DuckSouth.com

Trio of new coaches highlights Day 1 at Media Days

By Tommy Deas
Sports Writer
July 28, 2005


HOOVER | As rivalries go, Florida vs. South Carolina hasn’t exactly become must-see football on the Southeastern Conference schedule.

That may be about to change now that Florida’s ol’ ball coach is South Carolina’s new one. Steve Spurrier met assembled sports writers and broadcasters Wednesday at SEC Media Days for the first time as head coach of the Gamecocks, while Urban Meyer represented Spurrier’s alma mater for the first time.

Although several hours separated their appearances and they didn’t cross paths, a little bit of a chill could be detected between the two coaches. Meyer was asked about Spurrier and referred to him several times before actually mentioning his name. Spurrier, who won six SEC titles and one national championship in 12 years at Florida before bolting for the NFL, was brisk in his assessment of Meyer.

“Urban Meyer’s got a good track record," Spurrier said of the coach who took Utah to an undefeated season last year to emerge as one of the hottest coaching commodities in the nation. “My job’s not to promote all the coaches around the league. I’m not here to promote [Georgia’s] Mark Richt, Phil [Fulmer of Tennessee] or Urban Meyer."

South Carolina has beaten Florida just three times in 25 meetings, all of those victories coming before the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992. Spurrier wouldn’t bite when asked how he might feel about coaching against his beloved Gators on Nov. 12 in Columbia, S.C.

“I don’t have to worry about that today," he said.

After a three-year absence from SEC Media Days, Spurrier didn’t miss a beat. He entertained with his wry humor and also got a lesson in South Carolina football history. Spurrier spent two seasons compiling a 12-20 record with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League after leaving Florida.

“It’s a lot more fun hanging around the SEC than it was the other league I was in for a couple of years," he said.

Spurrier apparently is still sore about the way the Redskins’ organization was run under owner Dan Snyder.

“To me, in college the head coach is in charge of his team," he said when asked about the difference in coaching in the pro ranks. “The athletic director and the president don’t come and tell him what to do unless he’s cheating or he’s losing. We’re not going to cheat and hopefully we’re not going to lose too much."

Spurrier briefly compared his record to his Washington successor, Joe Gibbs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, then dropped the subject.

“Sometimes it doesn’t work out," he said.

Spurrier hinted that he may have to get away from his pass-happy offense at South Carolina, at least until he has his own recruits in place to run his aerial attack. He also said his reputation as a coach wouldn’t help much against the Georgias, Floridas and Tennessees of the world.

“We’re going to have to earn it before we get respect," he said. “We can’t just say, 'Steve Spurrier is coaching.’ That’s not going to do it."

Spurrier knows South Carolina hasn’t had a lot of football success, earning just 11 bowl bids in 112 years of play. He pointed out that the Gamecocks won the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1969 with a 7-4 record, but didn’t know USC went to the Peach Bowl that year.

“I should have known that," he said.

Meyer talks tough

Meyer talked a lot about toughness and a rigorous offseason program at Florida, more than he did about his diverse offense.

“Can we finish the deal and do we have the toughness to hang in there when things aren’t going our way? Those are the two questions I have," he said.

Meyer brought his strength and conditioning coaches with him from Utah. He places a lot of emphasis on offseason conditioning.

“I don’t ask them about attendance," he said. “I don’t ask them how much they can bench press. I ask them about one thing, attitude."

Meyer has only four years of head coaching experience, two at Bowling Green and two at Utah, and produced quick turnarounds at both schools. He said the results weren’t based on Xs and Os.

“It doesn’t matter how you run the play," he said. “It matters if you can get in the heads of your players and, more importantly, if you can hire a staff who can do it."

Orgeron talks funny

Ole Miss players have had to adjust to a fiery new head coach in Ed Orgeron, who replaced David Cutcliffe in Oxford, Miss., after spending the last four years as recruiting coordinator at Southern Cal, where he attracted players that returned that program to national championship caliber. He also served as Southern Cal’s defensive line coach from 1998-2004.

Orgeron’s bellowing has already become a landmark feature in the Ole Miss football program. Throw in his thick Cajun accent -- he grew up in Larose, La., more than an hour south of New Orleans -- and it has made for some communication problems.

“It’s one that you have to hear," quarterback Micheal Spurlock said of Orgeron’s voice. “He makes you understand him. It’s kind of scary."

It wasn’t that way at first.

Said linebacker Patrick Willis, “At our first meeting, he was talking to everybody and everybody was looking at each other, and saying, 'Did you understand him?’ I didn’t. You didn’t want to ask because he’s so loud. Now we understand him better.

“Some coaches just talk. Coach O gets loud. He’s like that all the time."