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.