Opponent watch
Georgia Southern (1-1) —
Central Michigan (1-1): Central Michigan will try to rebound from the Georgia loss with an interesting game at Ohio. Ohio is 0-2, but they’ve lost to Wyoming by a single point and took Ohio State to the wire last week. Will the Bobcats be in a funk over the missed opportunity, or will they be fired up by playing one of the big boys so close? THIS WEEK: @ Ohio Univ.
South Carolina (1-1): It’s the classic paranoia of Georgia fans to interpret the moping from Columbia since the Vanderbilt loss as anything other than a serious kick to the jimmy of the Gamecock psyche. "Sure they’re depressed…depressed like a FOX!" For the first time in a while, another team has done the job usually reserved for Georgia: bringing South Carolina back to earth. Vanderbilt (and even N.C. State to some extent) revealed some pretty big flaws with South Carolina. We’ve been in this position too often to take them lightly. It’s CBS, the SEC opener, and it’s too important a game through which to sleepwalk. THIS WEEK: vs. Georgia
Arizona State (2-0): If the ASU offensive line is a problem, it hasn’t slowed Rudy Carpenter very much. Carpenter hasn’t been sacked yet, is completing 76% of his passes, and has thrown for at least 345 yards in each of ASU’s first two games. The Sun Devils get another tuneup at home this week before Georgia comes to town. THIS WEEK: UNLV
Alabama (2-0): Last week I wondered whether the Clemson win proved that Alabama was a contender or if it was their one "where the hell did that come from" win of the season a la Florida 2005. It’s no surprise that they had a letdown against Tulane, but posting a single touchdown on offense after such an impressive display the week before is a head-scratcher. They’ll have another chance to beat up on someone before getting into SEC play next week. THIS WEEK: W. Kentucky
Tennessee (0-1): The Vols have had over a week to stew about the loss to UCLA, and UAB should provide no serious resistance as the Vols try to get things back on track for Florida. THIS WEEK: UAB
Vanderbilt (2-0): Wow. With an eye always on bowl eligibility, the Commodores are 1/3 of the way there through two games. They’ve played defense well enough to win, and the offense has just enough misdirection to make headaches out of defensive assignments. Let’s not forget though that they did only put up 225 yards on South Carolina, and punts don’t always bounce your way. Rice can score some points, so this is no breather for anyone, let alone Vandy. THIS WEEK: Rice
LSU (1-0): Damage to LSU’s stadium forced the postponment of the Troy game to later in the season. Now Hurricane Ike is forcing LSU AD Joe Alleva to consider alternate plans for Saturday night’s scheduled game against North Texas. You have to wonder how all of the disruption and uncertainty of the past two weeks will affect this team as they prepare for a real test at Auburn next week. THIS WEEK: North Texas…maybe.
Florida (2-0): They didn’t light Miami up, but so far the folks who assumed that the Florida defense has to be better this year are looking good. Now it’s another week to rest and heal before the big trip to Knoxville. THIS WEEK: BYE
Kentucky (2-0): The Wildcats easily handled Norfolk State, and they’ve only allowed five points through their first two games. Not bad. This week’s challenge is interesting: Middle Tennessee is coming off a win over Maryland. The Blue Raiders put a scare into Louisville last year, and last Saturday’s win over a reeling Terrapin team should have the visitors from Murfreesboro full of confidence for their visit to Lexington. Keep an eye on this game. THIS WEEK: MTSU
Auburn (2-0): Everything’s building for next week’s showdown with LSU. Auburn had few problems controlling a Southern Miss offense that was supposed to put up a better fight, and they should have an even easier time of it this week against a lesser Mississippi State offense. Though the new Auburn offense isn’t setting anyone on fire at this point, a few scores should be more than enough in their SEC opener. Could Croom’s men catch Auburn looking ahead? Doubtful, especially with last year’s embarrassing loss in mind. THIS WEEK: @ Miss. St.
Georgia Tech (2-0): Give them credit – they went on the road and won their conference opener. Paul Johnson isn’t just the architect of the offense; he’s the head coach, and he deserves as much praise for games in which the defense outshines the offense. Boston College had their chances but were forced to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, and it put Tech in a position where one big play from the option could turn the game, and it did. Has Virginia Tech righted the ship now that Tyrod Taylor is back? Maybe, but I don’t expect the same lopsided Hokie win we saw in Atlanta last season. If Tech wins in Blacksburg, a Georgia Tech team everyone expected to struggle could be 6-0 going into the Clemson game. THIS WEEK: @ Virginia Tech
Comments
Dawg Media
RSS 2.0
One Response to 'Opponent watch'
Subscribe to comments with RSS
Thomas Brown
September 10th, 2008
6:00 am
Steve Spurrier, from the time of his failed NFL botched attempt at coaching, has done extremely poorly at South Carolina. And, he blames the University of South Carolina Administration with whom he has had several sparring sessions about his recruits which they will not let in to play for him.
22-17 is his record at South Carolina.
This is his 4th season.
He does not have a winning bowl record.
In fact, not at South Carolina and not at Florida either.
This Loss to Intramural Vandie 6 days ago leaves Steve Spurrier with only two more games he could Lose at South Carolina in the Next Entire 4 years.
Steve Spurrier has 17 Losses in 3 years and 2 games at South Carolina.
Coach Richt has 19 Losses in 7 years and 2 games at UGA.
It’s amazing for the once-storied Ole Ball Coach.
It’s his 4th season, yet he has won exactly one bowl game.
He can’t keep a coaching staff over there.
He cannot recruit his way out of a wet paper bag.
It all started when Steve Spurrier announced coming in before the bowl game 4 years ago, but refusing to coach in the game that with a 6-5 South Carolina winning record in 2004 for Lou Holtz saying that he did not believe that South Carolina earned a bowl bid. He refused to let the team play in a bowl game, saying they were bad boys. This for a school who has a Grand Total of 4 Bowl Wins in their stinking 114-year football history. South Carolina began playing football in 1894 and have 4 Bowl Wins ever.
But, Steve Spurrier did not stop with his Petulant Child ways at just refusing to allow his team to play in a bowl game in 2004, **in addition, Steve Spurrier took the recruits both committed to South Carolina and those On-Scholarship at South Carolina and booted them out.** He stole their Scholarships from them. It was a huge big stink. Coach Richt has recruited South Carolina better than Steve Spurrier since that date. Do you see the connection ?
Why would a recruit go to Steve Spurrier’s lousy South Carolina team ?
To have him rip their Scholarship Away ?
To have South Carolina blot the recruit’s record by saying the recruit would not be allowed into South Carolina, when Steve Spurrier says those denied recruits were eligible and should have been allowed in.
The best Steve Spurrier has done at South Carolina is 8-5. Lou Holtz had South Carolina years of 9-3 and 8-4, for example.
South Carolina plays an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule.
**Did you know that all 6 of the SEC Eastern Division teams have votes in the most recent Polls** ?
No. 59 in the BCS Rankings, Steve Spurrier must have voted for South Carolina instead of Duke like he used to do every year before this season.
Steve Spurrier arrived at South Carolina with a 142-40-2 Record.
Now, he is 164-57-2.
77 percent of his Games, Steve Spurrier had won before joining lousy South Carolina.
73 percent of his Games, now, Steve Spurrier has won.
Once the Best in The SEC, now he is not on the List.
56 percent winning percentage at only 22-17 at South Carolina Spurrier at USC.
80 percent winning percentage at 74-19 Coach Richt at UGA.
No. 19 Final AP Poll in 2000-2001, Lou Holtz did quite well at South Carolina compared to Steve Spurrier.
No. 13 Final AP Poll in 2001-2002, Lou Holtz did quite well at South Carolina compared to Steve Spurrier.
**Steve Spurrier hasn’t sniffed the Top 25, and this is year 4 with him buried in the Polls yet again, actually ranked No. 59 in the BCS Poll today. No. 59 Steve Spurrier.**
Failure.
**Steve Spurrier has played only 3 BCS Conference Opponents. He has a Losing Record against The SEC, a Losing Record to the Big XII and has a 14-17 Record against BCS Schools at South Carolina.**
That’s it.
Those are the only 3 Conferences Steve Spurrier has played who are BCS Conference Opponents.
**14-17 against BCS Conference Opponents.**
**Losing Record against BCS Conference Opponents.**
**Losing.**
**14-17.** This is Spurrier’s Coaching Record at USC against SEC, ACC, and Big XII Opponents, and he has yet to play anyone in the PAC-10, Big East or Big Ten.
The Petulant Child bad mouths his opponents (“It’s not like UGA is some great and powerful team we just beat.”)
The Petulant Child bad mouths his players.
The Petulant Child bad mouths the University of South Carolina Administration.
**And, he is a damn loser.**
Not once in now his 4th season at South Carolina, has Steve Spurrier had a Top 25 team.
Steve Spurrier at South Carolina :
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Coach Richt.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Tammy Bowden’s Climpson Farmers.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Les Miles at LSU.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Phillip Fulmer’s vols.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Bobby Johnson at Vanderbilt.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Houston Nutt when he was at Arkansas.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Urban Meyer at Florida.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Alabama.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to Tommy Tuberville at Auburn.**
Spurrier has a **Losing Record to BCS Schools in his 4-year Failure at South Carolina.**
They say that Spurrier must win this season, or he is gone from South Carolina.
April 20, 1945, the OLD ball coach is now 63 years old. He has Lost 1 game already this season and has yet to face up-coming now : Coach Richt, Houston Nutt, Les Miles, Phillip Fulmer, Bobby Petrino, Urban Meyer, and Tammy Bowden – not a 1 of which does he have a wining record against at South Carolina. This is Spurrier’s worst season at USC, and yet it is his 4th season. His recruits have been there 4 years now today. Lou Holtz had better teams than Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. A LOT better.
All Steve Spurrier’s Opponents have winning records against him there.