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Birmingham postcard, day 2
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Greetings from Birmingham, site of the Papa Joes Bowl.
At least thats how South Carolina receiver Moe Brown referred to it Wednesday during a morning press conference. Steve Spurrier, who was seated next to Brown, corrected him.
Papa Johns, Spurrier said under his breath. You said Papa Joes.
Spurrier obviously understands a thing or two about marketing. As the press conference wrapped up, the USC coach made sure to mention how much the team enjoyed the Papa Johns pizza the previous night.
They must have brought 100 boxes in, he said.
Ive been here two days and have yet to have a slice from Papa Johns, Joes, Jims or any pizzeria. I did eat at Jim and Nicks Barbecue.
Or maybe it was Nick and Jims. Either way, the cheese biscuits were amazing.
jp
Moving on to football matters
The week did not start well for USC QB Stephen Garcia, who could not remember a practice hes had that was as bad as Wednesdays. Garcia said he was throwing high to most of his receivers, but refused to blame the cold, wet conditions.
But Garcia, who struggled at last years Outback Bowl in his Tampa hometown, did not seem too concerned.
Its practice. It is what it is, Garcia said. You practice to get better. Well be all right. Were fine.
Spurrier said he expects to use a three-player rotation at offensive tackle against UConn, with Jarriel King, Hutch Eckerson and Kyle Nunn sharing the reps.
Backup safety Jarrett Burns, out since the UT game with torn ligaments in his finger, has been cleared to practice. If Burns plays Saturday, it would be on special teams.
UConn coach Randy Edsall and his players talked a lot about Jasper Howard, the 20-year-old cornerback who died in October after being stabbed outside a campus party.
The team has kept Howards locker intact, and the players have a decal of his No. 6 on their helmets. Edsall, who has been widely praised for his handling of the situation, lost his father in February following a lengthy illness.
Edsall said he drew on that experience for strength as he tried to comfort his grieving players. Look for a story on Howard in Thursdays editions of The State.
Asked what a win Saturday would mean for the future of the program, Spurrier seated between Brown and LB Eric Norwood said neither player would be around next season. In other words, this game is for this season.
Norwood followed up by saying he has a chance to put book-end wins on the start and finish of his career. The Gamecocks shut out Mississippi State in Starkville in Norwoods first game at USC.
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