USC's Auguste back, might start vs. ECU

COLUMBIA -- Defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram didn't take part in South Carolina's closed scrimmage Wednesday at Williams- Brice Stadium, but senior cornerback Akeem Auguste saw his first action of the preseason. Auguste has been out all camp with an ankle injury but might start in the season opener against East Carolina, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said.

Auguste was listed as a starting cornerback entering the preseason.

"If he gets all his practice days in next week, he'll be fine," Johnson said.

Clowney, the freshman defensive end from Rock Hill rated among the top recruits in the country, suffered a bone spur on his left ankle during practice Tuesday. Ingram, a senior projected to start, left the same workout with a bruised left thigh.

"(Clowney) is two or three days. He'll be OK," head coach Steve Spurrier said. "He said he had that injury in high school, a bone spur pinching on a nerve or something. The (doctors) think he'll be OK by the weekend."

Scrimmage highlights

Passing: Stephen Garcia 9 of 13, 1 INT, 1 TD, 136 yards (sacked four times); Connor Shaw 8 of 9, 1 TD, 100 yards (sacked once); Andrew Clifford 2 of 3, 74 yards.

Rushing: Marcus Lattimore 2-16, Shon Carson 3-4 TD, Ace Sanders 2-29.

Receiving: Alshon Jeffery 1-16, D.L. Moore 2-67, Damiere Byrd 2-48 TD, Lamar Scruggs 2-61 TD, Justice Cunningham 2-21.

"Stephen did a lot better, although he had a couple mental errors that hopefully he can learn from," Spurrier said.