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THifi&AMECOCK -|“>w 1 m r^i SPURRIER SAID IT 11/ \ 1 J 1 | i “I guess the headlines in the Florida paper should be, I—^ ■ I 1 ‘Guess who’s pulling for Auburn now.'” Page 10 Ky I Vy _ L. 1 Monday, Nov. 14,2005 NO.,19 SOUTH CAROLINA (7-3) 30 — NO. 20 FLORIDA (7-3) 22 Party like it’s 1939 USC beats UF for 1st time since start of WWII * Nick EsaresJ'\UK (iAMKCOCK Sophomore wide receiver Sidney Rice celebrates during USC’s 30-22 victory against Florida on Saturday. The win was the Gamecocks’ first against the Gators since 1939 and their fifth consecutive victory. Carolina makes history with win against Florida Jonathan Hillyard SPORTS EDITOR The game was over. The field was clearing. The camera crews were packing up. Yet 80,000 people were still in their seats, celebrating the USC football team’s first win against Florida since the beginning of World War II. And then there was coach Steve Spurrier. The ol’ ball coach walked off the field with a grin as his team clinched at least second place in the SEC East against the school he coached for 12 years. Spurrier said in postgame interviews that he had mixed emotions about the win. “I love the Gators, always will,” Spurrier said. “But I’m with South Carolina. This is my team now.” Only four years ago, Spurrier led a No. 3 Florida team into Columbia to take on the Gamecocks in front of a national audience. His Gators got the better of then Carolina coach Lou Holtz and his team, winning 54-17 in blowout fashion. Spurrier said after Saturday’s contest that this kind of win was a little sweeter. “It’s more fun when your team is not a dominant team and you try to find a way to win the game,” Spurrier said. “I tell people we are defying football logic. We’re not very good at stopping the run, we’re not very good running it and yet we’re winning.” The win ended a 14-game winning streak in the series for Florida, dating back to USC’s 7-0 win in 1939. After beating Tennessee and now Florida, the Gamecocks also become the first USC team since joining the SEC to beat two of the SEC east’s “big three” of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. “I want to get used to this feeling, I want to keep winning,” senior tackle Na’Shan Goddard said. “It’s a dream season, and I want to keep it alive.” The Gamecock senior class assured HISTORY • 9 Carolina Receiving yards by Sidney Rice 88 Rushing yards by Mike Davis, a career high 5 Consecutive wins for USC, all coming in the SEC 1939 Last time Carolina beat Florida : Florida 91 Consecutive passes Chris Leak had thrown without being intercepted 359 Total yards by Florida offense 5 Number of sacks given up by Florida offense 11 Total number of penalties committed by the Gators Defense holds spread option in check, seals historic win for USCfootball program Alex Riley ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Even though he’s listed as a sophomore, Ko Simpson has been on the USC sideline for three seasons now and has been witness to what fans have known as a meltdown in November. Over the previous two seasons, Carolina has notched only one win in the month of November. But after Saturday’s 30-22 win over Florida for the first time since 1939, Simpson knows that the November slump is truly over. “We’ve come up with some big victories,” Simpson said. “We’ve got confidence on our side.” That confidence helped the Gamecock defense hold the potent spread option offense of Florida in check as the Gators managed to control the time of possession (34:10) and total yards (359), but couldn’t find enough to Defense #9