You have to love Steve Spurrier

I can relate so much to what my Tiger friends are going through right now.  Through much of the first 35 years of my life, I would always look to recruiting to make me feel better about us losing to Clemson.    The Gamecocks were at one time “Wide Receiver U” with names like Sterling Sharpe, Robert Brooks, Troy Williamson and others rolling through Columbia.  We had some exciting running backs, quarterbacks, etc. who donned the Garnet and Black.  

There were several years in there where we would top Clemson in the rankings because they were focused on defense and linemen.  You know, boring stuff that doesn’t grab headlines.  Meanwhile, we were the sexy team with the glitter that constantly was “on the rise.”  My Tiger friends would just sit there, shake their heads and chuckle as I would proclaim that we were winning the recruiting wars.  

Fast forward to today and I can tell you it is MUCH better on this side of the line, especially when you have a guy like Steve Spurrier holding court with the press and painting the picture beautifully.  Spurrier never has a filter when he speaks and his comments on signing day were just right.  He talked about how we aren’t a team (anymore) that makes idiots of themselves celebrating in February.  We instead just let our talking happen in the fall at Williams-Brice.  Amen.   That in and of itself makes the point but he added a zinger just for some icing on the cake when he pointed out the teams who are doing that type of signing day celebrating are the ones who are disappointed with their season.  Ouch!  

One of my favorite movies ever is “The Three Amigos.”  From that movie I have stolen a line over the years that fits Carolina and Clemson today.  “Everyone in life has an ‘El Guapo’ to face.”  Steve Martin went on to talk about how illiteracy was the El Guapo for some while for them it was an actual mean guy named El Guapo who wanted to kill them.  Well for Dabo Swinney, his El Guapo is the Gamecocks and he knows it.  No, winning the “Aunt Cindy Conference” title means nothing.  Nothing.  And he knows that.  And no, having LSU flounder around and screw up 500 times to allow you to eek out a 1-point Peach Bowl win means nothing.  Nothing.  And he knows that too.  Can Clemson beat South Carolina?  That’s Dabo’s El Guapo.  

Don’t misunderstand, Spurrier has one as well.  Carolina has to win the SEC Championship.  We know that.  Yes, it’s a much harder El Guapo to take down, but that’s the way it is.  Yes, when you put both “El Guapos” side by side, Clemson’s seems like iliiteracy and our seems like the guy trying to kill us but that’s where we are.  We are at the big boy table and these are the fleas that come with that dog.  

“My little buttercup has the sweetest….”  (Okay I’m stopping now with the movie references.)  It’s a great time to be a Gamecock!