Spurrier playing coy with expectations

COLUMBIA — Wanna know what South Carolina's going to look like in its opener Thursday night against North Carolina State?

Hey, you're not alone. So does Steve Spurrier.

"You don't know exactly what you've got until you go play," Spurrier said Sunday during his first weekly news conference of the season. "We have confidence our team will play well. But, until we do, it's just sort of hope and confidence that we will play well. So, we've got to go do it, and then go do it again and again and again."

Spurrier's typical weekly preview is to either poormouth his team or, sometimes, build it up with compliments. Neither applied Sunday.

His offense is being led by a quarterback, Tommy Beecher, with little experience. The offensive line is deeper with some scattered experience, but it's still widely unproven. The receivers beyond Kenny McKinley echo the same chord.

The defense and special teams have new coaching leaders, but no one is certain how that'll translate exactly.

"I usually have a feel," Spurrier said, "but I don't know what's going to happen."

Spurrier is 3-0 in his openers at USC. Just as Thursday will be, two of those games (Central Florida in 2005, Mississippi State in 2006) were

the ESPN national telecast to open the entire college football season.

Also, it's the Gamecocks' first chance, in about 10 months, to end their five-game losing streak.

"We need a win, no doubt," linebacker Eric Norwood said. "It's a big game, just to build that momentum back up."

Last year's 6-6 finish in mind, senior receiver Kenny McKinley said the team has a more "humble approach" this time around.

As a result, it's a more muzzled Spurrier you hear and a South Carolina team that's hopeful of sneaking up on opponents.

That's the case just a year after Spurrier boisterously talked about lifting the expectations for the program.

"Again, we're trying to stay a little bit underneath the radar, whatever you want to call it about not trying to talk too big," he said Sunday.

"Hopefully (we'll) let our play do whatever talking needs to be said. I don't know if we've got a really good team, an average team or what. I don't know yet.

"We've got to go in the stadium here Thursday night and start finding out how we can perform. We've done a lot of things differently around here, and we'll find out if it pays off this coming Thursday night."

The Gamecocks and Wolfpack will kick off at 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN).

Sunday was also the first look at USC's depth chart entering the season. Here are a few highlights.

--Senior Stoney Woodson has jumped senior Carlos Thomas at corner. Spurrier said Woodson, Thomas and freshman Akeem Auguste will all rotate.

--Spencer Lanning is listed as the starter at punter, but Spurrier reiterated that Lanning and freshman Ryan Doerr will both punt Thursday.

--In a three-receiver set, Moe Brown and Dion LeCorn are the second and third receivers to complement Kenny McKinley. Brown would likely get the nod if there's a tight end on the field.

--The defense was laid out in the 4-2-5 format, as expected. Darian Stewart is the starter at the "spur" spot, a linebacker-safety hybrid. Spurrier said USC will not know until Wednesday, perhaps, if Stewart (foot) is available. Converted receiver Larry Freeman is Stewart's backup; he's turned heads in camp.

--Brian Maddox and Taylor Rank have an "or" beside their names for second-string running back behind Mike Davis. Rank worked with the first team when Davis was missing with a shoulder injury.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the new South Carolina blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks/