Ol’ ball coach is back in the SEC title game

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C.

Steve Spurrier seemed to be a shell of himself his first few years at South Carolina, unable to rekindle the kind of success he had at Florida.

This year looked like it might be another tease when the Gamecocks again followed a big win against Alabama with a disappointing loss to Kentucky. Spurrier was shaken, but not down.

At 65, the South Carolina head ball coach is back in the Southeastern Conference title game.

His No. 18 Gamecocks take on second-ranked Auburn Saturday.

After five largely so-so seasons, Spurrier can bring a winner to South Carolina in the game he loves the most. It’s a second-act few thought Spurrier would pull off with the also-ran Gamecocks.

“The important thing is that our players really set some lofty goals this year,” he said. “They set some goals that a lot of people maybe would’ve laughed at at the beginning of the season.”

Plenty of people around college football laughed six years ago when Spurrier — citing the Boston Red Sox slogan “Why not us?”— said his goal was to win an SEC crown at South Carolina.

But after several false starts, Spurrier’s got the Gamecocks (9-3) set to ruin the league’s chance at a fifth straight national title.

“Steve Spurrier is the same coach that he’s been the last four, five, six years,” said Lou Holtz, Spurrier’s Gamecocks predecessor. “He has some wonderful assistants and finally got the players he needed to compete.”

Auburn coach Gene Chizik says it’s an amazing achievement to coach two schools to the SEC’s ultimate game. “It certainly says a great deal about him as a football coach,” he said.