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Headlinin’: Gamecock hoopster is first man into the Lattimore void

Matt Hinton

Making the morning rounds.

• You're the man now, dawg, part one. Faced with the sudden absence of more than a third of its total offense, South Carolina plans to dramatically increase the role of former hoops star Bruce Ellington to fill the void left by a knee injury to All-American tailback Marcus Lattimore. Ellington, a freshman who spent his first semester on campus as starting point guard for the Gamecock basketball team, has 23 touches for 220 yards over the first seven games — the vast majority of them coming in the last three, including a 61-yard touchdown run against Kentucky and three pass attempts out of the Wildcat in Saturday's win at Mississippi State. The No. 2 back behind Lattimore, freshman Brandon Wilds, has 13 carries all year.

"Bruce is ready to go," coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday. "We'll use him a bit more back there running with it. He's a natural runner with the ball. He could play some tailback, but I think we'll leave him mainly at wide receiver and use him at shotgun. … As we know, he can throw it, so we'll have some passes for him; more than last week. We're going to let him go." [Charleston Post & Courier]

•You're the man now, dawg, part two. Auburn has named sophomore Clint Moseley its starting quarterback for Saturday's trip to LSU, Moseley's first career start after coming off the bench to lead a pair of second half scoring drives in place of struggling Barrett Trotter in the Tigers' 17-6 win over Florida. At least he's going into Death Valley with eye wide open as a 23-point underdog: "I know they're probably going to be coming straight for me. No starts, no experience, so they're probably pumped up over there," Moseley said. "It's a little nerve-racking, but at the same time how could you draw it up better? It's just the most dramatic situation you can think of. That's awesome." [al.com, Montgomery Advertiser]

• Actually, we can put a price on tradition. Surprise: It's really cheap. The latest attorney for accused Auburn tree killer Harvey Updyke — at least his fifth — filed a motion Tuesday to reduce felony charges against Updyke to misdemeanors, arguing that Alabama law places the value of the beloved Toomer's Corner oaks he allegedly poisoned last year at just $20. Per said law, anyone "who cuts down, deadens, girdles, boxes, destroys or takes away, if already cut down or fallen, any cypress, pecan, oak, pine, cedar, poplar, walnut, hickory or wild cherry tree, or sapling of that kind, on land not his own, wilfully and knowingly, without the consent of the owner of the land, must pay to the owner $20.00 for every such tree or sapling." The next hearing in Updyke's case is scheduled for Thursday. [al.com] {YSP:MORE}

• Thank you for your contributions. Miami offensive lineman Brandon Washington, a senior with 20 consecutive starts and a first-team All-ACC nod to his name in 2010, didn't bother to hide his frustration with the ongoing competition at left tackle between himself and hyped sophomore Seantrel Henderson, whose preseason back injury forced Washington to move outside from his regular home at guard in the first place. "Of course, it bothers me," Washington told reporters on Tuesday. "Like I said I was an all-conference guard and they asked me to move out there because of the injury to Seantrel. Now, they're telling me the three inside guys are solid and that possibly won't change."

Coach Al Golden said Washington remains one of the five best linemen on the team, but also said Henderson "is gaining ground." [Miami Herald]

• BOOM! I'm sorry. Florida coach Will Muschamp, a longtime favorite of FCC haters and sideline chaos, in general, has vowed to clean up his act on the sideline after ESPN mikes picked up a string of NSFTV bombs in the first half of the Gators' loss at Auburn. "That's certainly not representative of what this program and this university is about," Muschamp said at his regular Tuesday press conference. "It's hard when you've got a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old at home and you've got to go home and explain to them what you said."

As for the no-call that prompted the explosion? Still crap unfortunate, and he's not sorry he let everybody know. "Again, as far as the sideline stuff is concerned, we're going to be who we are. I'm just apologizing for the language, nothing else." [Gainesville Sun]

Quickly… Auburn loses a starting offensive lineman for the year to an ankle injury. … John Brantley is free of crutches and protective boots and may begin throwing this week. … Will Muschamp apologizes for saying bad words. … Arkansas unveils new stadium expansion plans. … Ohio State teammates and coaches have Carlos Hyde's back after an indiscreet tweet. … Incredibly, an undersized caucasian receiver gets compared to Wes Welker. … Iowa's card stunts before Saturday's win over Northwestern cost $80,000. … And Central Florida alum/confirmed Nick Saban hater Daniel Tosh spent an entire episode of his show dressed in Ohio State gear.

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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.