Richt gets big laugh out of Spurrier’s latest jab
Athens – South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was in midseason form when he talked to ESPN’s Chris Low in a wide-ranging spring practice interview this week in Columbia.
The barbs were flying for the Gamecocks’ outspoken coach, and both Georgia and defending national Alabama were zinged in the process.
Asked about having to play the Bulldogs in October now rather than in the second game of the season under the previous schedule, Spurrier couldn’t resist taking a shot.
“I don’t know, I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended,” Spurrier said.
Informed of Spurrier’s remarks after Georgia’s practice Thursday evening, coach Mark Richt just laughed.
“How ’bout that; I think that that’s funny,” Richt said after a hardy chuckle. “That sounds like Steve.”
What makes it particularly funny is Spurrier has been so lax on discipline. His previous quarterback Stephen Garcia was suspended five times under Spurrier’s watch but, interestingly, never missed a game until he was kicked off the team in the middle of this past season.
Spurrier even had a shot for Alabama’s Nick Saban. Asked what he thought about the job the Crimson Tide’s coach has done in Tuscaloosa, Spurrier compared him to Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.
“He’s got a nice little gig going, a little bit like Calipari,” Spurrier told Low. “He tells his guys, ‘Hey, three years from now you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’ If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won at Alabama.”
Key players out for G-Day
Several key players are expected to miss Saturday’s annual spring game at Sanford Stadium.
Richt on Thursday said two-way star Malcolm Mitchell and true freshman tailback Keith Marshall were definitely going to sit out with hamstring injuries. Starting strong safety Shawn Williams is also out with what he called a minor knee injury and freshman quarterback Faton Bauta will also miss with a similar injury. Redshirt freshman ffensive linemen Zach DeBell (ankle) and Xzavier Ward (knee) will also sit out.
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410 comments Add your comment
Oregon_Braves
April 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
Charges against Courtney Upshaw were dismissed. Charges against Dre Kirkpatrick were dismissed. Jimmy Johns? Not so much, but that was a mess Saban inherited and one on which he decisively acted. If you have to go back four years to find the most recent egregious arrest, the program is doing fairly well. Freshman Brent Calloway was arrested for pot last year and suspended, so minor arrests do still happen in Tuscaloosa, as they do in all college towns.
The reality is that these kids are scared to death of both Saban and losing their spot to the majorly talented people behind them on the depth chart. Does anyone really, truly believe that Saban coddles players? He’s being called a ruthless, uncaring, cut-a-player-a-second scumbag on these blogs and the next moment his patience with poor, wayward youth is unending? Can’t have it both ways.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
April 13th, 2012
12:59 pm
good stuff spurrier…unlike your team, UGA actually suspends players for infractions. UGA’s players are gone after 3 suspensions, SC is like what 5 or 6?? Its always a tough game between UGA/SC, last year we gave away the game!!
Gator
April 13th, 2012
12:59 pm
showtime, Spurier is 3-4 vs Richt and as a player spurrier was 1-2 vs georgia, try again.
Dawg Squeeze
April 13th, 2012
1:02 pm
Spurrier plays you guys like a fiddle and you take the bait everytime.
BankerDawg
April 13th, 2012
1:05 pm
‘Keep Mike Bobo”, you’re an idiot. He sucks as a OC, his play calling sucks, and he sucked as a QB.
Rob
April 13th, 2012
1:06 pm
Spurrier has to be the biggest goober in the world. Quite a Napoleon complex there Spurrier.
Roll Tide!
South Georgia Farmer
April 13th, 2012
1:07 pm
Who’da thunk? The Old Confederacy League (SEC) has the sons of former field slaves raking in big bucks for them. Academic merit is only scrutinized when the uppity non athletic house blacks want to to attend these schools.
Bobo for Attorney General
April 13th, 2012
1:07 pm
BankerDawg, please do not sugar coat it. Tell us how you really feel.
Top Dawg
April 13th, 2012
1:08 pm
Wes Mantooth @ 9:13 a.m.: He did not win at Miami (Dolphins).
Jenks
April 13th, 2012
1:17 pm
and don’t forget, LSU was one of the worst programs in the conference before saban got there. It’s entertaining but Spurrier is a fool
Half Century Dawg
April 13th, 2012
1:17 pm
“Mutiple SEC rings and a National Championship. Richt??????????????/ Has owned GA as a player and coach…”
Showtime, he has for sure owned us as a coach, but not as a player. he was 1-2 versus us as a player. He got his Heisman Trophy winning arse kicked by us his senior year.
kingdaddy
April 13th, 2012
1:21 pm
Look at it this way, with Florida, Spurrier won a couple of N.C.s. With the dung-holio state of S.C., he’s squeezed out one division title. It’s not the coach, it’s your lame-crocks state. Spurrier is a great coach in a crappy state full of loser fans. There’s no other way to explain it. Jesus couldn’t win a N.C. at S.C. Poor old ball coach. He can always get a job as a stand-up comedians when he gets tired of losing and retires. LOL…
Buckeye
April 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
Yo Clinch!
Just benn hangin’, trying to keep up with the brownie and hashbrown news.
Our Spring Game is next Saturday 1:30 on the Big Ten Network. We don’t need to call it “O” Day or anything because we know what letter Ohio starts with already.
Coastal Dawg
April 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
Spurrier happens to be dead on, like him or not.
Will DeBell or Ward ever see the field?
Nooga Dawg
April 13th, 2012
1:25 pm
Empire and Tide R, for two people who are not Dawg fans you two idiots sure spend a lot of time on the UGA blog. Glad Georgia is on your mind !! GO DAWGS !
Coastal Dawg
April 13th, 2012
1:26 pm
Buckeye,
With what’s been going on in Columbus, I cannot believe you would even venture out.
old dog
April 13th, 2012
1:30 pm
Gotta settle it on the field…..I’m as big a fan as there is but Spurrier has whooped our tails many times! Lets just whoop him regularly on the field the way he has done us, then all ths B.S. will be settled. Remember…..it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it!
Bulldog59
April 13th, 2012
1:30 pm
In all seriousness, isn’t strange, that as powerful as the NCAA and the each conference (in this case the SEC) are, that they don’t mandate a Code of Conduct, with a list of offenses, and STANDARD punishment for each offense?
Make it simple, everything from skipping classes to felony arrests, and a mandate suspension, dismissal, or whatever fits the offense. The school can opt to give additional punishment, but these would serve as minimums.
When the schools come back with the argument, these are our students, we will discipline them, the response is simple. They are NCAA athletes and the NCAA rules that part of their lives. The case is already proven in favor of the NCAA. The athletes and athletic departments supposedly already follow an NCAA rulebook that is thicker than the U.S. Tax Code.
kingdaddy
April 13th, 2012
1:32 pm
Chip
I don’t blame you for blocking that last one. I’ve seen a lot worse though. Still, good job. I’ll play nice …
roterhals
April 13th, 2012
1:36 pm
I’m a Dawg fan but let’s face it, he’s dang funny
DawgInaTruck
April 13th, 2012
1:43 pm
Bulldog59 that is really a good idea. A lot of good, common sense stuff there. Oh yeah, this is the NCAA we’re talking about. Never mind, it will never happen.
RxDawg
April 13th, 2012
1:43 pm
I found his comments about Saban more offending then that of UGA. Saban has won at other places then Alabama!? Just being at Alabama doesn’t equate to easy wins. That’s stupid Steve.
MG
April 13th, 2012
1:46 pm
That was a backhanded compliment Spurrier paid Richt and crew. He basically said USC has been lucky to play UGA with a few guys suspended every year, but got a dig in at the same time. By the way, one of USCs best starters on D in Devonte Holloman was suspended for the UGA game last year so its not just the poor dogs who were at a disadvantage. Maybe if he had played USC would have won the game outright instead of having it “gifted” to them.
And sure it was another dig Saban’s way, but if you actually read the full article from Low, Spurrier goes on to say Saban is the best coach in the SEC…hardly the slam some against Saban some of you are making it out to be.
As far as hotelgate, all players involved were actually cleared to play by the NCAA up to about an hour before the season opener that year, so it wasn’t Spurrier making the decision. Wes Saunders was the only suspended for games and never played for USC again. And sure Garcia had 5 chances, but its not like he was out there beating up women, hitting parked cars while driving drunk, and getting busted for smoking dope.
bucket
April 13th, 2012
1:48 pm
@ Buckeye – thanks, but no thanks. We don’t need any wisdom from the fan of a team that KNOWINGLY cheated every team they played a couple of years ago by allowing guys to play that should have been suspended. UGA sat AJ Green that same year BEFORE the NCAA made a ruling.
J.T.Keene
April 13th, 2012
1:49 pm
Spurrier has always given UT every dig he could especially when Fulmer was there. The funny thing is with all I have ever read about him you could count on one hand the times it was mentioned that he is a preachers son and from Tennessee to boot.
bucket
April 13th, 2012
1:49 pm
It must really suck to have “UGA Obsession Syndrome” and not be able to stop yourself from coming on the blog of the team that you hate every single day!
GAMECROCKS STINK
April 13th, 2012
1:53 pm
Let’s see how OLE BALD coach like’s getting his HAT handed to him in October, oh wait he will throwing that hat like the Girl he really is!!!
TigerinGA
April 13th, 2012
1:54 pm
I love the fact that Spurrier speaks his mind and this time he was 100% correct. Typical for UGA to have so many defections and suspensions, but there’s still the spring and summer for more violations and suspensions.
Andy
April 13th, 2012
1:56 pm
You know noone has mention the 3 players that stole the money from their teammates. I think theuy all applied for a job as bank tellers.
Charles
April 13th, 2012
2:05 pm
What an idiot. Spurrier’s got plenty of his own discipline problems at Carolina, they just don’t suspend them like UGA does. The Whitney Hotel stuff is far bigger than any issue Richt has dealt with. The NCAA is currently taking a very hard look at Carolina. As for Saban, he has won at LSU and Sparty as well.
bham dawg
April 13th, 2012
2:07 pm
@Rob… and saban has nothing of the sort. haha
Mayo
April 13th, 2012
2:14 pm
Steve Spurrier: The Dabney Coleman of college football.
Ray Goof
April 13th, 2012
2:19 pm
Funny to see how many Dog fans still let Spurrier get under their skin. Richt had the right idea. Just laugh it off.
go gata
April 13th, 2012
2:22 pm
When was the last time UCF beat a respectable team?
kingdaddy
April 13th, 2012
2:23 pm
Spurrier can always get a job as a stand-up comedian when he gets tired of losing at S.C. It’s not the coach that holds S.C. back, it’s your lack of in-state talent and tradition. At least he keeps his spirits up while taking cheap shots at rival schools. He is the biggest , whiney baby in the SEC with the exception of Coach James Franklin …
bham dawg
April 13th, 2012
2:24 pm
@go gata… whens the last time la monroe beat a respectable team?
go gata
April 13th, 2012
2:25 pm
in a bowl game
RTR1
April 13th, 2012
2:26 pm
Saban > Spurrier
Nick: 3 titles
Spurrier: 1 title
Enough said
go gata
April 13th, 2012
2:30 pm
Is there a lower point for the SEC in the past 2 decades (in post season play) than Georgia losing to UCF?
bham dawg
April 13th, 2012
2:31 pm
@go gata… troll you have been served. run along
mike
April 13th, 2012
2:31 pm
Good to know they both have a sense of humor. Sports is too serious as it is and it should be about fun. And I guess it is as long as you’re winning.
Terry
April 13th, 2012
2:33 pm
go gata, Didn’t Bama get their butt handed to them by Utah in a bowl game? The answer would be yes, yes they did.
fan
April 13th, 2012
2:37 pm
What was Garcia suspened for? His attitude. He never got suspened for drugs, stealing from his teamates or beating women. Pretty big difference
LogicalUS
April 13th, 2012
2:38 pm
“your lack of in-state talent and tradition”
Don’t watch the NFL Draft this weekend….somebody has been hitting the bottle a little too hard.
SC is expected to have two top 15 picks this week in the draft and perhaps a third 1st Rounder in that big WR they had. It is funny listening to a barely Top 25 team coming off two losing seasons fans talk to Steve Spurrier with his Top 10 team from 2011 about losing.
Looking at their roster, they appear to have the best returning DL in the conference along with secondary and the best RB crew in the conference. Somebody forgot that this is 2012 not 1992.
SC by 10 against UGA in Columbia.
Jay in VA
April 13th, 2012
2:39 pm
I had heard this morning that Spurrier had really blasted Georgia, but never could hear what he said. Finally I catch up with the story. Is that one comment what all the fuss is about? Hell, I think that’s a funny line! There’s also an element of truth to it, I’m sad to say. And, I say that not as a hater but as a UGA alumnus and huge fan. Our off seasons have been filled with way too much drama over the last five years or so. Once again we will play that second game of the season short staffed. I’m concerned about that game in Columbia, MO.
The OBC’s biggest inaccuracy was his implication that anyone could win at Alabama. There are a few coaches before Saban that didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard for the Tide. Tradition will only take you so far. It’s amazing how fast many have forgotten how mediocre Bama had been for so long. Like him or not, you can’t deny the job Saban has done. And, I’m pretty sure Steve knows that.
LogicalUS
April 13th, 2012
2:40 pm
“Garcia suspened for”
It appears that his biggest crime was immaturity and it certainly showed on the field. He certainly held SC back the past couple of years with his missing of spring practice and undisciplined play.
Spurrier no longer has that problem with the new kid they have playing.
ShinyPants
April 13th, 2012
2:40 pm
Spurrier only runs his mouth when things are going well…he’ll be pretty quiet after this season….
kingdaddy
April 13th, 2012
2:49 pm
It’s just the pot calling the kettle black…
Gay Dawg
April 13th, 2012
2:51 pm
Spurrier is a homophobe who resents UGAs abnormally large gay population
slydog
April 13th, 2012
2:51 pm
Say what you want about Spurrier, both statements were completely accurate. Has he ever been inaccurate? Yeah, I know, he’s a hypocrit, but this is what makes college football fun. You know Spurrier, Saban, and Richt all get together and laugh this stuff off. That idiot Dabo Swinney took the bait.