quozzel

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we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

Nov 2, 2014, 5:41 PM

Let me be the first to say this: I haven't enjoyed seeing Clemson lose the last five games straight to the Gamecocks. But I have enjoyed the nature of the rivalry recently.

Dabo and Spurrier like to snipe at one another, but for all that, it almost seems...friendly. Both guys are showmen, and neither is afraid to open their mouth, but I still get the sense that underneath it is...mutual respect. Both guys are - dare I say it - honorable guys, who run clean programs.

And Spurrier does run a clean program. Nobody's got a locker room full of choirboys, at either Clemson or South Carolina, but after the likes of Stephen "Achilles" Garcia - whom Spurrier did not recruit - finally departed, there really haven't been a ton of discipline and legal issues at South Carolina, mostly because Spurrier doesn't knowingly recruit thugs, attitude problems, or known felons, as Lou Holtz did. I still remember Holtz, among numerous other incidents, offering Kevin Mainord on his ride back from his recruiting visit to Alabama, where Mainord had been escorted off of campus for allegedly stealing a student's purse. Of course, at South Carolina, Mainord - then a freshman - somehow instigated an incident that also involved senior Moe Thompson (who had no prior history of trouble with the law), where both players got caught burglarizing another players' dorm room, which is a pretty classic case of one bad apple ruining what might have otherwise been a good one. And there were a raftload of...stories, percolating around, about Lou Holtz's recruiting tactics.

None of which I've really been hearing since Steve Spurrier arrived. Spurrier, whatever else he is, doesn't win or recruit dirty, and never has. Again, boosters will do what boosters will do, but Spurrier has never been in bed with it, doesn't condone it, and simply doesn't knowingly operate that way. The man has been an NCAA coach for 25+ years...and the NCAA has never so much as sniffed in his direction. And you simply don't hear stories about the stuff his guys are doing on the recruiting trail, mostly because they aren't doing it, or they're doing it real carefully and word isn't getting out. It is known that if you get caught cheating under Spurrier, he'll fire you. Period.

Under Spurrier, we don't have to endure that smiling, mush-mouthed poison that Lou Holtz spewed. That guy was venomous; it comes out every time he opens his mouth on national TV to this day, and it finally spilled over into that infamous 2004 brawl (that South Carolina's thugs started) and ended up disgracing Clemson as well.

Spurrier runs his mouth. Which to me is fine. But at the end of the day, he's been the most valuable thing of all - an honest opponent, and a capable one, a guy who's forced Dabo and Clemson to up our own game. Even this year, with a South Carolina team that's 4-5 and seemingly has a porous D that the School For the Deaf and Blind could put 500+ yards on...does anyone doubt that it's going to be a tough game? There is no such thing as an "easy game" against a Steve Spurrier team; even the games he's lost this year have been heartbreakers. People say the players have "quit" on Spurrier; I haven't seen it. Some of them are playing very well; they just collectively aren't as good as they usually are, especially on defense. But it's still a nasty, aggressive, capable team - as UGA found out - that will get at you. They just might allow you to score 45 while they score 42 points, this year.

Just my own take, but I'd rather deal with Spurrier for another decade, than deal with your typical SEC coach or another Lou Holtz. He's been an honest and capable opponent, and the rivalry under him, has stayed clean...and thanks to Dabo and Spurrier, recruiters from out-of-state aren't really even trying, these days. The state borders are closed, and South Carolina's talent now stays in-state, for the most part. If South Carolina gets an inept coach, that changes. And if South Carolina gets a dirty coach....

No thanks. Give me the honorable and capable opponent, every time. It makes for a clean tough game you can look forward to at the end of your schedule, a valuable kill (if you can get it) that lends Clemson cred against that incessant "SEC, SEC, SEC!" chant we hear from ESPN every week, and it makes a very valuable measuring stick for where your program is...and where it needs to get better.

We might miss Spurrier a whole lot more than we know, if he retires. I for one am not eager for him to head along.

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of schedule each year for us to have a top 10 opponent to play at the end of the year. If we hadn't lost to them the last 3 years when they were ranked so high, who knows how high our final ranking may have ended up. Of course this year they wont' help our SOS much, and if we manage to somehow lose another one, it would destroy our resume of only losing to top 10 teams for a few years.

I don't know if honorable is the right word to describe Spurrier, but I will agree with you that he hasn't been a huge recruiter of thugs nor has he drawn a lot of interest from the NCAA in his coaching career (except for the Whitney). There are definitely several other coaches and programs that have raised many more red flags over the years than Spurrier.

In terms of gaining national exposure to the rivalry, the recent success of both our Tigers and SCAR along with the back and forth between Dabo and Spurrier has been huge in putting it on the map. Our inability to win our share over the last 5 years hasn't helped, but I will agree with you that Spurrier's tenure at SCAR has actually been good for the amount of attention we have gotten and for the continued growth of our program. One could argue that we wouldn't have such a highly regarded incoming class of offensive lineman if our coaches weren't forced to put more focus on recruiting that area after the way our line has played against Florida State and SCAR.

So even though I'll never be able to say that I will miss him, I can at least give him credit for his partial role in the progress of our program because of the success he has brought our in state rival whom we have to compete directly against in recruiting and on the field every October.

we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

I won't

i just can't agree with you on this one. he WAS involved in

why do you think he will leave?***

Ole Junior

Spurrier did recruit Stephen Garcia.***

Re: Spurrier did recruit Stephen Garcia.***

Clowney High School Transcript

Re: we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

Re: we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

But Garcia said he saw players taking money every day.

Re: we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

What a lot of people do not realize is Spurrier was

Re: we might miss Spurrier more than we know when he goes

man that is a lot of words. Didn't read***

Re: man that is a lot of words. Didn't read***

I'll miss him like a toothache

DISAGREE. SOS is a JERK. He is the only college football

I miss Lou, we were 7-2 against Lou. Couldn't care less

"Both guys are - dare I say it - honorable guys, ..."

Let's just see who agrees with you?

Interesting take. I think it has been good for our strength

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