Offense fires blanks

Spurrier vows changes on way

By Joseph Person
The State
Published: September 10, 2006

During his first season at USC, Steve Spurrier made history with a school-record, five-game SEC winning streak, the Gamecocks’ first win at Tennessee and their first victory against Florida in 66 years.

Early in his second season at USC, Spurrier is making the kind of history he wants no part of.

USC lost three fumbles and was shut out for the first time in four seasons Saturday, losing 18-0 to 12th-ranked Georgia in front of a Williams-Brice crowd of 82,513 that cleared out early.

It was the first time a Spurrier-coached team failed to score since his first Duke squad was shut out 7-0 at Rutgers on Oct. 3, 1987 — a span of 193 games and 16-plus seasons.

Through two games, the Gamecocks have scored one touchdown — on a trick play at Mississippi State. Sidney Rice, their All-American receiving candidate, has caught a total of five passes for 44 yards.

And Spurrier already is talking about changing the offense.

“We’ve got to make some changes around here. We really do. And we will,” he said. “I’m blaming myself, too. But it’s up to me as the offensive coach to make the changes.”

The Gamecocks (1-1, 1-1 in SEC) were shut out for the first time since a 23-0 loss to Arkansas on Nov. 9, 2002, and had their conference win streak snapped at six.

Georgia (2-0, 1-0) beat the Gamecocks for the fifth consecutive year and posted its first SEC road shutout since 1982.

“It feels even better that it was the Old Ball Coach,” Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor said.

A week after giving up four sacks in a 15-0 victory at Mississippi State, USC shored up its protection. But the Gamecocks did little else right, gaining 255 yards — to Georgia’s 387 — and repeatedly killing scoring chances by putting the ball on the ground.

USC quarterback Blake Mitchell had an efficient night passing (16 of 22 for 156 yards). But the right-hander from LaGrange, Ga., had two third-quarter fumbles in Georgia territory.

First, Mitchell coughed up the ball at the end of a 19-yard scramble and cornerback Paul Oliver recovered at the Bulldogs’ 38.

On the Gamecocks’ next series, Mitchell completed five passes in an eight-play sequence to give USC a first-and-goal at the 5.

After two Cory Boyd runs took USC to the 1, Spurrier called a third consecutive rush for Boyd, who failed to crack the goal line. As Boyd was buried under the pile, one of the Georgia defenders yanked the ball away from Boyd and the Bulldogs recovered the loose ball.

The field officials ruled it a fumble, sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy and prompting fans to throw debris on the field. But the replay official overturned the call by ruling that Boyd’s forward progress had been stopped.

On fourth-and-goal, Mitchell tried to sneak into the end zone, but he lost the ball when he attempted to stretch it across the goal line.

Tight end Jared Cook recovered the fumble in the end zone. However, offenses are not allowed to advance a fumble on fourth down, so Georgia took over at its 1, having thwarted another USC scoring threat.

“You throw the ball all the way down to the 2-yard line, and then all of a sudden you start running,” Spurrier said. “We should have kept throwing on the 2-yard line, looking back — hindsight.”

Trailing 10-0, USC put together its longest first-half drive midway through the second quarter. But it stalled when Mitchell failed to handle a shotgun snap on third-and-3, taking a 15-yard loss to the Georgia 34-yard line.

Ryan Succop’s 51-yard field goal attempt glanced off the left upright.

Mitchell blamed the gaffe on a miscommunication between him and center Chris White. Spurrier thought the play epitomized the Gamecocks’ offensive struggles.

“That’s how dumb a-- we are, right there. The quarterback didn’t know he was snapping the ball. So we lose about 20 yards on a third-and-3 play,” Spurrier said. “We had our chances. We’re just stupid right now.”

For the second consecutive game, USC knocked out the opposing quarterback.

Freshman Matthew Stafford, a Texas native who was one of the nation’s highest-rated recruits, replaced Joe Tereshinski (right ankle) in the first quarter and guided the Bulldogs to scores on two of his four first-half possessions.

Stafford was 8-of-19 passing for 171 yards with three interceptions. But USC failed to capitalize on the mistakes. The Gamecocks’ drives after the interceptions ended with a punt, a safety and a fumble.

“We just can’t get it in the end zone. Just not playing very well,” said Mitchell, who left in the fourth quarter with a bruised throwing hand.

“We’ll have a good series now and then, then we’ll shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.

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