COLUMBIA, S.C. - Suppose someone had told you that in coach Steve Spurrier's fourth year at South Carolina he would have the sixth best defense in the country. You might have assumed the Gamecocks were competing for an SEC title or even a national championship.
Why not? The offense has always been there for Spurrier. Wherever he opens his suitcase in college football, points fall out.
His three Duke teams averaged 29 points per game. Florida scored 500 or more points in four consecutive seasons under Spurrier.
So why would South Carolina be any different?
It's bewilderingly different. Spurrier is headed for his fourth consecutive non-losing season with a program that has a history of losing. Yet he's winning with defense, not offense.
"I can't remember a year when our defense was better than our offense," Spurrier said. "(Defensive coordinator) Ellis (Johnson) has come in here and put together a very good defense. We're ranked at the top (of the SEC).
"Offensively, we've struggled."
And the struggle is widespread.
Stephen Garcia, who will start at quarterback against Tennessee on Saturday, is South Carolina's third different starting quarterback this season.
The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC in rushing with a 100.3-yard average per game. In conference games, they are averaging only 60.2 yards, and 2.1 yards per carry.
In other words, they have picked up where they left off last season when they ranked last in the SEC and 103rd nationally with a 113.7-yard average per game.
There has been instability at quarterback, no one to fill Cory Boyd's shoes at running back, and another offensive line that's hardly SEC-caliber. An improving corps of receivers can't overcome all the offensive shortcomings.
So you're left with a 5-3 team that has played itself out of the SEC East race, despite a defense that hasn't given up more than 24 points in a single game. The three SEC losses have each been by seven points.
You would have thought that in his fourth season, Spurrier could have manufactured 24 points with the flick of a visor. But in a league that is exceeding its own reputation for defense, South Carolina's offense has slowed to a trickle.
It's not just an SEC thing. The Gamecocks didn't score more than 26 on either Wofford or UAB.
"We're working at it and trying to get better," Spurrier said.
If Spurrier were saying that about his defense in season four at South Carolina, that wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Instead, his defense has half-a-dozen players who eventually should be drafted into the NFL.
You could question Spurrier's decision to relinquish play-calling duties to his son, Steve Spurrier Jr., although the elder Spurrier is still heavily involved. Or you might wonder if the defenses have caught up to a system that once overwhelmed the competition.
But the best explanation is in the players, not the plays.
At best, only four South Carolina players - and that's counting Garcia, who has one career start - would start on UT's offense. Since UT is ranked 112th in yards per game and 107th in scoring, what does that tell you about South Carolina?
It tells you how fortunate it is to have an outstanding defense. No wonder, Spurrier didn't wait until the end of the season to extend Johnson's contract for another year, through 2011.
"He's certainly worthy," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, it will help recruiting a little. Guys like to know who they're going to play for. Hopefully, a lot of high school players will want to play defense at South Carolina.
"And hopefully, one day we will get them where they want to play offense."
Wasn't that supposed to be the easy part?
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 40
gohawks1 writes:
Solid defense, struggling offense. Sounds familiar. Could be another 3 to 2 game.
hotrodvol writes:
Anybody seen Hal Mumme, kind of miss his offense, even though he was a cheat.
tnbigg writes:
Well said...but...sadly for us...they are struggling...but less than us by far...
tnvolfnly writes:
Greetings from Lebanon, TN:
Just taking a shot out there - but would anybody be against John Chavis taking over the reins or do we just need to look far beyond UT Alumni/Current Coaches. I'm not saying this to be ridiculous and I'm not on the juice just yet - I'm just curious what ya'll think????
mdvol writes:
In the misery that was 2005, the Vols lost to Alabama and then lost 3 of 5 down the stretch beginning with a 16-15 loss to South Carolina.
In the misery that is 2008, the Vols head to Columbia with the SEC East's worst record. South Carolina will take care of business. Vol offense looks as inept as ever. Eric Berry returns a pick for a TD. And the stealth coaching search continues.
This team has packed it in. Coaches, players and fans.
CrankE writes:
Spurrier: "We're working at it and trying to get better,"
Wow, that's real genius right there. We should hire him immediately!!!!! That's so much more refined and well thought out than simply, "Workin' like heck!"
gohawks1 writes:
Yep. But hey, maybe our D will score a TD or 2. I won't be surprised if the D scores more points than the O.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Probably recruiting would be his downfall as he openly does not like it.
If he had the material, he would be a great D-coach once again.
Take care in Wilson County.
reedjeffben writes:
Gee, thanks for telling me who to shop with. And by the way, if you insist on continuing to post this crapola after EVERY Adams article, at least PROOF it before you copy and paste! If you don't like the articles, why don't you simply stop reading them. Seems simple enough to me...
tnbigg writes:
One of the most unexpected things that has happened this year...is that we expect our defense to score based on their performance...yet we expect our offense NOT to score based on their performance...strange...but true...and at least it gives a chance to put up points!
gohawks1 writes:
A few years ago I read an article that listed Chavis as one of the top assistant coaches likely to become HC somewhere. pdhuff is right, though. He has expressed that he does not care for the recruiting part of the job.
But to answer your first question - yes, there would be plenty of people who would be against him taking over the reins. I expect you'll hear from them. Stay tuned. :-)
TommyJack writes:
Or his spliffs from Carolina Pottery.
ect1983 writes:
doesn't look like your boycott is workin (like heck) littleboy.....why dont you help Philbert count his money while u continue to read the great JA's columns
cjraney writes:
Mumme's OC at Valdosta and Kentucky was Mike Leach, now HC at Texas Tech. Lots of points, but I don't think it would win championships in the SEC---doesn't protect your defense enough, IMO. Also, Mike Leach looks like a crazy person.
vol69fan writes:
MIKE HAMILTON PAY ATTENTION THE PHILLIP FULMER ERA IS OVER AND IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD.HERE IS OR SHOULD BE THE NEXT COACH OF UT, TODD GRAHAM(TULSA) AND HIS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR GUS MALZAHN.THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW MIKE 55.6 PPG AND 601 OF TOTAL OFFENSE,THIS IS WHAT TULSA IS AVERAGING PER GAME THIS YEAR,THAT WOULD BE PRETTY NICE IN BIG ORANGE COUNTRY AND JUST A TAD BIT BETTER THAN OUR 18 PPG AVERAGE NOW.HERE IS A PORTION OF AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JEFF LATZKE (AP SPORTS WRITER) COVERING TULSA FOOTBALL,(take a glance at the super sized numbers gus malzahn's offense is putting up at no.19 tulsa and it's easy to wonder how he'd do coaching at one of college football's power conferences WITH THE RESOURCES AND RECRUITING BASE OF A BIGGER SCHOOL,COULD HIS CREATIVE ATTACK HAVE EVEN GAUDIER TOTALS THAN THE 55.6 PPG AND 601 OF TOTAL OFFENSE THE GOLDEN HURRICANES ARE AVERAGING THIS YEAR).???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????HEY MIKE LETS FIND OUT!!!!!!
balloonman writes:
vol69fan......check out clawsen's numbers before he came to ut......i hope the new coach enjoys football by the internet idiots!
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
Truthfully and honestly, John Adams needs to be fired, just for offering, promoting, and endorsing the Coach Fulmer should have been. It's just not nice. ESPN trying to retire Brett Farve was just as gouche. Fulmer can move on to another school, there's plenty of losers out there, take his staff with him , and field a winner. What would John say, the? I mean, WHO ELSE REALLY WANTS JOHN ADAMS? WE ARE STUCK WITH HIM, IT SIMMS.
vol69fan writes:
WHAT MAY HAVE WORKED FOR CLAWSEN AT LITTLE RICMOND IN THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION IS NOT WORKING AT UT IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED,THE GUY IS WAY OUT OF HIS LEAGUE HERE AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN HIRED.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Then again, he might take the HC position if offered.
Raising twins can be an expensive thing.
leedsvol2007 writes:
Just another sign that players make the coach.
Spurrier is playing with a full deck on defense and not on offense.
He has a young quarterback and no real big time running back so his offense is limited.
The easiest thing to do in any sport is to blame the coach. Ask Walt Harris.
GoVols!
we3vols#281863 writes:
OK. This is enough. If we are going to loose...Let's loose 65 to 63. Can you say Mike Leach. Heck, Chavis can hold most teams under 40...That equals a lot of wins. By the way, who was Texas Tech before Leach arrived?
jasonn1970 writes:
And here I thought Simms was a broadcaster for CBS.....
blitzshoot writes:
One of my favorites for you WeLove....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj-dw6...
blitzshoot writes:
South Carolina 17
Tennessee 9
mstoneut writes:
How could Hamilton not be looking at Mike Leech? I mean this guys puts up so many points...and their def is not that bad either. Does Mike Leech call his own plays?
SomeGuy writes:
Mumme was a cheater but never forget that Spurrior was a cheater also. Anybody believe that SOS got religion and gave up cheating? Me neither.
SomeGuy writes:
Only if the NCAA changes the rules so that teams have only two downs instead of 4 to get 10 yards. 3rd-and-Chavis needs to go with Fulmer.
dirtdobber1 writes:
I feel so bad for CPF that I want mention the words
M.P ever again!
leedsvol2007 writes:
Butch,
I support you wholeheartedly but I think the deal is already done.
Doug Mathews is Fulmer's alter ego and if you have access to Volquest you need to read "Chalk Talk".
Mathews is saying he does not know what is going to happen but the decision has been made.
Mathews is usually upbeat about something in that column but this one is totally negative. So negative in fact I think he is telling us between the lines.
He says that he doesn't like this week's matchup and doesn't think we can run the table.
I hope I'm wrong. Fulmer obviously has the vast majority of his former teammates and the players he has coached in his corner. But based on the tone of that column I predict he will not be back.
One thing is for certain at this point as a soon to be 58 year old alumnus who wants to see us in the hunt for and hopefully win another national championship within my lifetime I believe we need a public announcement on whether Fulmer will return or we are seeking a new coach.
The sooner it comes out the better.
GoVols!
QB_10 (Inactive) writes:
What is amazing here is the fact that Phil Fulmer has not ran a play, threw a pass, missed a tackle in his 18 years...yes his time may have passed, but Players Win Games period.....
invisiblekid writes:
Chavis has interviewed with the Falcons and openly mentioned being "at the end of his career" in the past year so I wouldn't expect him to be interested.
As far as my opinion of him as a head coach, absolutely not. He would kill us in recruiting.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/f...
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2007/n...
stormblast writes:
Uh... Wait a minute. I've seen this episode of "Leave it to Beaver."
Beaver walks in to the kitchen...
"Mom...something sure smells swell. Are we having goose eggs for breakfast?"
"No dear...it's just the Tennessee score."
South Carolina 27
Tennessee 0
oldbasshead writes:
I'm not sure I agree with "the players make the coach". I will say that without great players, no team can be great. I have seem teams with great players and average coaches perform well for a while. However, I have never seen a team without a great coaching staff rise to greatness and remain there.
volfan1971 writes:
Volmoc, the defensive guys might score and get us off the "goose egg"!
west_tn_volfan writes:
No way! Chris Peterson at Boise State is the guy I want to see as our next coach. His teams play hard and his offense has imagination and they light it up. If you can recruit at Boise Idaho you can recruit just about anywhere.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Could the Tulsa coach have the gall to come to ther SEC? Chances are he would be eaten alive on the recruiting trail...much less be slack-jawed at SEC speed. Could he name over 5 cities in Volunteer State?
Ralph_Crampton writes:
What do you mean when say I hate Spurrier...Spurrier could be quick savior of our program. Spurrier is native Tennessean, he loves the Volunteer state...His brother is a Vol fan and lives in Johnson City. CG., Spurrier talked smack at Fla., So what...all coaches talk smack sometimes. Get over it and say you are sorry.
stormblast writes:
Sorry Volfan... I know it's lame...but I just had to.
I hope the defense can score. Because, I believe the South Carolina defense will be the best we play all year. Our offense is the worst I've seen at UT. I just don't think we'll be able to move the ball.
Our defense can make a play for the endzone, I believe they'll have a better shot than the offense.
leedsvol2007 writes:
Let me ask you a question, would you have retained this coach?
After an 11-0 regular season this coach then went
8-2-1 bowl loss
8-3 bowl loss
6-5 bowl loss with regular season loss to Vanderbilt
6-5-1 bowl loss
By our standards this coach should have been fired. But he wasn't.
During the next 10 seasons this coach won 2 national championships and lost a total of 4 SEC games.
You may have guessed that his name was "Bear" Bryant.
Incidentally, starting in 1968 he lost 7 bowl games and had one tie in 8 bowl appearances.
Whether our fans realize it or not coach Fulmer is a Hall of Fame coach.
If you look at the records of Woody Hayes, Joe Paterno, Bear Bryant, Bobby Dodd, Bo Schembechler, Shug Jordan, Vince Dooley, Darrell Royal, Frank Broyles and Steve Spurrier whom I consider among the greatest coaches of my now 40+ years of playing and watching football you will see they have all had multiple subpar years and disappointments during their careers.
Coach Fulmer gets no credit for the great job he did in 1994 remolding the program, 2000 working a freshman quarterback into the lineup and making a good bowl, for 2004 taking a team with 2 freshman who both got hurt and making the championship with a 3rd string quarterback, and then despite losing both starting defensive tackles winning 9 games in 2006 followed by a near SEC championsip year last year. And absolutely no credit for 4 10 win seasons this decade.
Yes we have lost more games to Georgia,Auburn and Florida than we would have liked but over time we are at best going to be .500 with these teams because they have good teams and coaches too.
I like all other Vol fans want to see another national championship but I don't think the hire of a new coach guarantees we will. I would like to see Fulmer get another year especially based on the currently committed recruiting list.
GoVols!
chestnutglade writes:
1000% wright .I agree.Another Pearl.
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