Spurrier channels anger into South Carolina season

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's Steve Spurrier was as angry the Gamecocks' fans who watched his team's last performance. This season he hopes he finally has some of the firepower to fix the problems.

Spurrier doesn't plan to forget South Carolina's dismal 20-7 loss to Connecticut at the Papajohns.com Bowl last January and understands why fans probably won't either.

"The state of our football program right now is we're not very good," Spurrier said.

It's hard to argue with the 65-year-old ball coach, entering his sixth season at South Carolina.

Nearly each time Spurrier seems ready to turn the corner to success, the Gamecocks lose their way.

— South Carolina's was 6-1 and No. 6 in the country in 2007, then closed with five straight defeats.

— A 7-3 mark a year later had the Gamecocks thinking Southeastern Conference titles before they lost their last three.

— A 6-2 opening last fall dissolved into a 1-4 finish. The last two crash-landings included demoralizing bowl defeats that left Spurrier wondering about his program's direction.

This offseason, Spurrier has tried to channel that disappointment into resolve.

"Our fans remember the UConn game and I remember the UConn game and we weren't very good. Don't tell us to forget because we're not going to forget it," Spurrier says. "We're going to try our best to never, ever have a performance like that again."

To do that, the Gamecocks must rely on the quick growth of some of their youngest players and newest coaches.

The disappointing endings didn't dampen Spurrier's recruiting as the Gamecocks landed perhaps their two best groups ever the past two years. Receiver Alshon Jeffery, tailback Kenny Miles and defensive backs Stephon Gilmore and DeVonte Holloman each had made significant contributions last fall. And last February's prize recruit, Marcus Gilmore, has already shown flashes of his abilities a week into fall camp.

New offensive line coach Shawn Elliott plans to cement a group that is South Carolina's most experienced unit up front in years and seeking to end the Gamecocks' three-year distinction as the SEC's least productive running attack. Even sometimes troubled quarterback Stephen Garcia has looked good throwing the ball — when he's allowed to leave his spot in Spurrier's doghouse.