Steve Spurrier's Last Grasp?
In my SEC Power Poll ballot, I made this comment about South Carolina;
Do you really think Steve Spurrier wants to be the coach who ended the Gators' undefeated season?
This was half joking, half serious. As big of an egomaniac Spurrier and every college coach is, the love of Alma mater is the one thing that can top that. Spurrier says he is not over come with emotion when Florida plays South Carolina, and you'd have to believe him. But, it seemed like Spurrier was especially upset that it was his ballot that prevented Tim Tebow from being an unanimous All-SEC selection.
With Saturday comes Urban Meyer trying to lead his team to an undefeated season and a third National Championship in four seasons. Spurrier will always have a place at Florida, but it is increasingly covered by Meyer (as best coach), Tebow (as best player), Billy Donovan's success (more titles than Spurrier), and Jeremy Foley's Steinbrenner-like "breathing first, winning next" policy in all sports. It is natural for someone's influence to drop as time advances, but it's a totally different thing when the guys following you are bigger and better.
Victory on Saturday for South Carolina would be the worst regular season loss in Florida history. With five undefeated teams behind them, a loss Saturday for UF would sink them. For Spurrier, it would be a chance to reassert himself after losses this season to Georgia and Tennessee. Those Old Gators would talk about how they want the days of Fun n' Gun and Meyer only wishes he had Danny Wuerffel, Chris Doering and Fred Taylor. Those Young Gators would need to be talked off the ledge.
South Carolina's offense is 67th in yards per game and is only scoring an average of 19 points in SEC games (UF has scored 28). The Gamecocks have scored more than 30 points against D-1A teams only once this season (37 against Georgia). I don't subscribe to the theory that Spurrier is going to light it up since he will call more plays. As a Gator, I do worry that he is thinking about spoiling Meyer and Tebow's last chance at 14-0, and how that will give the Ol' Ball Coach a stronger hold on Florida's history.
1 recs |
2 comments
|
Comments
Spurrier trying to spoil season?
You can bet your sweet ass Spurrier is trying to spoil UF’s season on Saturday, that’s what he is paid to do. Spurrier will always love UF and he will always have fond memories of his days playing and coaching there but all that pales in comparison to the commitment he has to the young men that play for him now. Spurrier doesn’t really give a rat’s ass about monuments to him. One of the first things he did upon returning to Florida as head coach was to take his old jersey out of retirement. Spurrier is a hard ass gamer from the word go and I would be sorely disappointed if I felt he was going to put forth anything but his damndest to beat the Gators. If he should succeed I will be one sick SOB but that’s the way it should be. I was there at Florida Field in 2006 when Jarvis Moss had to block his second of two field goals in the last seconds of the fourth quarter to preserve a one point win over the Gamecocks. After his team’s loss by the narrowest of margins, Spurrier trotted down the Florida sidelines waving to the Gator crowd and the love that was returned to him was uproarious. Never turn your back on Steve Spurrier because he’s just likely to do what old ball coaches do.
Go Gators! Beat the Cocks.
by renegator on Nov 13, 2009 10:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This is spot on
Spurrier is a winner, period. The reason we’ve seen a dessicated corpse of his former self at USC the last few years is the same reason his teams ate up the SEC in the early 90s- the guy hates losing MUCH more than he loves winning. All the losing he’s been forced into by the joke of a program that is Sakerlina is eating him alive.
He’s coaching to win tomorrow, which is what scares me, same as every time we play them.
by wangalusa on Nov 14, 2009 2:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

by 












