Spurrier on Georgia: ‘I keep seeing all those long runs by those freshman Bulldogs’
Informed Sunday that ESPN’s College Gameday crew is coming to Columbia on Saturday for No. 5 Georgia’s game against No. 6 South Carolina, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said that’s just the way he likes it.
The last time that group set up outside Williams-Brice Stadium was on Oct. 9th, 2010, and South Carolina knocked off No. 1-ranked Alabama 35-21.
“We certainly do [like games such as this],” Spurrier said on his weekly teleconference call Sunday. “The last time they were here, obviously that was one of the best days in Carolina football history. It was the first time we had ever beat a No. 1 team. It adds to the importance of the game. It sort of lets the world know and the country know South Carolina football’s pretty good. We’re not quite where we want to be yet, but we’re up there amongst them and hopefully we can keep pushing on.”
The matchup everybody anticipated for Week 6 of the season has materialized. Both the Gamecocks (5-0, 3-0 SEC) and Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) were consensus preseason picks as the top two teams from the East and they arrive undefeated and ranked among the nation’s best. Both teams negotiated potential trap games this past weekend. South Carolina trailed Kentucky 17-7 in the first half but surged ahead in the second to win 38-17. Georgia wasted several three-score leads to outlast Tennessee 51-44 at Sanford Stadium.
Spurrier said he hasn’t had a chance yet to sit down and study the Bulldogs on video, but he has been impressed by what he has seen on highlight shows.
“I keep seeing a bunch of long runs by those Bulldog freshmen,” said Spurrier, speaking of tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. “That’s probably a good message when you think you lose a top running that has some issues like the kid they had there last year [Isaiah Crowell], maybe the next guys can come in and play as well or better. So the long runs is what I noticed mostly yesterday. And, of course [Aaron] Murray hit a bunch of big passes, too. They were a scoring machine.”
Georgia comes into the game leading the SEC in scoring (48.2 ppg) and total offense (536 ypg). But the Gamecocks, behind quarterback Connor Shaw and running back Marcus Lattimore, have been lighting it up, too. South Carolina averages 36.6 points and 409 yards per game.
The difference might be the Gamecocks’ defense, which is giving up an average of just 11.2 points and 288 yards. That’s second and third in the SEC, respectively.
Conversely, Georgia’s defense has been a bit of a disappointment. The Bulldogs are in the bottom half of the league against the score (22.0 ppg) and in yards allowed (370 pg).
“Well, they’re scoring so fast,” Spurrier said. “You score fast and your defense has to play a lot more. It usually takes us a while to get it down the field and score. Our defense is hopefully only out there 58 to 63 plays, something like that. Georgia’s been scoring so fast and there’s been so many turnovers in their games, the defense is just playing more plays. No, they can make plays all over the place. And even last year we didn’t move the ball that well at all.”
Spurrier is referring to last season’s 45-42 win at Georgia in which the Bulldogs gave up 14 points on a pick-six and a fake punt and another 14 indirectly on offensive turnovers deep in their own territory.
You’d think that all would be warm and fuzzy with the Gamecocks, what with them being in some unchartered waters in program history from a winning standpoint. But Spurrier refused to take questions after the UAB game and a couple of other news conferences due to his differences over what he deemed was negative reporting by the local newspaper, The Columbia State. In particular he seems to be having issues with columnist Ron Morris, who has been known to take him to task from time-to-time.
“Well, it’s only one guy,” Spurrier said Sunday. “I just said I had enough of it. Hopefully we got the problem under control. I guess time will tell.”
Morris wrote a column about their strained relationship this past week.
Stay tuned for much more coverage of the Gamecocks and the Bulldogs this week as we get set for what will certainly be the most anticipated Georgia-South Carolina game in the long and storied history of that series.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF GEORGIA-TENNESSEE GAME:
- ‘Gurshall’ leads Bulldogs to victory in 51-44 shootout over Vols
- Video: Georgia survives offensive thriller at Sanford Stadium
- Jeff Schultz column: Win has mixture of highlights, slapstick
- Notebook: Ogletree, Rambo make a difference in return to D
- Dogs overcome special-teams woes
- What they said: Players, coaches discuss the game
- Photo gallery: Scenes from Sanford Stadium
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222 comments Add your comment
Joey
October 1st, 2012
10:08 am
What worries me most is that UT figured out how to control our pass rush – granted, mainly by holding Jarvis’ jersey – but they did it. Look for SC to try to do that also.
Grantham needs to get some pressure up the middle.
Joey
October 1st, 2012
10:17 am
Techies crack me up, leghumpers….
Telling UGA fans how bad we are, when your team gets blown out at home (not that it’s an advantage for you) by a little bitty 21-point underdog?
Priceless.
t.trippe
October 1st, 2012
10:17 am
. I would not trust GA’s offensive line to make long drives
just to wear down anyones defense. I know who would win that battle.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 1st, 2012
10:26 am
I prefer that our offense score quickly rather than fumble the ball at the 10 yard line two times or throw a pick six jsut as we are gainging momentum in the game.
Did anybody else notice what happened every time Gray Danielson made a comment about Murray “being trusted by the coaches” (pick six) or he has “the confidence of the coaching staff” (fumble at the 10)?
I still like our defense a lot. It will be a shootout again this week but I think we have the horses to hold on.
Glad to see that we have not only one but two backs that can take it to the house. Been awhile since we have had that break away speed back there.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 1st, 2012
10:27 am
Is it Monday? I will work on my spelling errors, I promise.
Buzz 2011
October 1st, 2012
10:34 am
The Dog gave up how many points to the Vols? 45??
Unless the Dogs can hang 60 points against The Cocks they are done..
They are done!!!
J.T.Keene
October 1st, 2012
10:36 am
Great game dogs….but, if U.T. knew how to tackle you would have been in a world of hurt. I don’t think the best team will necessarily win saturday, (and not saying either one is the best team) but I think it will come down to whichever one gets the good breaks or makes their own breaks.
Buzz 2011
October 1st, 2012
10:37 am
@joey…………..When are the Dawgs going to play SEC contenders?
Froim the little I know of SEC the best teams are LSU, Bama.. Why don’t you
ever play them? The last time you played LSU in a playoff they ran out 50 points
in a row didn’t they. Dawgs will collapse…f
c
October 1st, 2012
10:45 am
Only UGA fans would complain about “scoring to fast” Does anybody remember when we had Tereshinski at QB? Or the great Joe Cox??
damnbobo
October 1st, 2012
10:50 am
great game …and Tenn played awesome..But what if we didnt turn over the ball 3 times…blow out?!?!?!
SC will be a grinder,.,like it always is…looking forward to it…UGA D …just show up!!!
ISAIAH WHO?????
October 1st, 2012
11:01 am
LETS GET THOSE VISOR THROWS IN EARLY BULLDOGS!!!!GO DAWGS!!!!
old dog
October 1st, 2012
11:03 am
To Hell with Tek, today, tomorrow and every other day!
Jimmy Crack
October 1st, 2012
11:06 am
Let me guess…Grantham was playing strategy possum with a vanilla scheme again, waiting to unleash his awe-inspiring defensive play calling this weekend against SCAR. We can only hope so, because I saw his mouth open on the sidelines Saturday but didn’t know if he was calling plays or catching flies.
Innocent bystander
October 1st, 2012
11:10 am
Dog in Nam I have read some idiotic posts on here before excusing the way the dawgs play but “scheming” differently for different teams and giving up all the points aganst UT is acceptable shows me just why CMR is still the coach here; what a moron! IF WE DONT PLAY ANY BETTER AGAINST SC WE WILL LOSE 45-24.
JayJay the Japanese Jet Pilot
October 1st, 2012
11:11 am
To Bobby the tech fan, regarding your comment of Sept. 30th. I agree with your assesment of Tech. Y’all not only suck “right now”, y’all suck ALL THE TIME!! CPJ will becoaching Ga. Southern or Elon again beforehis career is over. Oh, and whoever said that TEK is an ELITE program?? I can assure everyone it wasn’t anyone in Athens. . . .It was a scarcatic stab at humor by onw of the WSB TV sports anchors, either ZAK KLIEN or Amy Anthony.
Italian_29
October 1st, 2012
11:13 am
Buzz 2011, I think you Techies have a little more to worry about with your own team getting BLOWN out by MTSU a CAA team, Damn! You guys gave up how many points, it is going to be a LONG season on North Ave, I guess the only thing you Techies have left is hoping something bad happens to the Dawgs, because you sure have nothing left to cheer for this year, with your Yellowjerkets.
azdawg
October 1st, 2012
11:16 am
GA needs to score quick and often. The less time Murray has on the field the less chance to turn the ball over. SC defense will pressure him all day. He has tendency to get rattled after he fumbles or gets picked and that usually results in Bobo going conservative on the next series or two especially against good teams. The Dawgs run D is not as good as they think they are. Its showed up in all the games and TN had no trouble late in the game of pushing the GA line back 5 yds w/ease. Can’t do that vs lattimore and co. CTG might have to sacrifice a couple of LB’s to bolster the run stop. GA can win this game if they play their A game on both sides of the ball. eliminate TO’s, pass protect and run the ball, get some TO’s and for pete sakes make the PAT’s!! Otherwise, it’ll be a repeat of last years game.
Newnandawg
October 1st, 2012
11:18 am
Richt can’t help himself. He can’t play ball control offense to help his defense out.
He’s still trying to install 1998 Florida State in the SEC.
Saban is showing you the blueprint with their 6 and 7 minute “boring” sustained drives.
Gypsy Dawg
October 1st, 2012
11:22 am
Baby Dooley will not be the savior of Hillbilly football in Knoxville. Props to his mama, Barbara, for supporting her son and raising a nice bunch of children, but Derrick isn’t going to make a silk purse out of a VOLS ear!! Tennessee was only the latest in “biggest games of the season” for the Dawgs. Although the Dawgs can’t walk on water, we know where the rocks are. Tennessee was just a stepping stone, just like southcarolina will be on Saturday. HBTD???
GaDawgs'emOut!
October 1st, 2012
11:23 am
Headed into the meat of the schedule, hunker down bulldawg nation. its gonna be a epic slobber knocker as this is now the biggest rival for the program!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:24 am
How can so many UNINFORMED people on here suggest that we need to slow down our offense because we are “Scoring too Fast” ???
The ONLY time we should even consider doing such is when we have a small lead and have an opportunity to “Run out the clock”!!!!!!!!!!
Are we to believe that instead of taking it to the house our RBs & WRs should fall down or run out of bounds once they have a first down??? It is unreal how STUPID that is but one FOOL starts it up and several FOOLs chime in!!!!!!!!!
Even worse is the idiots that want to blame Murray for Tennessee’s pick 6(the ball was tipped by a defender and that was obvious to a 3rd grader) and Murray’s fumble(Our back allowed a blitzing LB to come untouched to hit Murray). The Murray haters are even bigger idiots and Single Digit IQs than the “Slow down our offense” KNOW-NOTHINGS!!!
After 5 games one would think these “Wannabe” fans would have figured out some of this by now!!!!!!!!!!
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
11:33 am
I’m liking the dogs BIG Saturday.
SC doesn’t have the horses to keep up.
……..and don’t buy the hype, LSU whacks Fla.
Harmon, yes it's really me, Wages
October 1st, 2012
11:34 am
The only thing that would make “ESPN Game Day” in Columbia anymore ridiculous would be to have the “walking dead”, Lou Holtz on the set. Carolina could line up against the UNDEFEATED 1972 MIAMI DOLPHINS and Holtz would pick the gamecocks to win. This man doesn’t have an objective bone in his body. He is a Caroliner Homer if there ever was one. He wanted sooo bad for his sone “Skip” to be the HC after he left. Caroliner boosters got smart and hired the evil genius. Had they hired Skip, Lou Baby would have been tethered to a phone giving young holtz pointers. Lou, himself, wasn’t much of a coach while at Caroliner
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:35 am
@ AZdawg:
CMR knows what he is doing and needs no help or advice from the Peanut Gallery(aka azdawg) That’s why CMR is paid over $8,000.00 per day and you likely get paid $8.00 per hour PLUS TIPS so why not just STFU, at least about coaching college football???
AZdawg = Loser = Supersize that order!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gdawginkalamazoo
October 1st, 2012
11:40 am
Difference between this year versus SC and the past few years is that we have a run game. Also, Ellis Johnson is not the DC anymore at SC.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:41 am
@ Newnandawg:
If you prefer Saban coaching to CMR coaching please feel free to contact Delta(Ready when you are)
We have enough second-guessers in Dawg Nation without you hanging on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:48 am
@ Buzzz 2011:
Don’t you have a big enough catastrophy on a North Avenue team that could use some of that sage advice you are spewing without wasting it on a team that is 5-0 so far???????????????
Augustabred
October 1st, 2012
11:49 am
Spurrier reinterated a point i made after the game. We were scoring so quickly that our D had to play a whole lot more than they were accustomed to. Its obvious that C-Wash needs to bring some heat or sit him down and put G Smith in there. Jordan Jenkins needs more snaps along with J Rome!
To Tell the Truth
October 1st, 2012
11:50 am
Thank GOD UGA actually plays someone this weekend and they will go down in FLAMES!!!!! LMAO GO COCKS!!!!
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
11:50 am
Brain — jones isn’t winning the Heisman.
He’s in a fight for SEC Defensive POY, which btw is the most prestigious award in college football now.
Jones is having the same season Upshaw had last year.
If the badger didn’t win it, jones isnt
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:52 am
@ Buzzz 2011:
Nother thang!!!!!!!!!!!
Joey no longer is in charge of SEC scheduling but his brother is. How do you think we get all these soft schedules????????????
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life/J.Jones for Heisman))
October 1st, 2012
11:58 am
@ Big Crimson:
You are precisely correct. His injury and his failure to put on his normal display Saturday will/already cost him the elite Heisman. It is hard for any LB to win it anyway.
I just left it on my name because of laziness. You know, kinda like leaving your political signs up when you lose the election!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the notice!!!!!!!!
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
12:05 pm
Forget the Heisman.
SEC Defensive POY means more!!
Plus, it’s harder to win & the competition is the best for any award in the Nation.
Fair n Balanced
October 1st, 2012
12:06 pm
You can only score too fas when you are scoring in the 4 th qtr when you are hoping to grind out a winning td as the clock runs out. Unfortunately, we don’t score we’ll in the 4th. Bs TN the offense was of NO help in the 4th qtr and we were very fortunate the defense FINALLY stepped up and stopped them. I would take Ga and +7 on a bet.
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
12:07 pm
Tell the truth — any victory against one of the tradition power programs is a good win.
UT has more weapons than SC.
DIT
October 1st, 2012
12:09 pm
@Big Crimson 75
______________
I have to disagree with you on the LSU vs UF game. I think it will be reversed. I think UF beats LSU by 10. Hey, I’ve been known to be wrong before. UF’s bye week will help them also that they are playing at the swamp helps them. I just have not been too impressed by LSU. Of course they keep winning and that’s all that matters.
I think y’all will crush LSU on the 3rd.
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
12:10 pm
Kalamazoo — nice shout to Ellis Johnson.
Shula’s best yr at Bama(10-2) was a direct result of Ellis Johnson’s D.
D'OH!!
October 1st, 2012
12:11 pm
MTSU just scored again!!!
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
12:14 pm
DIT — believe me, I’m going off D & experience.
Mettenberger is not an upgrade over Jefferson or Lee.
LSU’s offense looks wretched!!
I hope lil’ Saban beats the hatter, butt that LSU defense is no joke when motivated.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 1st, 2012
12:15 pm
Crimson 75, IMO Ellis made SC’s defense what it was. Those are the things that I look at in a game like this. Huge difference and an advantage for us.
DIT
October 1st, 2012
12:18 pm
I just think Saban has that team dialed in right now. LSU will be their only test during the regular season, but that won’t be as strong as a test as I initially thought. Bama still wins by at least 2 TD’s.
As for UF / LSU. It’s more gut than anything. Just have a feeling UF wins this one.
Yes, being a Dawg, I am avoiding a prediction on the UGA / SC game. ha ha
gdawginkalamazoo
October 1st, 2012
12:19 pm
Anybody notice that the kid from MTSU was the leading rusher in the nation last week? 217 yds and 5 TD’s.
DIT
October 1st, 2012
12:23 pm
kalamazoo – That was a pretty impressive performance by that RB. You know the Clemson RB’s are licking their chops right now. Still, Clemson can’t stop the run either. There game will be high scoring with several backs being well over 100 yards from both teams.
Here’s where I’ll give many of you on here a good lunch time laugh. I still think tech can pull this one out!
Big Crimson 75
October 1st, 2012
12:26 pm
Kalamazoo — you expected something different?
GT has the worse defense in college football.
They deserve better than Paul Johnson.
Those geniuses will fire Groh & keep the problem — Johnson.
NCDawg
October 1st, 2012
12:41 pm
Just a smokescreen.
JB
October 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
Worth repeating. If Spurrier had a choice of beating Georgia or saving his mothers life, he would have a funeral to attend next week just say’n.
#1 Dawg fan
October 1st, 2012
1:16 pm
Yes I will agree we score quickly. Our defense is good enough to play with anyone. If we don’t have the two or three fumbles in the Tennessee game they are not in the game anyway. I think the Dawgs will prevail this week. We haven’t shown our hand yet.
Red Stick
October 1st, 2012
1:21 pm
I think Georgia has too much firepower on offense and wins on Saturday.
If LSU plays like they have the last 2 weeks then they will coming home from the Swamp with their tails between their legs.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
alumnidawg
October 1st, 2012
1:32 pm
we score too fast? Are you guys kidding me? Are we really complaining that are plays are working too well? just because the opposing coach says it does not means it make sense. this is real football not a video game. you score when ever the opportunity presents itself. Plus we have great balalnce with running and passing so its not just long bombs every play. we are talking about steve spurrier here, the king the spread run and gun offense when he was in fla. Im glad you guys are not our coach. if you coached uga opposing coaches would say just anything knowing that you would say ” you know what thats a good idea. Maybe if we dont score at all we will win.”
joe
October 1st, 2012
1:39 pm
Good to read this blog and then go read some of the comments on the Columbia paper blog. Goes to show that the AJC has no monopoly on idiot bloggers. This is where the SEC ranks first by a long shot. Even the Uof Oregon bloggers are not close.