There is little doubt that South Carolina is scrambling to find solutions at wide receiver.

After Wednesday's practice, receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. says he wants talented true freshmen D.J. Neal and Jalen Christian to play, but he's not going to force them in. He added it's going to depend on a situation and that their goal is to have the best 11 guys on the field.

Another true freshman wide receiver, Christian Owens came over from the scout team and practiced with the regular offense at the end of practice.

Earlier this week, South Carolina moved cornerback/safety Jamari Smith to wide receiver.

More Notes...

--Quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus said the key to Connor Mitch's game on Thursday was his success on third down (as a team the Gamecocks were 7-of-15). Mangus added that he was proud of backup Perry Orth for coming in and completing a couple of passes.

--Offensive line coach Shawn Elliott said the offensive line played average as a whole and they have to improve. The Gamecocks did not allow a sack and averaged 5.4 yards per rush.

--Running backs coach Everette Sands said that there is not a real plan to get Shon Carson - who rushed for 75 yards on four carries including a game-winning 48-yard touchdown- into the game more on Saturday against Kentucky and that it will depend on how the game goes. Sands added that he felt that there were a lot of yards left on the field against North Carolina.

South Carolina opens SEC play against Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.