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The Genius needs time to install his plan

Sporting News, The, Sept 16, 2005 by Matt Hayes

For certain, it was a sobering moment. Hurricane victims were fighting for their lives in New Orleans, and the first game of the Steve Spurrier era at South Carolina began with a prayer for the survivors. It continued with--I kid you not--a blessing for Darth Visor's first season in Columbia.

God, country, Spurrier.

Like there were ever any question.

As completely inappropriate as it was, the invocation underscored a wild, 10-month journey for one of the most celebrated coaches in the sport's history to one of its barren outposts. This was a celebration, national tragedy be damned. They were selling state flags that showed a visor hanging from a palmetto tree branch. There were T-shirts that read "Got Pass?" and "Savior Steve" and "Hey, Gators: Your loss, our gain."

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Meanwhile, Spurrier's Gamecocks--and some dude named Blake Mitchell--were lighting up UCF the way some of those old Florida teams lit up folks. It was a spectacle, all right. Until the reality hit that all those big numbers, all those quick-strike plays, all those career highlights in the first half were inflicted on a team with the longest losing streak in Division I-A.

Then it all nearly ended with a loss to U-flippin'-CF.

"The games will only get harder," Spurrier says.

Translation: Don't get too giddy, Gamecocks fans. There's a reason Mitchell, a skinny, gangly sophomore, looked like Danny Wuerffel. There's a reason everything Spurrier called in the first half worked. This was one average team (South Carolina) playing one putrid team (UCF)--and the average team had the best offensive mind in the game on its side.

Now, here's the reality.

This week, South Carolina travels to Athens to begin its SEC schedule, and having that offensive genius won't mean squat. There are only so many holes that can be plugged by outcoaching the other guy; at some point, talent has to take over. Like it will for Georgia and the following week for Alabama--and for a majority of SEC opponents.

It will be ugly this week in Athens--double-digit-loss ugly--and there will be other similar games this fall. But a seemingly insignificant 24-15 win over UCF will do more for the state of the South Carolina program than just about any other win this season.

With all the wonderment and hype surrounding Spurrier's return, the first two quarters played out better than anyone could have imagined. The Gamecocks looked like Florida. And Spurrier looked like Spurrier again.

The fifth play of the game was a 49-yard deep ball for a touchdown. Mitchell's first seven attempts produced seven completions, 158 yards and two touchdowns. His first incompletion was an overthrow of a deep ball that would've made it eight in a row and three touchdowns. Spurrier's two awful seasons in the NFL--and any thoughts that opposing coaches had "caught up" to his offense--melted away on one sweltering night.

And that's why UCF's second half comeback means nothing. What is important is that every able-bodied blue-chip recruit was beginning his Labor Day weekend by watching the Evil Genius reincarnated. Players win games, coaches win championships. The Gamecocks have the coach; they're short on the rest of the equation.

But that will change quickly. Blue-chip recruits want to play immediately, want to know they're playing for a coach with a plan and a purpose. Jimmy Clausen, a high school junior in California who could be the best quarterback recruit in years, recently has become enamored of South Carolina and Spurrier. Others will, too.

Spurrier still knows how to out-scheme anyone and still is better than the guy on the other side of the field. He will get elite players to come to South Carolina; it's just a matter of time.

Bowl eligibility is a nice goal in Year 1; an SEC championship is a realistic goal by Year 3.

"He has changed how we act, how we practice, how we feel about ourselves," says wideout Noah Whiteside. "People think he's God here."

God, country, Spurrier.

Like there were ever any question.

speed reads

OK, I was wrong about Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley. No, wait. I'm not giving up that easily. Yeah, he threw for five touchdowns against Boise State. But I want to see him do it against Tennessee, Florida and Auburn before I believe he's the second coming of Charlie Ward.

I love Barry Alvarez. His team was down early to Bowling Green, and he didn't panic, He just kept feeding it to Brian Calhoun and didn't stray from his crawl-ball philosophy as Wisconsin avoided an upset. These are the traits coach in waiting Bret Bielema must embrace during his year of transition.

There really shouldn't be an argument: Troy Smith should be Ohio State's starting quarterback. And it has nothing to do with the way Justin Zwick played against Miami (Ohio), The Buckeyes have changed their offensive philosophy and now will run more than 70 percent of their plays from a shotgun spread formation. Smith is more mobile and dangerous when breaking containment and is just as accurate as Zwick, It's a no-brainer.

The Genius needs time to install his plan

Sporting News, The, Sept 16, 2005 by Matt Hayes

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