Newton faces Vandy a year after Achilles' injury

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Syvelle Newton thought a South Carolina teammate had stepped on his ankle during his fateful touchdown run against Vanderbilt a year ago and was ready to celebrate. Moments later, Newton realized the celebration was over.<br> <br> Newton tore his Achilles tendon during the Commodores game last fall, an injury that required surgery and caused him to miss the Gamecocks final five games.<br> <br> In a strange twist, though, Newton&#39;s devastating injury and painful rehab may be one of the main reasons he&#39;ll be where few expected starting quarterback for Steve Spurrier.<br> <br> ``I made a position move to help my team out, once again, that&#39;s what I&#39;m all about,&#39;&#39; Newton said this week.<br> <br> A year ago, Newton was Spurrier&#39;s growing triple threat weapon, a combination of power and speed who could hurt opponents throwing, catching or running with the football. He had done all that against Vanderbilt, accounting for three touchdowns in South Carolina&#39;s 35-28 victory.<br> <br> When Newton finished off a 10-yard scoring run that gave the Gamecocks a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, he didn&#39;t expect his season to end. He had to be helped off the field and was soon walking with crutches.<br> <br> ``Everybody&#39;s trying to congratulate him and he&#39;s like, &#39;ooh, something&#39;s wrong down there,&#39;&#39;&#39; Spurrier said.<br> <br> If Newton had continued to shine on offense last fall, he might have thought about giving up his senior year for the NFL draft. Now injured, Newton suddenly wasn&#39;t sure if he&#39;d ever step on a field again.<br> <br> ``I mean, it was kind of emotional to me,&#39;&#39; Newton said. ``I kind of felt like I probably could&#39;ve did something last year at the rate I was going.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Less than five months later, Newton was on the spring practice field lightly jogging and testing the injury.<br> <br> He was back at full speed by August workouts and showed signs of his old, versatile self, taking a flip from quarterback Blake Mitchell and lofting a 53-yard touchdown pass to Cory Boyd the Gamecocks only TD in a 15-0 victory at Mississippi State to start the season.<br> <br> When Spurrier&#39;s offense was held scoreless a week later in an 18-0 loss to Georgia, the ball coach moved Newton under center.<br> <br> Newton has a strong arm and a knack to make defenders miss him that few possess. Still, he knew his best shot at the NFL was most likely as a receiver or defensive back not as a passer.<br> <br> ``I love to win so whatever I can do to win,&#39;&#39; Newton said.<br> <br> The Gamecocks have looked better under his leadership, winning three of the past four games Newton started. In the lone loss, 24-17 to then-No. 2 Auburn, Newton accounted for 284 yards and two TD passes. It looked like Newton had number three, but a sure tying touchdown with less than three minutes left bounced off the hands of Jared Cook.<br> <br> While Newton seemed an odd fit for Spurrier&#39;s ``Cock-n-Fire&#39;&#39; offense most of Spurrier&#39;s quarterbacks are more drop back passers he has gotten the Gamecocks moving in the right direction.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s a lot of new stuff for him to try to learn in four or five weeks,&#39;&#39; Spurrier said. ``But he&#39;s done well. He&#39;s a gamer.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Newton&#39;s led South Carolina from 99th nationally in Division I-A offense after the Georgia defeat to 58th heading into the Vanderbilt game.<br> <br> ``It feels like a totally new offense,&#39;&#39; Boyd said.<br> <br> Boyd&#39;s only regret? ``We wish we could&#39;ve had him in there earlier in the season so he could be more confident with the offense,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> That will come, Newton says. Just give him time.<br> <br> ``Once you get comfortable with yourself, you get comfortable playing as a team. That&#39;s basically what it&#39;s all about. We&#39;re getting comfortable together.&#39;&#39;