South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media day in Hoover, Ala. on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
By LARRY VAUGHT
HOOVER, Ala. — This might have been Steve Spurrier’s 20th Southeastern Conference Football Media Day, but he’s not changed. He’s the same funny, irreverent or even cocky self that takes shots at himself and others — “It’s easier to win the national championship than the SEC. Ask (Alabama coach) Nick Saban.” He also joked that some media members had been to more Media Days than him “because they don’t fire the media.”
Of course, Spurrier then pointed out that South Carolina had never won a SEC championship and bombed two years ago when it did reach the SEC championship game.
“I do think we are going to have a good team this year. We return a lot of good players even though we had six players drafted by the NFL and lost some good players,” Spurrier said. “Actually, we have got a lot of good players and our goal is still to win the SEC. We’ve had a bunch of firsts — winning the SEC East, winning 11 games — but we have not won the SEC and that’s what we hope to do. Maybe this will be the year we finally win the SEC, but we also realize we could fall flat on our face if we don’t prepare well.”
Could be, but at least it is always refreshing to me to see a coach that isn’t afraid to speak his mind. That could rub others the wrong way, but it is the way he was the first time I saw him at a SEC Media Day as the coach at Florida and the way he was two years ago when he lost to Kentucky for the first time.
He’s changed his philosophy, too, something not every coach will or can do.
“At Florida, we came out firing, got ahead and then ran the ball. Now we are running more,” Spurrier said. “We have good runners and our quarterback (Conner Shaw) is a good runner. Running the ball is what we do best.”
He noted that last year the Gamecocks were fourth in the SEC in total offense and that in the last four games Shaw had the highest quarterback rating in the country. That came after Spurrier finally booted Stephen Garcia off the team and Shaw knew he was No. 1.
“Sometimes when a quarterback knows he is the guy, he plays a little bit better,” Spurrier said almost as advice for Kentucky fans who will face an unsettled quarterback situation going into the season and maybe all season. “Obviously, quarterback is a very important position and his skills are really good.
“Conner is both a passing and running quarterback. He might be a better runner. Never had one quite like that, so he’s going to keep running the ball. He is a guy that can run for a first down when a play breaks down. The importance of that is tremendous. Tim Tebow used to do it al the time at Florida. You can’t underestimate that.”
It was just a few years ago that it looked like Kentucky was ready to climb over South Carolina in the SEC pecking order. Then Spurrier got the ball rolling and Kentucky took a few steps back. Now the Gamecocks are soaring and Kentucky is fighting to get out of the SEC cellar. Maybe it’s time for UK to think about changing its philosophy offensively and try something different. Or maybe it’s time to upgrade facilities even more, something Spurrier insisted has helped the Gamecocks advance. Or maybe it was just getting the right hire with Spurrier eight years ago and then giving him time to build the program the way he wanted.
“We like our team a lot,” South Carolina receiver Ace Sanders said. “We believe we can win the SEC. That’s what we want to do.”
Could Kentucky do that?
“I don’t know. Every team in the SEC is good, including Kentucky,” Sanders said. “It’s all about talent, believing you can win and then executing on the field.”
Brutal, but honest.
Does Kentucky have that talent? I don’t think so. Does Kentucky have that belief? Coming off a 5-7 season, I don’t think so. Could Kentucky execute? That it could do to the best of its ability and then see what happens.
But Spurrier noted despite all the credit he gets for his offense, it will be South Carolina’s defense that determines if the Gamecocks can or cannot win the SEC East or overall SEC title.
“We may be stronger on defense than offense. We were third in the SEC in defense behind LSU and Alabama last year,” Spurrier said. “I think our two defensive ends are the best in the conference. Our linebacking corps is very good. They are all seniors and all fifth-year guys. We have a lot of experience. Our defense has got to play very well and if it does, we could be pretty good.”
Which is a statement going into this year that Kentucky can’t make, but maybe should realize it could make based on what Spurrier has done at South Carolina.
13 Responses to South Carolina moving up shows that maybe it could be done at Kentucky, or could it
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KY could make it in the SEC with the right system and coach! But it cannot play conventional football and win in the SEC! It will take a special coach and system for KY to win. We need to find the right combination and then stick to it. I just do not think that KY will take the risk that is necessary to win. Better to continue to the past than to explore the unknown.
Kentucky football has never put together the right coaching staff to recurit and develope an team to compete in the SEC except Rich Brooks to an degreehad going in the right direction .Joker will someday be an good coach. I just think Kentucky needs to invest in an proven coach with an history possibly an ex NFL coach to get the program going in the right direction . Competeing for top players is the key to build this program and as the SEC exspands doors should be open . I think Steve S. has shown building an program in the SEC is no easy task with SC. His years at Florida Joker could have been an great coach with that talent. Kentucky has had it moments and i think it’s an program waiting to exsplode .
steve spurrier has it easier cause he was at flordia before sc flordia made his name. if he was a new coach a sc it be a diffrent story he wouldnt be able to recruit as well recruit know him from flordia. i think people need to give joker a chance recruiting has gotten better and as long as they stay healthy they will be better then alot think cause last year they had a ton of injuries.
I disagree with your florida made Spurrier comment. Florida was not the perrenial power that it is today, before Spurier built it into a top winning program.
Jim is exactly right. Florida football was nondescript prior to Spurrier.
Exactly and he won at dook for goodness sakes!!!!! Albeit it wasn’t a NC, but still…
Larry, I just want to say that I am surely looking forward to reading your coverage of Kentucky’s appearance at the SEC Media Days tomorrow (and I’ve been out ot town and am looking forward to catching up on what I’ve missed here, period!). So it’s just “thanks in advance” (and, by the way, in regard to Steve Spurrier, how sweet it had been finally to break that South Carolina/Spurrier losing streak in 2010!).
In regard to the season, absolutely, we just have to wait and see. Execution can, indeed, be all the difference. Meanwhile, as I see it, may we fans help the players to believe in themselves and their potential. Their believing in themselves and executing to the best of their ability, to which you refer, can, absolutely, result in surpassing expectations.
Yes, we’ll all just have to wait and see what the season brings, and as always, I can hardly wait for the season to begin. Also, I really do see a lot of potential in this team, although we’re obviously relatively inexperienced. Too, I’m surely looking forward to next week’s women’s clinic, as always — and I’ll know, again, that Coach Phillips and his staff DO believe Kentucky can eventually win an SEC championship. They themselves do believe, and, thankfully, they sell that vision well to recruits and players. Now may they get the wins to get still more of those recruits they want and need, starting September the second!!! Again, thanks in advance for all the coverage.
I had missed seeing you post here. You have a lot of catching up to do – Some good stuff recently from Larry, Lee Ann & Ashley! Looking forward to your thoughts after the womens clinic.
It can be done at UK. We were almost there with Tim Couch & co.. All we needed was to build a defense. We had above average special teams, if memory serves. Just needed to build depth and a better D. It can be done.
It seems to me that programs establish basic levels.
1. I can’t compete with those guys
2. I can compete with those guys and happy to do so
3. I can beat those guys from time to time with some breaks
4. I will win when I take the field
I listened to Spurrier last night at the SEC Meeting. He said that when he arrived at USC, the fan and booster attitude was level 2. He said it has been a long trip, but not he believes the program is clearly at level 3 and stretching to reach level 4. I think Spurrier’s assessment is accurate.
Kentucky, over the years has vacillated between levels 1 and 3, and I believe a huge number of fans/boosters are satisfied with level 2 with a jump each decade into flirtations with level 2. Nobody I know likes residing in level 1, but I have experienced level 1 many times as a UK fan, and I recognize the sense of resignation that permeates the area about the program during those days.
I have never believed that it is impossible for the UK football program to reach and sustain level 3 with a USC type push to level 4. However, I have never experienced that in my lifetime, and I concluded some years ago that the impediments that have prevented UK from enjoying that level of football success are institutional, not programmatic. By that I mean, it has much less to do with the name of the head coach, and more to do with the policies established at much higher institutional levels.
Good analysis, Professor. I for one, believe that we have good enough facilities and fan support to sustain success in the SEC. Rich Brooks took the program up from level 1 to level 2 then to level 3 on your scale. Instead of 1 star players, we started getting 2 and 3 star players. Steve Spurrier has proven that he can take a lower tier team and elevate it. Hey, he even won at Duke. Joker pretty much has this year to show that he can do the same thing, or the fan base will completely turn on him.
I agree that Joker needs to show some progress this year.
Can you imagine coaching at Georgia? They started last season 0 & 2 & some fans wanted a in-season Coaching change. Then they won 10 in a row & won the SEC East. Most of their fans are happy again. (Except for those complianing about losing their bowl game).
Also agree with Professor – The Institutional committment needs to change!
You can’t do the same things each year & expect huge improvement. I think that Brooks had moved the program into Level 3 with the current level of support. We may look back on Brooks tenure & ask – “How did he accomplish what he did”? Joker certainly has a tough job!
Lets face it , South Carolina bought themselves a PROVEN winner unlike UK. If the ole ball coach decide he wanted to leave S.C. , as far as i am concerned , I would love to see him wearing UK clothing. But that won’t ever happen because UK does not care about marquee head football coaches. Jim is right , florida is the program it is today largely because of spurrier, and he is doing a damn good job at S.C. too. Proven commodities will cost you , but maybe unproven commodities will cost you as well, and another” season on the stink” like last year and UK might find that out when people don’t show up and re-new their season tix.