GTmorris1970
09-18-2005, 05:14 AM
Posted on Sun, Sep. 18, 2005
Sound thrashing a reminder to Spurrier of how humbling a bad day on the football field can be
By RON MORRIS
Columnist
Even the sound system malfunctioned as Steve Spurrier went through his opening remarks to the media shortly after South Carolina’s embarrassing performance Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“I’m not going to repeat it,” Spurrier said when the sound system was corrected. “It was painful enough (the first time).”
Spurrier was speaking, of course, of his team’s lack of showing in a loss to Alabama that was not nearly as close as the final 37-14 score indicated. He was speaking of a pasting that must have felt to Spurrier as if he was again standing on the Washington Redskins sideline. He was speaking of a switch-whipping every bit as humbling as his Florida team’s 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the 1995 national championship game.
“We were terrible,” Spurrier said in speaking of his team’s offense. He could have described USC’s defense with the same word, unless he wanted to classify both units as being inept, ineffective, dreadful, bungling, frightful. Any, or all, would do.
The student section had seen enough by halftime. Even though a turnaround from a 20-7 deficit was possible, the students obviously sensed what everyone else did. It was not going to happen for USC on this day. By the end of the third quarter, with USC now trailing 30-7, there were an estimated 70,000 seats were up for grabs.
“I do apologize to our fans,” said Spurrier, who probably wished he could have departed early with the fans. “I thought we would be more competitive than we were today.”
There were a few plays that told perfectly how things went for USC.
To open the second half, Spurrier said he figured USC’s luck might change if he mixed things up a little bit. So, he inserted Antonio Heffner at quarterback in place of Blake Mitchell, who oftentimes in the first half seemed to forget that USC had switched to white jerseys for this home game. He threw only one interception, but that was due in part to Alabama’s red-shirted defensive backs who could not get a handle on Mitchell’s perfectly thrown passes to them.
On Heffner’s first play under center, he fumbled. Teammate Freddy Saint-Preux recovered, and was injured on the play. Spurrier missed the recovery because he had tossed aside his headset and pulled his trademark visor over his eyes.
Later in the same series, USC faced a fourth-and-1 at the Alabama 35. This time, Heffner rolled out in what appeared to be a run/pass option. When he turned to slide out of the pocket, he ran smack into a wall of Alabama defenders, fumbled and the Gamecocks lost 17 yards. On fourth-and-1!
Earlier, with USC trailing 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter, Alabama faced third-and-11 at its 25-yard-line. A stop by the Gamecock defense and USC faced the prospect of standing toe to toe with the Crimson Tide. Instead, Tyrone Prothro took a simple handoff and bolted 41 yards.
Alabama seemed to routinely convert the second-and-long and third-and-long plays. In the first half alone, Alabama netted the aforementioned 41 yards on third-and-11; 15 yards on a third-and-10; and 15 yards on a second-and-12.
When asked to explain how opponents have found a way to consistently convert third-and-long situations against USC this season, safety Ko Simpson sounded as confused as the defense often looked during those times.
“I don’t even know (why),” Simpson said. “I don’t know. It’s crazy.”
Alabama’s first four drives of the game went eight plays for 80 yards and a touchdown, seven plays for 70 yards and a touchdown, 12 plays for 62 yards and a field goal, and 13 plays for 40 yards and a field goal.
Spurrier complained in USC’s win over Central Florida and again after the Gamecocks loss to Georgia that the defense needed to get the ball back quicker so his offense could go to work. He had no room to cast aspersions on his defense this time because his offense could do nothing with the ball once it got possession.
“They beat us out there pretty good today,” Mitchell said in the day’s biggest understatement.
After driving 75 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the game, USC’s next four series netted a trio of three-and-outs as well as an interception on first down.
Nothing, nothing drives Spurrier mad quite like an interception thrown on first down. After this particular one, though, he simply shrugged his shoulders on the sideline. Perhaps even by the second quarter Spurrier had resigned himself to experiencing one of those days where nothing goes his way.
Welcome back to college football USC style, Steve.
Sound thrashing a reminder to Spurrier of how humbling a bad day on the football field can be
By RON MORRIS
Columnist
Even the sound system malfunctioned as Steve Spurrier went through his opening remarks to the media shortly after South Carolina’s embarrassing performance Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“I’m not going to repeat it,” Spurrier said when the sound system was corrected. “It was painful enough (the first time).”
Spurrier was speaking, of course, of his team’s lack of showing in a loss to Alabama that was not nearly as close as the final 37-14 score indicated. He was speaking of a pasting that must have felt to Spurrier as if he was again standing on the Washington Redskins sideline. He was speaking of a switch-whipping every bit as humbling as his Florida team’s 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the 1995 national championship game.
“We were terrible,” Spurrier said in speaking of his team’s offense. He could have described USC’s defense with the same word, unless he wanted to classify both units as being inept, ineffective, dreadful, bungling, frightful. Any, or all, would do.
The student section had seen enough by halftime. Even though a turnaround from a 20-7 deficit was possible, the students obviously sensed what everyone else did. It was not going to happen for USC on this day. By the end of the third quarter, with USC now trailing 30-7, there were an estimated 70,000 seats were up for grabs.
“I do apologize to our fans,” said Spurrier, who probably wished he could have departed early with the fans. “I thought we would be more competitive than we were today.”
There were a few plays that told perfectly how things went for USC.
To open the second half, Spurrier said he figured USC’s luck might change if he mixed things up a little bit. So, he inserted Antonio Heffner at quarterback in place of Blake Mitchell, who oftentimes in the first half seemed to forget that USC had switched to white jerseys for this home game. He threw only one interception, but that was due in part to Alabama’s red-shirted defensive backs who could not get a handle on Mitchell’s perfectly thrown passes to them.
On Heffner’s first play under center, he fumbled. Teammate Freddy Saint-Preux recovered, and was injured on the play. Spurrier missed the recovery because he had tossed aside his headset and pulled his trademark visor over his eyes.
Later in the same series, USC faced a fourth-and-1 at the Alabama 35. This time, Heffner rolled out in what appeared to be a run/pass option. When he turned to slide out of the pocket, he ran smack into a wall of Alabama defenders, fumbled and the Gamecocks lost 17 yards. On fourth-and-1!
Earlier, with USC trailing 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter, Alabama faced third-and-11 at its 25-yard-line. A stop by the Gamecock defense and USC faced the prospect of standing toe to toe with the Crimson Tide. Instead, Tyrone Prothro took a simple handoff and bolted 41 yards.
Alabama seemed to routinely convert the second-and-long and third-and-long plays. In the first half alone, Alabama netted the aforementioned 41 yards on third-and-11; 15 yards on a third-and-10; and 15 yards on a second-and-12.
When asked to explain how opponents have found a way to consistently convert third-and-long situations against USC this season, safety Ko Simpson sounded as confused as the defense often looked during those times.
“I don’t even know (why),” Simpson said. “I don’t know. It’s crazy.”
Alabama’s first four drives of the game went eight plays for 80 yards and a touchdown, seven plays for 70 yards and a touchdown, 12 plays for 62 yards and a field goal, and 13 plays for 40 yards and a field goal.
Spurrier complained in USC’s win over Central Florida and again after the Gamecocks loss to Georgia that the defense needed to get the ball back quicker so his offense could go to work. He had no room to cast aspersions on his defense this time because his offense could do nothing with the ball once it got possession.
“They beat us out there pretty good today,” Mitchell said in the day’s biggest understatement.
After driving 75 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the game, USC’s next four series netted a trio of three-and-outs as well as an interception on first down.
Nothing, nothing drives Spurrier mad quite like an interception thrown on first down. After this particular one, though, he simply shrugged his shoulders on the sideline. Perhaps even by the second quarter Spurrier had resigned himself to experiencing one of those days where nothing goes his way.
Welcome back to college football USC style, Steve.