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Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com/
South Carolina wideout Alshon Jeffery battles for the ball with Alabama's Marquis Johnson.
GoGamecocks.com
Receiver sustains concussion, is carted off field late in first half
USC drops one spot in top 25; Bama No. 1
South Carolina senior wide receiver No. 9 Moe Brown gives the thumbs up as he gets carted off the field after a second quarter play.
Gerry Melendez /The State Media Company
Written by JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com
Posted on 10.18.09
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survey:
Do you feel better or worse about the 2009 Gamecocks after their 20-6 loss to Alabama?
South Carolina moved down a spot in this week's Associated Press top 25, with Alabama moving up -- to No. 1.
The Crimson Tide jumped Florida and landed at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. The unbeaten Gators had been in the top spot since the preseason, but the Crimson Tide has been gaining ground for weeks by winning more convincingly than the Gators.
The final surge came after Alabama beat South Carolina 20-6 and Florida needed a field goal in the waning seconds to beat Arkansas 23-20 at home.
South Carolina (5-2) fell one spot from last week to 22. The Gamecocks face Vanderbilt at Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday.
Florida remained No. 1 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, where USC is also No. 23.
Brown OK after hit. South Carolina receiver Moe Brown was transported to a local hospital for precautionary measures Saturday after sustaining a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit from Alabamas Robby Green late in the first half.
Brown later was released from the hospital and returned home on the team plane.
Moe got knocked out. They took all the precautions, took him to the hospital and brought him back, USC coach Steve Spurrier said. He seems to be in pretty good shape for a guy that got knocked out.
Brown flashed two thumbs up and was smiling and talking with USCs medical personnel after being immobilized on a backboard before being carted off the field.
Brown was drilled after catching an 8-yard pass that gave the Gamecocks a first-and-goal at the 5 with 3:39 left in the second quarter. He lay motionless as Spurrier and the medical staff ran to check on him.
USC and Alabama players applauded when Brown was taken from the field. Gamecocks guard Jarriel King said he told Brown he loved him.
Changing of the guard. King, the starting left tackle since last season, played every snap in first career start at guard. King said he learned at midweek that he would be changing positions.
Just had to go in and do it, King said. It was a big challenge, playing guard for the first time ever.
King said he was uncertain whether he would have switched had Heath Batchelor not quit the team this week. Batchelor left midway through last season and later took a medical withdrawal from the university to deal with personal problems. He re-enrolled in June after agreeing to a number of stipulations.
He was suspended for the South Carolina State game Oct. 3 for missing classes. Batchelor, who told friends football was no longer enjoyable, had nine career starts.
Dont quit your day job. Free safety Chris Culliver questioned whether the Gamecocks were in the right defense for Alabamas final drive, in which Mark Ingram ran six times for 68 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown.
Told of Cullivers comment, assistant head coach for defense Ellis Johnson said: Cully just needs to play. He dont need to coach. Cully needs to tackle.
Johnson said he thought the defense was worn down by theend of the game.
Man of Steele. USC senior linebacker Eric Norwood has been named to the first team of Phil Steele's midseason All-American team. Steele publishes a popular preseason college football magazine.
Norwood, who recently was named a semifinalist for the Lombardi and Butkus awards, entered Saturday's game as the SEC sack leader with six. The Georgia native is USC's all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss.
Norwood was the only USC player on Steele's midseason All-SEC first team. Defensive end Cliff Matthews and punter Spencer Lanning were second-team selections. Free safety Chris Culliver made the third team.
Bonds at 'Bama. Alabama freshman defensive lineman Chris Bonds is a former Richland Northeast star. The 6-4, 280-pound Bonds, who chose the Crimson Tide over Southern Cal, Tennessee, Michigan and Notre Dame, has not played this season and is expected to redshirt.
The Gamecocks have two Alabama natives on their roster: Safeties Darian Stewart and Jarrett Burns went to Lee High in Huntsville. USC had a third Alabaman before starting offensive lineman Heath Batchelor, a native of Haleyville, quit the team this week.
Batchelor left midway through last season and later took a medical withdrawal from the university to deal with personal problems. He re-enrolled in June after agreeing to a number of stipulations.
He was suspended for the South Carolina State game Oct. 3 for missing classes. Batchelor, who told friends football was no longer enjoyable, had nine career starts.
Two cups of Coffee. There could have been an interesting, brother-vs.-brother story line for Saturday's game.
But San Francisco 49ers rookie tailback Glen Coffee decided to skip his senior year at Alabama and turn pro, and his younger brother, USC signee Matt Coffee, is grayshirting while rehabbing a knee injury.
Glen Coffee, a third-round draft choice by San Francisco, had 12 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown last week in the Niners' loss to Atlanta. Matt Coffee, a fullback from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., sustained a season-ending knee injury in the second game of his senior season last fall.
Extra points. Spurrier said USC freshman running back Jarvis Giles will be eligible vs. Vanderbilt after serving a one-game suspension.
... USC freshman receiver Alshon Jeffery made his first career start and had a career-long 54-yard reception in the second quarter.
... Gamecocks right guard T.J. Johnson was penalized three times for 35 yards in the first half.
... Suspended cornerback Akeem Auguste made the trip to Tuscaloosa. Auguste, who is expected to be eligible for this week's Vanderbilt game, wore a game jersey over a sweatshirt on the sideline.
... Despite unseasonably cool temperatures in the 40s, USC strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald led the pre-game stretching in shorts and a short-sleeve T-shirt.
... Alabama cornerback and return specialist Javier Arenas did not play after sustaining a rib injury late in the week. Arenas is the NCAA's active punt return leader and is closing in on the SEC and NCAA career punt return marks.
... USC defensive lineman Melvin Ingram played a snap as a blocking back in the first quarter.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496. / The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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