Practice report: Shaw could play; Auguste nears return

Quarterback Connor Shaw still is not 100 percent and has not been cleared to return to South Carolina’s starting lineup, coach Steve Spurrier said Thursday night.

Spurrier, though, added that might change by the time the No. 8 Gamecocks play UAB on Saturday at 7 p.m.

“He hasn’t quite been 100 percent yet, but there’s a chance he might get there,” Spurrier said on his weekly radio call-in show “Carolina Calls.” “We’ll see how he feels Saturday morning, to tell you the truth.”

Shaw, who suffered a badly bruised right shoulder blade against Vanderbilt on Aug. 30, threw during South Carolina’s afternoon practice, Spurrier said.

“I expect him to throw it around a little bit more (Friday) and then we’ll have to see how he feels Saturday,” Spurrier said. “It’s just a little painful right now.”

SHAKING THINGS UP

The Gamecocks’ coaches need to work more with their offensive linemen and perhaps change their blocking schemes, Spurrier said, but offensive line coach Shawn Elliott is happy with his players’ effort, he said.

“We have to perform better than we have, but these guys are out here working,” Elliott said. “It’s not like they are happy with their performance. We are by no means happy, but they’re doing a good job and have a good focus and have a great attitude. If they want to be a great o-line, they can do it.”

South Carolina rotated four offensive tackles throughout last week’s game against East Carolina and might do that again against UAB, Elliott said. Sophomores Mike Matulis and Cody Gibson are expected to start and be backed up by Brandon Shell and Corey Robinson.

“I said y’all go out there and practice hard and practice well, and I feel like you’ve got that focus, then you’re going to play on Saturday,” Elliott said.

Robinson had not played a meaningful snap until last week’s game.

“I really had no intentions of Corey playing a lot of snaps until Monday he was like, ‘I can do this,’ ” Elliott said. “And on Tuesday he followed it up with a great practice. Wednesday, he came out here and did the exact same thing. Then, I’m like, ‘Hey, that’s great.’ You prove to me you can do it through the course of the week, I’ll prove to you I’ll play you on Saturday. I think they understand that now.”

INJURY UPDATE

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (ribs) is expected to be full strength Saturday, defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said.

“He said he was feeling better today than he did yesterday,” Ward said after Thursday’s practice. “He practiced today with no problems, so I guess he will be 100 percent.”

Senior cornerback Akeem Auguste, who has missed the first two games due to a leg injury could be back as soon as the Sept. 22 Missouri game, Ward said. Jimmy Legree has played well in Auguste’s absence that Ward said Auguste will “have to earn the position when he comes back.”

EXTRA POINTS

... More than 2,000 tickets remain for Saturday’s game. They are $35 each and can be purchased at www.gamecocksonline.com.

... A victory Saturday would give South Carolina seven straight wins, tying for the second-longest streak in school history. The longest streak is nine in a row, set in 1984.

... Suspended defensive tackle J.T. Surratt and spur Sharrod Golightly will return for the Missouri game, Ward confirmed.

... Freshman wide receiver Shamier Jeffery “is a little behind” but is among the team’s top nine wideouts, Spurrier said on 107.5 on Thursday night.

This story was originally published September 13, 2012 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Practice report: Shaw could play; Auguste nears return."