For Spurrier, South Carolina It's Do Or Die Time

Article courtesy of SEC Sports Hub.

With South Carolina’s loss to Vanderbilt this past week, came a storm of questions about coach Steve Spurrier’s ability and desire to coach the Gamecocks to an SEC championship. 

Internet bloggers and message board posters across the country lambasted the coach for “losing his fire” and a good number of these were Gamecock fans. 

They point to a lack of the emotion that was so frequently the focus of cameras during his reign of almost unparalleled success at Florida. 

They point to the lack of derisive quips and witty comments about rivals. 

They point to the fact that coach Steve Spurrier has been building the program now for four years and, despite improved recruiting, not much has changed for Gamecock football. 

There is no doubt that the man is an offensive guru and a play-calling mastermind. Or at least he was, during his heyday. 

There is no denying the fact that Spurrier has significantly improved South Carolina’s national visibility, with plenty of primetime coverage for the Gamecocks and continually improving recruiting classes. 

But fans in Columbia, a seeming hotbed for the “wait till next year” mindset, are starting to grumble. 

Spurrier has NFL-caliber talent strewn across his defense, from Jasper Brinkley and Eric Norwood, to Captain Munnerlyn and Emmanuel Cook. His team is a ferociously hitting, smashmouth bunch that almost any SEC defensive coordinator would die for. 

And that’s where South Carolina’s situation starts to take on some irony. 

Spurrier was brought in to be an offensive mastermind, to give the Gamecocks a team that could score at will and light up the scoreboards for the ever loyal fans who flock to Williams-Brice Stadium week after week. 

Instead, Gamecock fans are treated to a thrilling display of defensive dominance and then left on the edge of their seat, wondering if their offense will be able to punch it in when they need it. 

Last week, though not in Williams-Brice, was more of the same. 

The Gamecocks struggled to find a rhythm offensively for the second week in a row, despite starting a new quarterback. 

And it’s not as if South Carolina is devoid of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Recent years have seen the Gamecocks send two very notable players to the NFL in running back Cory Boyd and wide receiver Sidney Rice. 

This year is no different, with Mike Davis picking up right where Boyd left off and Kenny McKinley poised to break some wide receiver records for South Carolina. 

In fact, the Gamecocks may be even deeper this year than in years past. 

Tight end Jared Cook is arguably the best tight end in the SEC and he is backed up by another very talented player in Weslye Saunders. 

Dion LeCorn, Moe Brown and Freddie Brown have all shown great promise at the wide receiver position, as well. 

So why isn’t Spurrier’s offense having more success? 

Simply put, in his four years at the University of South Carolina, Spurrier has lacked one thing: an SEC caliber offensive line. 

It seems like year after year Gamecock fans enter the season thinking that finally this is the year that their offensive line will mature and give their quarterback room to make some plays. 

The bottom line is that if it doesn’t happen soon, Spurrier’s job might ultimately hang in the balance. 

The Gamecocks have started in a hole in the SEC already and if coach Steve Spurrier can’t get some consistent play from his offensive line and his quarterbacks, he might just get buried in it. 

Will Spurrier actually get fired? 

Almost certainly not, but fans in Columbia aren’t usually the first ones to start grumbling, especially about a coach with Spurrier’s pedigree. 

The times are changing. Today’s college football fans demand almost instantaneous success and Spurrier is already in his fourth year. 

Tension is rising to an all-time high in Columbia and Spurrier will soon feel the heat if he can’t get his team to perform up to their talent level. 

Spurrier was given a pass during his first few seasons, and rightfully so, since his talent didn’t measure up to that of the SEC East powerhouses. 

That excuse is gone now. 

It's do or die time for Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

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