Gamecocks

Catcher Wade Wass, the Orioles' 13th round pick out of Meridian Junior College, has told the Orioles he will be going to the University of Alabama instead of signing with the club. Wass and Ryan Ripken, the Orioles' 20th round pick out of Gilman and the son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., are the only two draftees who have told the club so far that they are definitely eschewing pro ball for school. Ripken has a baseball scholarship to South Carolina. The Orioles are not planning on signing any more non-drafted free agents from the 2012 class, scouting director Gary Rajsich said.

The Orioles have agreed in principle with three of their top seven draft picks, including second-rounder Branden Kline, a right-hander out of the University of Virginia who graduated from Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick. The club also agreed to terms with both of their players from the University of South Carolina, who could not negotiate until after the Gamecocks lost in the College World Series on Monday:     Fourth-rounder Christian Walker, a first baseman, and seventh-rounder Matthew Price, a right-handed pitcher.

Position: Running back College: South Carolina Who he is: Signed by the Ravens in May as a rookie free agent, Brewer was instrumental in South Carolina's turnaround over the past several seasons. An all-purpose player, he led the Gamecocks in receptions, punt and kickoff returns as a senior. His best performance came against Ohio State in the 2001 Outback Bowl, where he gained 214 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the 24-7 win. Other sports he likes: "I played soccer my whole life, and I like snowboarding, too. Also, I'll throw a baseball around every now and then."

Music blared at Navy football practice throughout the week in Annapolis, giving the Midshipmen a feel of what they will experience tonight in Columbia, S.C., inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Coaches stopped drills to remind the players about the size, speed and accomplishments of some of their South Carolina counterparts. The Midshipmen didn't blink. "Our approach is that we're just going to put our heads down and go to work," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said Wednesday after practice.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Football helmets and game balls from the various stops in Steve Spurrier's career adorn the shelf behind the desk in his office at Williams-Brice Stadium. They are mementos of a mostly glittering past, from the San Francisco 49ers to the Tampa Bay Bandits, from Duke to Florida. Maybe he just ran out of space in decorating his new digs, or maybe, like a bad round of golf, Spurrier simply wants to put his two-year debacle as an NFL coach behind him. There is no Redskins helmet or game balls from his 12-20 stay in Washington in 2002 and '03. At 60, Spurrier seems eager for what many see as possibly the biggest challenge of his career.

GEORGIA TECH (1-2) at No. 1 FLORIDA STATE (4-0)TV: Channels 13, 25; noonLine: Florida State by 33Outlook: Florida State plays No. 3 Miami next week, so Georgia Tech catches the Seminoles at a good time. But it won't matter. Florida State QB Charlie Ward ranks eighth nationally in total offense (307-yard average) and directs an attack that leads the nation in total yards (572.25) and is second in scoring (44.3). LB Derrick Brooks has scored three touchdowns and his 18 points are four more than the Seminoles have allowed all season.

No. 8 Michigan at Notre Dame About Michigan: Expect true freshman QB Chad Henne to make his second start in place of Matt Gutierrez (shoulder), who still could play. The Wolverines have the nation's best corps of receivers, headed by Braylon Edwards. About Notre Dame: The Irish looked bad on offense in losing to BYU last week, and they must discover a running attack. QB Brady Quinn has some talent, but he's not good enough to win games by himself. The defense has potential, but the secondary is in trouble today.

One week after heaping an embarrassing defeat upon his father, who happens to own the most victories of any coach in college football history, Clemson's Tommy Bowden takes aim at another coaching great. The rejuvenated Tigers will not have any problems getting up for Saturday night's contest. Fresh off a 35-14 rout of fast-fading Florida State and coach Bobby Bowden, Clemson renews its annual in-state skirmish with South Carolina for the 97th straight year and 103rd time overall. And this time, it's against coach Steve Spurrier, who has made a triumphant return to the collegiate game after a failed attempt at the NFL with the Washington Redskins.

A circuit judge set bail at $100,000 yesterday for a man, described as a "neighborhood menace," who allegedly held cockfights and sold cocaine 24 hours a day at his Severn home.Oscar Mora, 44, of the 8200 block of W. B&A Blvd., was charged in a grand jury indictment unsealed yesterday with two counts of maintaining a common nuisance. Each count carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.Assistant State's Attorney M. Virginia Miles said Mora was charged after a six-month police investigation uncovered evidence of a cocaine operation so extensive that the lieutenants spelled each other in eight-hour shifts.