Spurrier Earns An 'A' From Writer

posted by Brian Shoemaker on Sunday, July 22, 2007

Steve Spurrier is the best SEC coach in the eyes of Columbus Ledger-Enquirer writer Troy Johnson. Unlike other coach rankings where the writer might include one paragraph about each coach, Johnson grades the coaches in several categories, providing numerical grades for each category. Here's what he had to say about Spurrier:

Wins and losses: 7. His Gamecocks have gone a ho-hum 15-10 in his first two seasons, but they're a trendy pick to possibly win the Southeastern Conference East this year.
Ingenuity: 9. He goes for the jugular as a play-caller. And it's always fun to see the confusion created by his team's occasional shift into the oddball Emory & Henry formation.
Recruiting: 7. The chief knock on Spurrier is that he doesn't recruit with the same zeal he brings to his coaching. He seems to be making more of an effort now.
Discipline: 7. He'll tweak opposing coaches and incur fines for criticism of officials, but the only real dissonance in the program involves his relationship with his starting quarterback.
Staff construction: 6. Defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix's star is on the rise. The staff also includes Spurrier's son, Steve Jr., and Shane Beamer, the son of Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.
What have you done lately?: 7. At South Carolina, back-to-back seasons of 7-5 and 8-5 are a cause for celebration. This could represent the beginning of their long-anticipated breakout.
Chicken dinner factor: 9. He deserves credit for speaking his mind, even if it means ditching detente.
Smooth sailing: 8. He's brought excitement to South Carolina and provided hope for a middling program.
Long haul: 7. He's 62 years old, but South Carolina should be his last career stop.
Career body of work: 9. Already has a Hall of Fame resume with a 157-50-2 record, six SEC titles and one national championship counting his time at Florida. He led the Gators to nine or more wins in each of his 12 seasons, becoming one of just three coaches in major college history to accomplish the feat.
Extra credit: 17 points -- five for the national championship and 12 for the six conference titles he won while at Florida.
Final score: 93 (on a scale of 100).

Not surprisingly, Johnson ranks Ed Orgeron of Ole Miss as the worst coach.

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Florida State has decided to copy in-state rival Florida and hold its own Friday Night Lights "prospect" camp.

From a Tampa Tribune article that appeared in Saturday's paper:

Friday, the Gators drew even more star power to the third edition of Friday Night Lights. Today, Florida State will try to duplicate that success with the first Seminole Showtime, which will allow top prospects to mingle with former FSU stars such as Ernie Sims, Casey Weldon and Corey Simon.

Florida coach Urban Meyer and his staff dreamed up the Friday Night Lights concept in 2005, setting the camp in late July when players would be more excited about the start of their upcoming seasons. Meyer also knew a game-like atmosphere would heighten the experience.

Will other schools do the same? One would think so. It's just a matter of which schools will adapt faster.

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In Sunday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram's college football preseason preview, there's an article about the SEC being the nation's toughest conference.

During his two seasons as Kentucky's coach, Baylor's Guy Morriss remembers the Southeastern Conference's spring meetings for their distinct difference.

Most leagues' spring gatherings are relaxed and casual affairs held in a vacation-like atmosphere. Not so for the SEC's football coaches.

"There was a competitive tension in the room," Morriss said. "There were coaches sitting next to or across from each other who really didn't seem to like each other."

The article also has quotes from ESPN analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Bill Curry, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Florida coach Urban Meyer.

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Whether you like or dislike Notre Dame and Michigan, it's one of those games that should always be played.

But, apparently, it's going to take a two-year break in a few years, according to an article in the Mobile Press Register:

(Notre Dame AD) White said the Fighting Irish will take a short break from their Big 10 rivals in the future, replacing Michigan with Oklahoma for a two-year period, then facing Arizona State instead of Michigan State for two years.

At least the Irish are replacing Michigan with Oklahoma.

(Hat tip: mgoblog)

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Let's say it all together: Don't schedule a wedding during the college football season. Resist the urge. Just don't do it.

The Alabama fan in the following video was scheduled to get married one November evening. Unfortunately for the bride, the LSU-Alabama game that afternoon ran long, and as the Tide fan says, "Alabama football comes even before marriage."



(Hat tip: The Wizard of Odds)

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