South Carolina fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The Ol' Ball Coach is staying put, having just received a significant pay raise that increases his annual salary by $500,000. This is great news for Gamecocks fans and players.

Having seen South Carolina several times, I've been impressed with the progress the team has made this season. Now, we have to see the progress the program makes in the upcoming years. Losing Spurrier would have been a big setback. Spurrier is a good coach, and he is instant credibility for a football program that needs it.

With the coach staying put, I expect to see the Gamecocks playing in much bigger Bowl Games soon. I don't think they are too far from the SEC Championship Game. All year long, USC proved it could play with the best teams in the conference, and I think having Spurrier on the sidelines will definitely give the fans, and probably the players, confidence that the Gamecocks can win every game.

Posted by Adam Aizer at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aside from Jarvis Moss, here are some players who caught my eye in yesterday's UF-USC game:

UF defensive end Ray McDonald: He and Moss are both great downfield tacklers. It's not as if a running back or wide receiver needs to get past the line of scrimmage and then no longer has to worry about UF's defensive linemen. These guys hustle until the whistle blows. UF had no sacks yesterday, but McDonald hit QB Blake Mitchell as he threw to halt the opening drive. He later blocked a field goal on the same drive that he batted a screen pass down at the line of scrimmage. Great games from McDonald and Moss, stepping up in the absence of Marcus Thomas.

Continue reading "USC-UF Standouts" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Gamecocks might be just 5-5 this season, but that in no way tells the story of the job Steve Spurrier has done. I have seen the Gamecocks three times in person, and probably four other times on television. They are much better than a .500 team.

Look at the scores in some of their losses.

24-17 vs. Auburn

31-24 vs. Tennessee

26-20 vs. Arkansas

17-16 at Florida

Continue reading "Gamecocks' Record Doesn't Reflect Spurrier's Impact" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 27th meeting between South Carolina (5-4, 3-4 SEC) and Florida (8-1, 6-1) will be perhaps the most interesting one yet. Steve Spurrier made the Swamp what it is today. Urban Meyer has restored the home field advantage since his arrival, going 11-0 at home to start his UF coaching career. The door to the BCS National Championship game is open for the Gators. Will the Gamecocks spoil their hopes?

Continue reading "South Carolina-UF Preview" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It took three questions to bring up the subject of Steve Spurrier's return to The Swamp during the coach's press conference this afternoon in South Carolina.

Spurrier sat down at a table in front of about 35 media members and gave his opening comments. He talked about Saturday's loss to Arkansas briefly, then he said he was, "looking forward to going to The Swamp, playing the Gators."

First he was asked if UF is the best team USC will play.

Then someone asked Spurrier how the loss of Marcus Thomas will affect the Gators.

At that point I thought to myself, "Maybe they won't ask him about going back to UF. Maybe I missed out on all that on Saturday or Sunday."

And the next thing I knew, Spurrier spent the next 10 minutes or so addressing questions about his return and his time spent in Gainesville.

Continue reading "The Buzz Surrounding The Ol' Ball Coach" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let's be honest.

There will only be one major storyline this weekend when South Carolina heads to The Swamp to face the Florida Gators.

All the talk will be about a quarterback. But it won't be about Chris Leak or Tim Tebow or Syvelle Newton or Blake Mitchell. People will talk about a former UF quarterback who won a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship as a Gator.

Let Steve Spurrier Week officially begin.

The Ol' Ball Coach returns to Gainesville as Head Coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Spurrier's name is still, and will always be linked with UF football, but before he was a Gator, he was a young, talented quarterback in Johnson City, Tennessee.

We decided this week would be a good time to look at Spurrier's roots.

Where did it all start?

Continue reading "Steve Spurrier Week" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vanderbilt (3-4 overall, 1-3 SEC) and South Carolina (4-2, 2-2) meet up on Saturday for the 16th time in series history, with the Gamecocks holding a 13-2 advantage. It is Homecoming for the Commodores, who are coming off one of the biggest wins in program history - a 24-22 victory in Georgia. This game could be one that reveals whether or not last week was a fluke, or if, in fact, the Commodores are ready to take the next step toward gaining respect on the football field.

VANDERBILT OFFENSE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA DEFENSE

Earl Bennett. Earl Bennett. Earl Bennett. Vandy needs the sophomore wide receiver to have another big game, following his eight-catch, 89 yard effort last week, to have success against South Carolina's 18th ranked defense. But more importantly, the Commodores will have to run the ball effectively. They have two players to carry the load: RB Cassen Jackson-Garrison and QB Chris Nickson. They have run for 430 yards and 344 yards, respectively, this season. Nickson is a classic dual-threat QB who will likely find more success with his legs tomorrow than he will with his arm.

Continue reading "Vanderbilt - South Carolina Preview" »

Posted by Adam Aizer at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unknown to most of the 16 million people who bought "Cracked Rear View", the debut album of Hootie & the Blowfish, they bought not only a CD, but a picture of the famous Longstreet Theatre on the South Carolina campus, which is pictured on the CD and cover.

Continue reading "South Carolina: USC & the Blowfish" »

Posted by at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As always, we have players for college football fans to watch during the remainder of the college football season. Our list is short tonight, but the players are definitely worthy.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Players To Watch/Final Thoughts" »

Posted by at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

They let Kenny Irons run for over 100 yards. They didn't touch the ball for the entire third quarter. They fought reviewed calls, a string of bad penalties and a costly double fumble that wasted a chance to score. And with all of that, Carolina had a chance to tie the game up...and couldn't come up with the one big play they needed.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Slippin' in the Rain: Auburn survives 24-17" »

Posted by at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're about one hour away from SEC Football in Columbia, as Steve Spurrier attempts to throw a huge hurdle in the SEC race, and beat the #2 Auburn Tigers, who are still riding high off of victories against LSU and Buffalo.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Thursday Night Lights in Columbia" »

Posted by at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's Wednesday night at Wild Wing Grill in the heart of Columbia, and Mike Morgan and Jay Phillips are at work, talking to the many Gamecock fans who are anticipating tomorrow's heated matchup against Auburn.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Talking Gamecock Football" »

Posted by at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After tonight's 18-0 Georgia victory, here are four players that SEC fans will need to keep an eye out for this season...

Continue reading "SC/UGA: Players to Watch" »

Posted by at 02:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since 1987, when Rutgers defeated Steve Spurrier's Duke Blue Devils 7-0, teams coached under Steve Spurrier haven't been shut out of a football game. Tonight, Mark Richt and Georgia decided 19 years was long enough.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Deep Fried Chicken - Bulldogs Win 18-0" »

Posted by at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not time for the South Carolina State Fair, but tailgating before a Gamecock game is a carnival all in its own. While most fans gather at the fairgrounds, some of the luckiest fans tailgate in one of the most unique, and luxurious ways possible: a South Carolina Cockaboose.

Continue reading "South Carolina: All Aboard the Cockaboose" »

Posted by at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sitting in the press box at Columbia's Williams-Brice Stadium, one is naturally overwhelmed when they see line after line of cars streamed across the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Tailgating was its own carnival of sorts, and sitting amongst friends of mine, the smell of the gril and the sounds of football were in the air.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Tales from Tailgating" »

Posted by at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steve Spurrier mentioned at SEC Media Days that there were only a few Outback Bowl trophies in the Gamecock trophy case. Though those are the trophies that are displayed in the team case, the most prominent trophy is one that can't be found at Alabama, or at South Carolina's rival, Clemson. It's the Heisman Trophy, which belongs to the living legend of Carolina football, George Rogers.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood" »

Posted by at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On June 9, 2006, the NCAA posted a series of rule changes for NCAA football. Among them was rule 3-2-5-e, which stated the clock would start on the ref's whistle after a first down. However, many coaches are not pleased with the new rule, and one of the more outspoken coaches against it is South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.

Continue reading "South Carolina: Spurrier no fan of new NCAA rule" »

Posted by at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)