When Steve Spurrier took over the Florida Gators in 1990, that program wasn't much different than South Carolina before he came to Columbia.
"Everybody thinks Florida was always a powerhouse," he said this week. "They weren't really when we got down there in '90. The only difference was when I got to Florida in '90, I inherited an excellent team. I mean a heck of a team. We had ball players all over the place."
When that Gator team faced rival Georgia that season, UF was a "huge favorite" and rolled the Bulldogs.
It was really the start of something special.
"Then the Florida people had to learn that we had a really good team, to handle it and this that and the other," Spurrier said. "So it has been sort of similar here, to win 11 for the first time (at USC in 2011). Florida had never won 10 games prior to '90."
Spurrier hopes the similarities don't stop there.
He went on to win seven SEC Championships and one national title, becoming a college football legend with the Gators.
"Hopefully we can keep moving," Spurrier said. "We certainly haven't reached anywhere near what those teams were able to do, but we are trying to get there."
No. 6 USC (5-0, 3-0 SEC) could take a huge step in that direction and implant itself as a BCS championship contender with a win today against another undefeated team. The No. 6 Gamecocks host the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) at 7 p.m. on ESPN in one of the marquee matchups of the 2012 season.
It's a contest that could also decide the SEC East champion.
"I think our fans have handled it very well and understand that we are expecting to beat those guys, expecting to win the game," Spurrier said. "We're going to come to the ballpark expecting to do that, and I'm sure Georgia is thinking the same thing."
While this is the first time the two have met so highly ranked, this "Boarder War" rivalry isn't just getting started.
One of these two teams has represented the division in Atlanta the last two years; UGA was picked to return by the media in the preseason with the Gamecocks right behind the Bulldogs at No. 2.
"The whole world's going to be watching this game," USC cornerback Akeem Auguste said. "They probably think they're better, but we'll see."
Auguste might be right about the first part; a lot has been made of this matchup.
ESPN's "College GameDay" crew is on campus, and the network has made this its game of the week. Williams-Brice Stadium is sold out, and tickets prices range from $215-$880 on Stubhub.com.
"We look forward to these games. I'm sure Georgia does, too," Spurrier said. "It is fun competing against teams that know how to win also. Hopefully we can prove we know how to win a game like is taking place here. It should be a thrilling game for everyone involved."
And if history is any indication, it could live up to its billing. This has been a very tight, competitive series; eight of the last 11 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
"I think we're pretty evenly matched most years, well the last two or three years anyway," said Spurrier, whose program is 16-42-2 all-time against UGA. "The first year we were here, in 05, we lost that 17-15 game that could have gone our way, but it didn't. I think we played probably three really close games with them and they've won two out of three of them."
Neither team had its best game of the season last week. The Bulldogs are coming off a 51-44 victory over Tennessee, while USC rallied from down 10 points at halftime to knock off Kentucky, 38-17.
With so much on the line today, both sides expect to be at their best.
"You've got two undefeated, top-10 teams playing against each other," USC receiver Ace Sanders said. "We know we've got to come to play because they're going to be ready to play. We've got to be at the top of our game come (today)."
And it's no secret what USC wants to do against the Bulldogs.
"We've got to block and obviously they've got to stop the run," Spurrier said. "Everyone we play has the same plan, really. When you only throw 15-20 passes a game, the other team can't say: 'Lets' stop the pass.' They've obviously got to try to stop Marcus (Lattimore) and the run game. So we also realize we've got to run the ball. All the statistics prove that the team who runs the best usually wins. Not always. That's our best formula, to run the ball a lot more than we throw it."
Lattimore, a junior All-SEC rusher, has had a pair of huge games against Georgia, rushing for 182 yards and two
touchdowns in 2010 before posting 176 yards in last year's 45-42 win in Athens.
"These past two games really don't mean anything because I know they're going to be ready," said Lattimore, who's rushed for 440 yards and eight touchdowns this year. "They have a great defense as always. We've just got to continue to do what we've been doing. Run our plays, execute our plays, and we'll be fine."
Quarterback Connor Shaw is 12-1 as the starting quarterback, the best mark in school history, and the Georgia native will face the Bulldogs for the first time.
"I just know it's going to be an intense game," said Shaw, who's completed 78.1 percent of his passes for 571 yards and five TDs. "It always is every year. We've just got to come out and play smart and take care of the ball."
link: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/oct/06/no-6-gamecocks-look-to-take-a-major-step-toward/
"Everybody thinks Florida was always a powerhouse," he said this week. "They weren't really when we got down there in '90. The only difference was when I got to Florida in '90, I inherited an excellent team. I mean a heck of a team. We had ball players all over the place."
When that Gator team faced rival Georgia that season, UF was a "huge favorite" and rolled the Bulldogs.
It was really the start of something special.
"Then the Florida people had to learn that we had a really good team, to handle it and this that and the other," Spurrier said. "So it has been sort of similar here, to win 11 for the first time (at USC in 2011). Florida had never won 10 games prior to '90."
Spurrier hopes the similarities don't stop there.
He went on to win seven SEC Championships and one national title, becoming a college football legend with the Gators.
"Hopefully we can keep moving," Spurrier said. "We certainly haven't reached anywhere near what those teams were able to do, but we are trying to get there."
No. 6 USC (5-0, 3-0 SEC) could take a huge step in that direction and implant itself as a BCS championship contender with a win today against another undefeated team. The No. 6 Gamecocks host the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) at 7 p.m. on ESPN in one of the marquee matchups of the 2012 season.
It's a contest that could also decide the SEC East champion.
"I think our fans have handled it very well and understand that we are expecting to beat those guys, expecting to win the game," Spurrier said. "We're going to come to the ballpark expecting to do that, and I'm sure Georgia is thinking the same thing."
While this is the first time the two have met so highly ranked, this "Boarder War" rivalry isn't just getting started.
One of these two teams has represented the division in Atlanta the last two years; UGA was picked to return by the media in the preseason with the Gamecocks right behind the Bulldogs at No. 2.
"The whole world's going to be watching this game," USC cornerback Akeem Auguste said. "They probably think they're better, but we'll see."
Auguste might be right about the first part; a lot has been made of this matchup.
ESPN's "College GameDay" crew is on campus, and the network has made this its game of the week. Williams-Brice Stadium is sold out, and tickets prices range from $215-$880 on Stubhub.com.
"We look forward to these games. I'm sure Georgia does, too," Spurrier said. "It is fun competing against teams that know how to win also. Hopefully we can prove we know how to win a game like is taking place here. It should be a thrilling game for everyone involved."
And if history is any indication, it could live up to its billing. This has been a very tight, competitive series; eight of the last 11 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
"I think we're pretty evenly matched most years, well the last two or three years anyway," said Spurrier, whose program is 16-42-2 all-time against UGA. "The first year we were here, in 05, we lost that 17-15 game that could have gone our way, but it didn't. I think we played probably three really close games with them and they've won two out of three of them."
Neither team had its best game of the season last week. The Bulldogs are coming off a 51-44 victory over Tennessee, while USC rallied from down 10 points at halftime to knock off Kentucky, 38-17.
With so much on the line today, both sides expect to be at their best.
"You've got two undefeated, top-10 teams playing against each other," USC receiver Ace Sanders said. "We know we've got to come to play because they're going to be ready to play. We've got to be at the top of our game come (today)."
And it's no secret what USC wants to do against the Bulldogs.
"We've got to block and obviously they've got to stop the run," Spurrier said. "Everyone we play has the same plan, really. When you only throw 15-20 passes a game, the other team can't say: 'Lets' stop the pass.' They've obviously got to try to stop Marcus (Lattimore) and the run game. So we also realize we've got to run the ball. All the statistics prove that the team who runs the best usually wins. Not always. That's our best formula, to run the ball a lot more than we throw it."
Lattimore, a junior All-SEC rusher, has had a pair of huge games against Georgia, rushing for 182 yards and two
touchdowns in 2010 before posting 176 yards in last year's 45-42 win in Athens.
"These past two games really don't mean anything because I know they're going to be ready," said Lattimore, who's rushed for 440 yards and eight touchdowns this year. "They have a great defense as always. We've just got to continue to do what we've been doing. Run our plays, execute our plays, and we'll be fine."
Quarterback Connor Shaw is 12-1 as the starting quarterback, the best mark in school history, and the Georgia native will face the Bulldogs for the first time.
"I just know it's going to be an intense game," said Shaw, who's completed 78.1 percent of his passes for 571 yards and five TDs. "It always is every year. We've just got to come out and play smart and take care of the ball."
link: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/oct/06/no-6-gamecocks-look-to-take-a-major-step-toward/