This is where Steve Spurrier would've stopped to take a team photo, or cracked a one-liner with the same brutal intent as Eric Norwood hunting Jevan Snead Thursday night, assuming the coach wasn't busy writing his name in the sky, challenging the opposing mascot to a duel, or something else larger than life but not larger than the Ol' Ball Coach.In previous years, this is where Spurrier's head would've swollen so big it would've popped the visor right off his skull like a broken rubber band.
But, on Saturday night, in the wake of his biggest win at South Carolina, a 16-10 upset of No. 4 Ole Miss, there was as little trace of that Spurrier churlishness as there was Snead's Heisman hype.
In fact, he was darn near magnanimous.
"It was a wonderful victory for our team, our university and all Gamecocks," Spurrier said, a statement so polite you'd almost expect a bow tacked on the end.
Perhaps it was because he knows the weight of expectations that so gloomily sat on Houston Nutt's shoulders, or maybe the coach has developed a genteel streak in his golden years.
Or maybe he realized he hadn't done that much after all.
Sure, he'd beaten Ole Miss Thursday night. But beaten the No. 4 team? Maybe No. 4 in the SEC West.
"Who knows how good everybody is?" Spurrier asked. "The isn't the No. 1 or No. 2 team from last year. Ole Miss is a good team, but it's early in the year."
The Rebels were a case study in the sometimes frictionless rise through college football's rankings. They had beaten Florida last year -- in fact, Thursdays loss came just three days short of the one-year anniversary -- and beaten Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl in January. That Texas Tech played with the sort of enthusiasm you'd expect to see in a dentist's office, or that the big win over Florida was immediately parlayed into a loss against these same Gamecocks last season didn't much matter.
They had a quarterback with Heisman hype, a win last year that was so good Tim Tebow had to give a plaque-worthy speech and a character of a coach that could turn a church service into a pep rally. And so they had a No. 7 ranking to start the season.
Then they had to go and pick on someone almost their own size.
The Rebels lost the battle of the trenches both ways Thursday night, and were more docile than dominant on the lines. They missed their city block of a left tackle Michael Oher, not to mention the experience of Maurice Miller and Darryl Harris, who started 20 games between them at the guard spots last season. On the defensive line, you didn't need a program to know first-round draft pick Jeria Perry was no longer in these parts.
But no one seemed more out of place than Snead, who didn't just lose his Heisman buzz but, if the vote were held today, would have a hard time getting a place anywhere on the all-SEC squads.
Snead's connected on just 7-of-21 passes while spending more time with the Gamecock defensive line than most of the South Carolina coaching staff. Even Spurrier must've wondered who voted that guy first team All-SEC (It was Spurrier, of course. Until he pinned it on a member of his staff then petitioned to have the vote changed). Dexter McCluster, the Rebels all-purpose offensive weapon, who's at least partly made of a Superball, barely touched the ball until the fourth quarter, and when he did seemed to end up with his helmet where he spikes should've been.
No, the Rebels weren't No. 4 Thursday night, but then again they haven't even played Game No. 4.
"I'm glad it's gone so we can get back to working and win some ball games," Ole Miss left tackle Bradley Sowell said of the team's lofty ranking. "You can't really pay attention to that, anyway."
But you couldn't avoid paying attention to the statement South Carolina made, that elusive signature win of the Spurrier era that arrived as hard and fast as Norwood did on Snead's backside again and again.
On one play, South Carolina's star linebacker set the school's sack record with his 27th career tally, a rush on third-and-20 on Ole Miss' opening drive that brought down Snead for a five-yard loss. On the rest of the plays, he simply made the argument that he's the best defensive player in the SEC, with no apologies given to that ball vacuum in Tennessee's defensive backfield.
"That's a real man coming up that edge," Nutt said of Norwood, who finished with 10 tackles, two sacks and another two quarterback hurries. "You have to account for him. We knew that, but he still made it awfully tough on us. ... He's relentless."
Offensively Stephen Garcia again proved there's more to him than off-field troubles and getting shuffled in and out of games last season by Spurrier, a man who flips through his quarterbacks like most people flip through their iPod. Thursday night, he looked every bit the rock of a quarterback who could lead a just-good-enough offensive attack to pair with South Carolina's defense. When the Ole Miss rush found Garcia, he evaded it. When he needed to throw the ball away, he tossed it on the sidelines. When his team needed to keep the clock rolling on third down late in the third quarter, he lowered his head and went in against a pair of Gamecocks instead of taking the easy way out across the nearby sideline.
And Garcia took enough hits to pass for filet mignon in any Columbia chop house. But he kept playing.
Even the Ole Ball Coach appeared to rekindle a competitive fire that seemed to have dissipated into smoke signals foretelling his retirement. In the biggest win in his school's history dating back nearly three decades, the coach found something his team needed to work on
"We couldn't get a first down in the fourth quarter," he complained to ESPN's Erin Andrews after his offense floundered on three final quarter possessions.
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Quarterback Stephen Garcia #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter of their game against the Mississippi Rebels at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stephen Garcia
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Kicker Spencer Lanning #34 of the South Carolina Gamecocks tackles Marshay Green #8 of the Mississippi Rebels saving a touchdown during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marshay Green;Spencer Lanning
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Running back Brandon Bolden #34 of the Mississippi Rebels rushes against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter of their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brandon Bolden
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COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Defensive end Cliff Matthews #83 of the South Carolina Gamecocks sacks quarterback Jevan Snead #4 of the Mississippi Rebels during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jevan Snead;Cliff Matthews
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Mississippi running back Cordera Eason (25) meets South Carolina South Carolina free safety Chris Culliver during the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)
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Mississippi running back Cordera Eason(25) is upended by South Carolina strong safety Darian Stewart (24) in the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)
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South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood (40) sacks Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead (4) during the first quarter at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday, September 24, 2009. (Erik Campos/The State/MCT)
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South Carolina's Akeem Auguste (3) defends as Mississippi's Shay Hodges can't catch a pass in the end zone during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia (5) runs for a first down as Mississippi's Jerrell Powe (57) closes in during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
AP
South Carolina's Tori Gurley (81) makes a catch for a first down as Mississippi's Marshay Green (8) tries to stop him during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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Everything else had gone right. Punter Spencer Lanning made what turned out to be a game-saving tackle on a return by Marshay Green in the second quarter. A fake field goal attempt to Ole Miss ended with a tumble, not a touchdown. Ole Miss didn't find the end zone for three quarters.
And South Carolina had the biggest win of the Spurrier era, televised live on ESPN.
And yet, the coach played the role of gracious victor. Maybe that was his biggest mistake. On a night like this, a little crowing was in order.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2009 @ 9:49AM
Bud Foster said...
Stevie Superior is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Had he made some of his classic smart remarks, Holloman would have complained about that, too.
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9-25-2009 @ 7:41PM
buford1 said...
I am a die hard Rebel fan. Steve Spurrier simply had his team ready and fired up. hat's off to him and the Gamecocks.
All right, Rebels, quit reading your press clipings and get back to work. Sowell is right the ranking is ling gone. Now prove you are a real team and win some games.
I'll bet no other team will take Carolina for granted the rest of the year.
For all that Spurrier is he is a rewal good coach.
Go Rebels.
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9-26-2009 @ 12:19PM
ddazed69 said...
South Carolina Looked tough against a way over ranked Ole Miss Team. This will not be the only loss of the season for the Rebels. They still have to play Bama, a loss, Auburn, probably a loss as well, and LSU, again possible loss. They looked so weak on both sides of the ball that theres no way they could compete with the top schools in the conference. See you in 2 weeks rebels.. Roll Tide
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