grew up always wanting to play for Oklahoma, and he considered it an honor to play for the University of Oklahoma. I told our guys, ‘I hope all you guys can say it’s an honor to play for the University of South Carolina,’ because it should be. Should look at it that way. So hopefully our guys will really represent our school in a first-class manner at this bowl game,” – USC coach Steve Spurrier.

Extra points

Spurrier nearly missed the start of Tuesday’s practice because of travel delays returning from New York, where he attended activities following the Heisman Trophy presentation. The Gamecocks moved practice back an hour for Spurrier, who jogged in shortly after players had stretched. …

USC returns to the practice fields at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

  • Search
  • GoGamecocks.com
  • Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

Recent Video

Latest Forum posts