It took him six years, but Steve Spurrier has finally delivered the goods to South Carolina. And his mouth wasn’t far behind. Humble after his Gamecocks’ 35-21 win over top-ranked Alabama? After six years of biting his lip? Are you kidding?
“I think this game was meant to be,” Spurrier told reporters afterward.
Hey, let him squawk. It’s not like he didn’t deserve it. Calling it “one of the best days for our university ever,” Spurrier led South Carolina to its first win over a top-ranked team. The Gamecocks cracked the top 10 for the first time in three years.
“I gave myself a game ball,” Spurrier said. “The players wanted to give fate a game ball. I said, ‘I’m accepting for fate.’ “
Offended? Get used to it. South Carolina isn’t going away. Stephen Garcia has come into his own after clashes with Spurrier, hitting 17-of-20 for three touchdowns, and he’s only a junior.
Sophomore receiver Al- shon Jeffery is a healthy Julio Jones; and true freshman Marcus Lattimore, who outgained both Heisman past Mark Ingram and alleged Heisman future Trent Richardson, was merely ‘s No. 2-rated prep running back last year out of Byrnes High in Duncan, S.C.
With Florida struggling, Tennessee and Georgia declining and Kentucky and Vanderbilt merely being Kentucky and Vanderbilt, South Carolina could be the new power in the SEC East.
It can prove it Nov. 13 when it visits Florida.
New world order.
Well, it’s a new BCS order, but when the defending national champ falls the week before the first BCS rankings come out Sunday, it’s time to read college football’s tea leaves.
What great timing. Ohio State, the new No. 1, visits 18th-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. The Badgers probably hoped the quadriceps injury Heisman favorite Terrelle Pryor suffered the week before at Illinois was more serious.
It was serious enough to not rush one time in the 38-10 rout of Indiana, but Pryor still threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns. He had a career-high 280 yards by halftime.
“I was still in a lot of pain on Thursday, and we just kept on getting after it (with treatment), and finally — actually when I woke up (Saturday) morning — it stopped,” Pryor said. “Thank God for that.”
Alabama, meanwhile, needs a lot of help to reach the BCS championship game. Besides free-falling to eighth, it still must play at No. 9 LSU and host No. 7 Auburn, have three teams ahead of it lose and hope the computers lift it past Boise State and TCU.
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy did a lame impersonation of Tim Tebow afterward.
“I promise I will do everything in my power to get these guys ready to go,” he said, “and put this loss in the rearview mirror and learn everything we possibly can from it.”
Wasted Kentucky.
Before schools like Montana, Cal Poly and Portland State get serious about jumping to the FBS, they should look at Western Kentucky. The 0-5 Hilltoppers’ loss to Florida International was their 25th straight and 30th straight against FBS schools.
They have yet to beat an FBS school since becoming a provisional FBS member in 2008. In going 0-12 last year, average home attendance was 14,103.
Said tailback Bobby Rainey, “If we don’t beat ourselves, we can beat anybody.”
Sure, Bobby.
Paterno steaming.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno knew he had to rebuild at linebacker with Navorro Bowman’s early departure to the NFL, but he didn’t think it would be this bad. Give up 282 rushing yards to Illinois? At home? That’s the most against Penn State in six years.
“They kicked our ears in,” Paterno told reporters. “The linebackers, I never thought they saw a pass before.”
He has more than defensive problems. His offense had seven first downs, the second fewest in Paterno’s 45 years at the school.
Fourth-and-short.
Army’s 196 points are 10 more than it scored all last year, and its three wins in opposing stadiums are its most since 1967. . . . In the Big Ten race, keep in mind 13th-ranked Michigan State, also 6-0, doesn’t play Ohio State. It visits 15th-ranked Iowa on Oct. 30. . . . Baylor’s 16-game losing streak to Texas Tech isn’t its worst. It’s 0-19 against Oklahoma, dating to 1901. . . . On the 68-27 loss to Utah, the most points Iowa State had ever given up at home, ISU coach Paul Rhoads said, “The oddsmakers missed this one.” Utah was favored by six.
