USC vs Clemson: Will Saturday's game come down to a field goal?

With his matinee-idol looks, beach physique and his position as South Carolina's kicker — joke around at practice, hit a few kicks, never get the uniform dirty — it would be easy to put Ryan Succop in the pretty-boy category.

According to his teammates, it also would be wrong.

"Have you ever seen his physique? He's built like a linebacker," Gamecocks receiver Kenny McKinley said. "I've never seen a kicker, he lifts all the weights. He does all the runs, the same thing as everybody else does."

McKinley said the 6-foot-3, 221-pound Succop destroys the stereotype that kickers are scrawnier and less athletic than teammates who block and tackle every play.

When USC strength coach Mark Smith gave McKinley a hard time a couple of years ago because Succop was lifting more weight than McKinley, the All-SEC receiver tried to explain it to Smith by saying, "But coach, it's Succop."

If there were any questions about Succop's toughness, he has answered them this year. The senior from Hickory, N.C., has played the past two months with a sports hernia, the injury that ended Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's season early in 2005.

But Succop has kicked through the pain and put off surgery until after the season, despite the fact rehabilitation will cut into his preparation for the NFL draft. Succop, who has received pain-killing shots before every game since the Mississippi contest, downplays the notion that he's tougher than most kickers.

"I really don't even think about it to tell you the truth. I've got a job here. The team's counting on me, just like I'm counting on the team," he said this week. "So I don't want to let an injury keep me out."

If recent history is a guide, the Gamecocks will need Succop on Saturday at Clemson. Each of the past two games in the series has been decided by a field goal.

Succop's 35-yarder midway through the fourth quarter of USC's 31-28 victory two years ago held up as the game-winner when Jad Dean's 39-yard attempt sailed wide left with 13 seconds remaining. But Clemson's Mark Buchholz redeemed Dean last year in Columbia by booting a 35-yarder as time expired to beat the Gamecocks 23-21.

Saturday will be the final regular-season game for both Buchholz and Succop, who has made 48 field goals during his USC career but none to win a game in the final seconds. He figures Saturday would be a good time for his first.

"That would just be an unbelievable blessing," he said. "I've had a really good four years here, and I've enjoyed it. It'd be a great way to go out with a win over Clemson on Saturday. It'd be a great ending for me."

Succop, an all-state soccer player in high school, is second all time at USC behind Collin Mackie in both field goals and scoring (Succop has 245 points). He has made 71.6 percent of his career field-goal attempts (48 of 67), although that figure has slipped this year as Succop has battled an injury that was first diagnosed as a torn abdominal muscle.

Succop has attempted more field goals (28) than any kicker in the country this season, but he has connected just 67.9 percent of the time and ranks fourth in the SEC in field-goal accuracy.

But Succop's right foot remains a weapon for the Gamecocks. In addition to nailing a 54-yard field goal against Arkansas, Succop is perfect on extra points and his 25 touchbacks on kickoffs lead the SEC.

"He's going to have a definite chance to kick on Sundays," USC special teams coach Ray Rychleski said. "He's got everything in order with what he needs to do, and it's going to all work out perfect for him."

Before the season, Scouts Inc. rated Succop as the top kicker in the NFL draft, and Succop hopes his injury will not affect his draft status. He is scheduled to meet with a specialist in Philadelphia on Dec. 9 but hopes to postpone the surgery until after the bowl game.

"Obviously it's painful when you get out there and swing your leg. It kind of stretches in a weird way," Succop said. "It's painful, but it's nothing that I'm going to let get to me."

In fact, Gamecocks receiver Moe Brown did not realize Succop had a sports hernia until a reporter mentioned it this week.

"You can't tell (he's hurt). He's a competitor. He's come out here and kicked the ball all over the place," Brown said. "Look at him, man. He's like a movie star. He's got a boot for a leg. All the girls tell me how much they love him and (quarterback Chris) Smelley, so he's the man."

Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.