They speak with a mouthful of angst and anguish, each one of them.Shane Matthews, Chris Doering, Cal Dixon.All played for the Florida Gators. All bleed orange and blue. All love their old coach, Steve Spurrier. All are conflicted this week.Especially this week.It’s Florida-South Carolina week and there will be a winner and a loser Saturday night, when the two teams square off on ESPN’s nationally televised tilt. But in the minds of many former players, it’s a no-win situation.
Two years ago, the first time Florida played South Carolina with ol’ Darth Visor wearing enemy colors, Doering wasn’t just at the game, he was on the sidelines, a special guest of Urban Meyer, who was then in his first year coaching the Gators.”Standing on the sidelines and looking across the field and seeing Coach Spurrier like that, wearing another team’s colors, that just didn’t look right,” Doering said. “And then, after they won that game, I didn’t like it too much listening to him take jabs at Florida. I love him. I wish him well, but only 364 days out of the year.”
On its home turf last year, Florida won as time expired only after Jarvis Moss blocked what would’ve been a game-winning field goal for South Carolina. Gators know, and often talk about, how close they came to not only losing another game to South Carolina, but also any hope they would’ve also had for a conference and national title.
One hand, one last-second blocked field goal.
It doesn’t get much closer.
“I hope we blow ‘em out this Saturday,” Dixon said, laughing.
But he knows, as well as anyone, that you can never predict what’s going to happen when Steve Spurrier is holding his playbook.
So long as UF’s defense shows up, I think the Gators will do fine against the Gamecocks. For Scott (my bro-in-law) I hope the game is at least close. If South Carolina wins, I don’t know if I can handle all the trash talk I’ll get from him. However, he hates Spurrier so bad, if they lose, he’ll just take it as an opportunity to hate him more.
Funny how you can hate a ball coach sooo bad, then suddenly, that coach is YOUR coach AND you are suddenly winning more games than you lose (something SC was not used to before Spurrier) but even though you are now winning, you still hate YOUR coach. It must be a conflicted, psychotic world that those Gamecocks live in…
Comments welcomed!
Go Gators!
(ps - I love you Scott!)
Hi! I'm Steve Webel and this is my blog. Thanks for stopping by!
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You know where you can take your love. Its not true we have won more games then we have lost under Spurrier. The problem is I have been around longer then you have been picking your nose and sucking your thumb Gator boy. I do pray we beat the snot out of you. If we win I will have no mercy so beware Gator weirdo. I know you’ve baited me, but what do I have to lose. We will play you with all our hearts because we have nothing to lose, but YOU DO. I’ve never been a fan of Spurrier, but thats what we have. I must admit its fun watching him make our S.C. football team look like Florida. Funny, isn’t it. I’m glad you’re here to enjoy the game. I love you man even though you are a WEIRDO.
Your right about one thing, you have been around longer than me. I often forget about the games played back when the helmets were made of leather…
Go Gators!