COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -Steve Spurrier knows No. 22 South Carolina hasn’t played any team nearly as good as No. 2 Alabama this season. The way the Gamecocks have played, though, gives coach Steve Spurrier some optimism anyway.
“We’re not any super duper team as you can tell,” Spurrier said. “We’ll find out next week if we can play with the big dogs.”
Spurrier was accustomed to barking loudly as the Southeastern Conference’s biggest, baddest dog for most of his 12 seasons at Florida. He came to South Carolina five seasons ago with the same vision, only his players were not ready to follow their national championship coach.
Two years ago, the Gamecocks followed a 6-1 start with five straight losses. Last fall they were 7-3 and poised for more when they thudded home with three consecutive defeats.
Things may be different this time, Spurrier says.
“We’re certainly not going to be favored at Alabama,” the coach said Sunday. “But we’ll have a plan in place.”
So far, that’s meant lots of defense and special teams, with just enough offense to keep in front.
Saturday in the Gamecocks 28-26 victory over Kentucky that made Spurrier 17-0 against the Wildcats.
All three of Stephen Garcia’s touchdown passes to freshman Alshon Jeffery put the Gamecocks (5-1, 2-1 SEC) back in front after trailing. The first two scores were set up by 61 and 49 yard kickoff returns by safety Chris Culliver.
South Carolina allowed only one touchdown in the second half after Kentucky moved the ball easily the first 30 minutes. Defensive end Cliff Matthews had one of the game’s biggest plays, batting down the Wildcats’ two-point conversion try with less than five minutes left.
If the Gamecocks hope to knock off a second opponent in the top five this year, it’ll likely take another down-to-the-wire effort.
“We’re a team that hopes we get it in a close game,” Spurrier said. “It seems like every one of our games has been very close, at halftime anyway. And then we’ve played pretty decently the second half of most of them. So we’ll hope that game follows that script right there.”
Garcia finally looks comfortable Spurrier’s complex offense.
He had his bad plays against Kentucky: He threw his first interception in four games since a loss at Georgia. Then in the second half, Garcia had the ball stripped at the end of a run soon after the Gamecocks had stuffed a fake field goal by the Wildcats.
Spurrier said.
Garcia was moments away from being leveled when he let loose with a ball into the end zone’s left corner that Jeffery tracked down for a 22-yard TD.
The biggest play for Garcia may have come on third-and-4 with South Carolina needing to keep control. After looking to pass, Garcia ran for the first-down marker and leaped cornerback Cartier Rice for a 5-yard gain. The Gamecocks ran the clock out after that.
“I saw the little cornerback there, and I wasn’t about to be stopped,” Garcia said after the game.
Jeffery, a 6-foot-3 freshman, showed off the skills that had Southern Cal’s Pete Carroll after him last winter. Noth that Spurrier expects Alabama and its second-ranked defense to change their plans for anyone.
“I think they’re just going to come play their defense and come have a go at us and see what we can do,” Spurrier said.
Alabama, though, will have much more at stake than the Gamecocks, who come in loose and without pressure.
“We’ll see if we can do some upsetting next week,” Spurrier said.
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