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Steve Spurrier signs autographs at South
Carolina's Fan Appreciation Day last month.
Spurrier has established himself as the
Gamecock program's winningest head coach
since arriving in Columbia in 2005. (South
Carolina Media Relations
photo) |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
  The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guests were ECU
defensive
coordinator Rick
Smith (right) and
Mike Steele:
Replay
show... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Presser |
  East
Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the media at
his weekly press
conference on Monday
(recorded by Brian
Bailey; Bonesville
file photo):
Select
clip... |
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Pirates check out personnel,
systems |
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GREENVILLE � College football
doesn't have scrimmages like high schools or exhibitions as
NFL teams do and financial circumstances haven't always
allowed East Carolina a tune-up outing as the 2014 season
opener with North Carolina Central provided at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium on Saturday night. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Devaris
Brunson (34) and DaShawn
Benton (6) have a little
fun after East
Carolina's
season-opening win over
N.C. Central Saturday
night in Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium. Photo by W.A.
Myatt. ...
View W.A.
Myatt's complete
gallery... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Post-game... |
 East
Carolina coach Ruffin
McNeill met with the press
after the Pirates won their
season opener Saturday night
over N.C. Central (recorded
by W.A. Myatt; file photo):
Select
clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
The first
game of the year is all
about fundamentals. No
matter the season, the coach
or the players, there are
certain things that have to
happen in order for a team
to win. Strategy and
schematics are important,
but none of that matters
without blocking, tackling
and protecting the ball.
...
More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Reformulated defense may
surprise |
We�ve all
heard that offense sells
tickets, so it shouldn�t
come as a great surprise
that earlier this week, East
Carolina � which already
ranks first in attendance
among programs in non-�Power
Five� conferences �
announced that it has
surpassed the 20,000 mark in
season ticket sales again
this year.
...
More from Brett
Friedlander... |
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By
Al Myatt
�2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's Football
Schedule
Steve Spurrier may be the biggest active legend in
college football over the last six decades.
If you're among the fan bases at Alabama, Clemson or
North Carolina, you may regard him as the biggest something else.
Whether you like him or not, there's no disputing that he
has been an enduring presence.
The guy in the visor, the ol' ball coach as he
occasionally refers to himself, will be on the opposite sideline as East
Carolina ventures to Williams-Brice Stadium to play South Carolina at 7
p.m. Saturday.
ESPNU will televise the game, likely dedicating a camera
to the myriad of Spurrier reactions.
Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 as quarterback at
Florida with a flair for the dramatic. He once waved the Gators kicker
off the field and booted a 40-yard field goal to beat Auburn, 30-27.
John Logue of the Atlanta Constitution wrote,
"Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him,
Steve Spurrier would be a two-point favorite at his own execution."
After proving that Duke could be successful again on the
gridiron, he moved on to Florida and guided his alma mater to its first
national title in 1996.
Since taking over the Gamecocks in 2005, he has become
the program's winningest coach.
The NFL resisted Spurrier's greatness as a player and a
coach. He was mostly a back-up quarterback and punter for the San
Francisco 49ers for nine seasons before he was traded to expansion Tampa
Bay.
The Bucs went 0-14 with Spurrier directing the offense.
Spurrier and his wife, Jerri, would host weekly parties
to boost the fledgling pro team�s spirits.
�Yep, we had some good parties that year,� Spurrier told
Sports Illustrated. �We did some losin,� but we didn�t do much mournin.��
Spurrier was 12-20 as coach of the Washington Redskins
with three years left on a five-year $25 million contract when he
resigned in 2003.
In an earlier stint in the looser-structured USFL,
Spurrier compiled a 35-21 record.
He thought he would be happy playing golf and traveling
to see his grandchildren but the challenge of coaching the college game
captured him again.
Like many, Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill has kept up with
Spurrier. McNeill is 0-2 against the Gamecocks in the Spurrier era with
a 56-37 loss in Charlotte in 2011
and
a 48-10 defeat in Columbia in 2012.
"I followed coach Spurrier at Duke when he turned that
program around and when he went to Florida and won a national
championship there," McNeill said. "When he went to the NFL, I kept an
eye on him there, how he handled things and situations.
"He is a coach that adapts very well to the environment
and his players. He's gone from a Fun 'n' Gun-type of operation at
Florida to now being able to go two tight ends and pound you and also
spread the football around."
It isn't just his coaching ability that McNeill
appreciates.
"I really just appreciate Coach Spurrier because in this
business not everyone is friendly," McNeill said. "He has always been
respectful and friendly and always takes time to talk to me. I
appreciate that very much."
The Gamecocks lost their opener 52-28 to visiting Texas
A&M on Aug. 28. That outcome changed the dynamic of the pending matchup
with the Pirates.
Instead of possibly looking ahead to next week's game at
home with Georgia, South Carolina may be in the mood to vent against the
Pirates.
"I watched some of the (Texas A&M-South Carolina) game as
a fan, but I didn't enjoy it very much," said ECU quarterback Shane
Carden.
The stunner may have been less of a surprise to Pirate
fans who recall the effectiveness of Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin when he
was at Houston.
The South Carolina ground game likely will be bolstered
by the return of running back Mike Davis. The Gamecocks had just 67
yards rushing against A&M.
Dylan Thompson completed 20 of 40 passes in USC's first
game for 366 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
Thompson started in 2012 against the Pirates because
Connor Shaw was out. He connected on 21 of 37 attempts for 330 yards
with three TDs.
ECU hasn't become cocky based on South Carolina's start
in 2014. There is an awareness of the program ranked No. 21 nationally,
a respect for its capabilities and near reverence for its leader.
"I know he'll have his team ready to go," McNeill said of
his legendary counterpart. "I know a lot of guys on his staff. Lorenzo
Ward, the defensive coordinator, I've known him for 20-plus. Shawn
Elliott, his offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator. I
coached Shawn at Appalachian State. There's a lot of guys on that staff
I know. We know they'll be ready to play."
