Four days after saying South Carolina star tailback Mike Davismight miss the opener, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday night that coaches think Davis will be ready to go Thursday against Texas A&M.
"Hopefully Mike will be full speed and 100 percent by Thursday; we think he will be," Spurrier said Sunday night during his weekly news conference.
Davis has missed some practice with a rib injury. He rushed for 1,183 yards and 11 TDs last season, and he also is the Gamecocks' leading returning receiver.
Spurrier also said Sunday night that the Gamecocks are deep at tailback, mentioning Brandon Wilds, Shon Carson and David Williams.
"Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson have both had really good preseason practices," Spurrier said. "But (Texas A&M) may stack the line and dare us to throw. I don't know what's going to happen in the game. We'll try to be ready to run and throw according to the situation, as most teams do."
It would make sense for A&M to try to make South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson win the game. Thing is, A&M might not be able to hold up against the run. That certainly was an issue last season for the Aggies, who surrendered a league-worst 222.3 rushing yards per game last season. The defensive front seven looks to be an issue again this year.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.