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Meyer just another ‘Urban legend Despite similar records, Spurrier carries clout against former squad “A coaching search that doesn’t include someone like Urban Meyer wouldn’t be a complete search.” Those were the words of University of Florida . , president Bernie Machen one year ago while people Third-year across the country P°^ttca^ were wondermg student why Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley had chosen to hire Meyer — a coach with a short career built on blowing out glorified I-AA. teams — instead of pursuing Steve Spurrier, who had won seven SEC championships, a national championship and almost 82 percent of his games at Florida’. That is like saying “a compilation CD of great music that doesn’t include Ashlee Simpson would not be a complete collection” or “a swimsuit calendar that doesn’t include Rosie O’Donnell is not worth making.” I wonder if Machen and Foley really thought they had hired the right guy. I wonder if they still do. Although Spurrier tried to pull the emphasis off himself and Meyer and put it on the placers this week, it was painfully obvious for Florida fens that the difference in Saturday’s game at Williams-Brice was coaching, plain and simple. If the play-calling doesn’t tell the story clearly enough, the penalties do. The Gamecocks only had three penalties; one of which was an intentional delay of game, and the Gators had 11 penalties, one of which was a rare illegal participation penalty on a punt return which cost the team a chance to tie the game. Any time it is the 10 th game of the season and you can’t even get the correct number of players on the field for the most important play of the game, it can’t be blamed on anybody except for the coaches. Sure, both coaches are 7-3 during their first seasons, but which one is really doing the best job? Meyer has a 7-3 record coaching in a state with the most talent-rich high school football in the country. His team is full of high school All-Americans such as Chris Leak,' Chad Jackson, DeShawn Wynn, Dee Webb and Brandon Siler. Spurrier has a 7-3 record coaching a program that has been dominated recently by its in-state rival and in a state whose best players are constandy being scooped up by programs such as Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn. His team had twice as many arrests as wins in the last year, and he even decided to kick off a few that hadn’t been arrested. And for all the great play calling and fundamental coaching he has done, maybe his greatest task has been convincing a team full of guys who were used to beating who they were supposed to beat and losing to everybody else that they could play with anybody in the country. His team not only believes they can win every game — they expect to. “I told you guys we had a lot of history that we could set at South Carolina,” Spurrier said. “I didn’t think we’d set this much this year.” So, what exactly has Steve Spurrier already accomplished during his first year at USC? First time ever beating Tennessee in Knoxville? Check. First time beating Florida since 1939? Check. First time winning five SEC games in a row? Check First time Jake Broom has ever watched an entire Carolina football game and not had something to complain about? Check. Quite an impressive list, if you ask me. I don’t know why Machen and Foley chose to hire Meyer instead of trying to convince Spurrier to return to coach the Gators, but I do know that the next time they come to Columbia, there is a fruit basket, a free meal at the GMP and a hug with their names on it. HISTORY • COHTIHUED FROdl 10 themselves of their best finish in the garnet and black with their seventh win. Barring _any unforeseen events, the seniors will play in their first bowl game and are still in the running for the team’s first New Year’s Day Bowl game in four years. “It’s a really good feeling to be on a team that makes some history,” senior running back Daccus Turman said after the game. “We haven’t beat Florida in a long time, and to be a senior out here, it’s just a great feeling.” When the clock ticked down to zero, USC’s first-year coach, and still the winningest coach in SEC history, got a special congratulations from his players. “The guys hit me with the dang ice bucket,” Spurrier said. “They don’t know that you’re supposed to do that after a championship, not just _ a season game. I didn’t coach 'em up on that.” In the locker room after the game, senior tackle Na’Shan Goddard stood up and presented Spurrier with a game ball for helping the team get past his once mighty Gators. « While the win was historically significant for Spurriers new team, it was .definitely forgettable for his old one. Florida outgained USC through the air and on the ground but came away with nothing to show for it. Had the Gators left Columbia with a win, they would have clinched a spot in the SEC championship game later in the evening when Auburn defeated Georgia in Athens. Spurrier said he hopes 'that isn’t a source of angst from the Florida faithful. “I hope most of them realize that maybe \2 years was enough,” he said. “I left to go somewhere else. I didn’t leave to come here. And three years later this was the best place for me.” While Florida will again finish below expectations, the Gamecock program is riding high. And it’s a feeling that this team isn’t ready to relinquish. “These are the kind of movies you watch,” Goddard said. “You watch ‘Miracle,’ you watch .‘Hoosiers,’ you ' watch all. those movies. And winning like this, you believe in those miracles.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gurm. sc. edu DGPEnse • connnucD proid io get them into the end zone. “You knew we were going to get better as the season wore on,” co-defensive coordinator John Thompson said. “Dave Wommack and I were just talking in the locker room — we have been around a long time. We have beat every SEC team now because neither of us had beaten Florida before.” The Gamecock defense set the tone early as Leak’s first pass was batted up at the line of scrimmage by Dustin Lindsey and then caught by Chris Tucker, who rumbled 48 yards down to the 2-yard line. It was Leak’s first interception in 91 pass attempts and the only turnover of the game for either team. “It was really big,” Tucker said. “It kept the momentum going for us the rest of the game.” “We’re hollering ‘Tuck it away, tuck it away!”’ Thompson said. “I guess he thought we were cheering for him.” After the offense cashed in with a Mike Davis touchdown run, the defense yielded 67 yards to the Gator attack, but held them to a field goal. The Gamecocks forced back-to-back punts on the next two Florida possessions before finally giving up a 31-yard touchdown pass from Leak to Chris Jackson, putting the score at 20-12 going into the half. The Gators managed a touchdown on their first possession of the second half as Leak hit fullback Billy Latsko for an 11-yard touchdown reception. The 20-19 score would be as close as the Gators would get the rest of the day as the Gamecock offense responded on their next possession with a 64-yard completion from Blake Mitchell to Sidney Rice, setting up another Davis touchdown. The historic win sets up an outside shot at the SEC Eastern Division crown for the Gamecocks. Even though it’s a long shot, Simpson knows Carolina has already surpassed everyone’s expectations. “We just stayed focused, came together as a team and kept fighting,” Simpson said. “The sky’s the limit.” Comments on this story<? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu ____ Are you traveling this Holiday Season and want to learn important techniques to protect I your car? Student Government and Parking Services will be sponsoring a "Know Your I Car" seminar to teach you everything you need to know to be safe on the road. The I event will be held Thursday, November 17,2005 at 3pm in the Pendleton Street Garage. I Please visit www.sg.sc.edu to register. This is open to both students and faculty. I BROUGHT TO YOU BY wr \ STUDENT GOVERNMENT, PARKING SERVICES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT & SAFETY