Scrimmage report: USC defense stands out

South Carolina gave its young players and reserves extra work in Saturday’s scrimmage, and coach Steve Spurrier did not like what he saw.

“It was a pretty lackluster scrimmage today,” Spurrier said after a nearly two hour workout in Williams-Brice Stadium. “Receivers and tight ends dropping a bunch of passes. Offensive linemen jumping offsides, so it was pretty ugly on the offensive side.”

Junior tailback Marcus Lattimore, who is coming back from a season-ending knee injury, had one carry for minus-3 yards before the coaching staff sent him to the sidelines to stay out of harm’s way. Five of the team’s quarterbacks played, and freshman Brendan Nosovitch, who is expected to redshirt this season, was the only one without an interception.

Starter Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson, Seth Strickland and Andrew Clifford each had one touchdown and one interception. Shaw was 3-for-5 for 33 yards.

“Very few good plays by the offense, more good plays by the defensive guys,” Spurrier said. “Nobody got hurt bad.”

Senior cornerback Akeem Auguste aggravated a groin injury only two days after returning to the practice field and left the scrimmage early.

“Hopefully, it’s just minor,” Ward said. “If it’s longer, then Jimmy (Legree) has to step up.”

Legree will take over the top cornerback spot, although Ahmad Christian could return from a concussion as early as Sunday to battle for the spot. If Auguste is healthy, he will start the Aug. 30 game against Vanderbilt even if it doesn’t return to practice between now and then, Ward said.

“Akeem has played a lot of football here,” Ward said. “If Akeem is getting mental reps, then I’ll be fine if he’s 100 percent healthy when the game starts. If we had to play tomorrow, Jimmy would be starting at corner, so I have total confidence in Jimmy.”

After the scrimmage, Spurrier announced the suspensions of defensive tackle J.T. Surratt and spur Sharrod Golightly. Both players will miss the first three games of the season due to a violation of team rules.

“Georgia is not the only school that’s got ‘em missing, we’ve got ‘em missing, too,” Spurrier said. “Nobody heard of our guys, I guess that’s the only difference.”

Golightly was expected to be DeVonte Holloman’s top backup, and Surratt is a third-string lineman.

EXTRA POINTS

... Freshman wide receiver Shaq Roland led all receivers with two catches for 45 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown.

... Reserve defensive tackle Phillip Dukes did not participate due to a leg injury, Ward said. Dukes is expected back early next week.

... Sophomore walk-on Jessie Dukes had two interceptions.

... Kelcy Quarles and Jordan Diggs each picked off passes. Quin Smith recovered a fumble by Mike Davis.

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SCORING PLAYS

... Bruce Ellington 9-yard pass from Connor Shaw (Adam Yates kick)

... Damiere Byrd 5-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Landon Ard kick)

... Mike Davis 25-yard pass from Andrew Clifford (Yates kick)

... Ard 35-yard field goal

... Yates 47-yard field goal

... Shaq Roland 32-yard pass from Seth Strickland (Ard kick)

... Nick St. Germain 47-yard field goal

PASSING: Dylan Thompson 9-17-1-52, 1 TD; Seth Strickland 4-7-1-48, 1 TD; Andrew Clifford 3-6-1-42, 1 TD; Connor Shaw 3-5-1-33, 1 TD; Brendan Nosovitch 3-5-0-32. TOTALS: 22-40-4-207, 4 TD.

RUSHING: Blair Lowery 2-21; Mike Davis 3-17; Kenny Miles 3-8; Connor Shaw 1-2; Seth Strickland 1-1; Joshua Blue 3-(-1); Marcus Lattimore 1-(-3); Andrew Clifford 1-(-4); Jody Fuller 1-(-8); Dylan Thompson 4-(-25). TOTALS: 20-8.

RECEIVING: Shaq Roland 2-45, 1 TD; Mike Davis 2-32, 1 TD; Bruce Ellington 2-15, 1 TD; Kwinton Smith 2-14; Nick Jones 2-12; Jerell Adams 2-11; Shamier Jeffery 1-23; D.L. Moore 1-18; Kenny Miles 1-13; DeAngelo Smith 1-11; Shon Carson 1-6; Damiere Byrd 1-5, 1 TD; Connor McLaurin 1-3; K.J. Brent 1-2; Qua Gilchrist 1-2; Dylan Thompson 1-(-5). TOTALS: 22-207, 4 TD.

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This story was originally published August 18, 2012 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Scrimmage report: USC defense stands out."