Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrieris a former American football player and coach, having served as the head coach of three college and two professional teams. Spurrier was also noteworthy as a standout college football player, and he spent a decade playing professionally in the National Football League. Spurrier retired from coaching in 2015 and now serves as an ambassador and consultant for the University of Florida's athletic department...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth20 April 1945
CountryUnited States of America
When we'd win the SEC we'd get back late and Deano would keep it open for us,
We felt like Blake is much better prepared mentally, physically. He's had an excellent summer working out, and it's clear to all of us here that he's our best guy to go out there. So when it's obvious, we've named him the starter. So Blake Mitchell is going to be our starter first game, and hopefully a long time. We'll go from there. Back-ups we don't know yet, we're trying a lot of guys right there. But Blake's earned it and he's our starter.
We're just looking at him over there, see if he can help us there. He'll probably be back at defense the next day or two.
What we know about them is they had a tough, struggling year last year, but that year is history.
He's still on my team. Because I might would've done the same thing as a college kid when somebody took the bowl game away. ... You get mad and you get over it. Those guys, I don't really have a problem with it.
I salute and praise the people in Shreveport for having this bowl for 30 years. I know it's not always easy keeping these things alive, but I think the Independence Bowl is the 11th-oldest bowl in the country, so they have done a super job here.
Being a bowl team is a wonderful achievement for so many teams, and if you look at the history of the University of South Carolina, a bowl game is pretty good.
It's always important to play in the bowl game. All you have to do is look at the other six SEC teams that didn't make it and realize we're in the top half of the SEC. It's certainly fun for all the college kids and coaches to be playing in December, in January. A lot of them are not practicing and wish they were.
They've behaved well and the focus has been pretty good.
Oh, that's a secret, a little secret, ... Nah, we're breaking the balls in. They're all brand new and slippery as can be. Like a watermelon seed when they bring them out of the box. So you try rubbing them in the dirt, the grass, put a little sweat on them. You try everything to get where you can handle them.
If you want to read about some full-blown fights, read about the Tennessee players, not our guys.
The way our pass protection is right now, I don't know if Blake could last anyway.
Shows you how alert we were as a team. It was sad.
I thought Blake played very well for his first performance, and, really, for any performance,