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Spurrier Put Gators On The Cutting Edge

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

jjohnston@tampatrib.com

Published: January 8, 2009

Steve Spurrier, the coach who made it great to be a Florida Gator, has more than a passing interest in tonight's BCS Championship Game.

On one side is UF, his alma mater and the program he put on the map.

On the other side is Oklahoma, coached by Bob Stoops, his former defensive coordinator and probably his closest friend in the profession.

Given those dynamics, Spurrier, who just finished his fourth season at South Carolina, knows better than to make a prediction.

Here's something else he knows: Oklahoma has quite a task trying to stop Florida's offense. And the Gators have two players - quarterback Tim Tebow and multi-purpose performer Percy Harvin - who would have fit nicely into Spurrier's point-a-minute Florida offenses in the 1990s.

"Percy Harvin was the most dangerous player we faced this season," Spurrier said, remembering Harvin's career-high 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns during UF's 56-6 win against South Carolina on Nov. 15. "He lines up everywhere. He gets it - and he goes. Heck of a player."

As for Tebow, he has accounted for nine touchdowns in three games against South Carolina.

"Tim Tebow is probably the most unusual quarterback I have ever seen," Spurrier said. "He's so big and strong. He can run over people. But he's also an excellent passer. He's a tremendous leader, like Danny Wuerffel was at Florida."

Sound like Spurrier might be siding with Florida? Well, in Spurrier's final vote for the USA Today Top 25 rankings, he put Oklahoma at No. 1 and Florida at No. 2.

"I went with Oklahoma because their one loss Texas was against a better team than Florida's one loss Ole Miss," Spurrier said. "Then I saw where Florida was favored to beat Oklahoma. Looking back now, maybe I should've voted for Florida. I made a mistake."

Spurrier's allegiance to Florida has been somewhat muted - sharing a home in the SEC East will do that - but he often has said, "I hope they win them all except one."

It has been a struggle to build South Carolina. The latest evidence was South Carolina's 31-10 loss against Iowa at the Outback Bowl. But his popularity among Gator fans has continued.

"When we went to movies as a team in Gainesville, Coach Spurrier walked into the theater and people started clapping," South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia said. "They're never going to forget what he did for that program."

Spurrier's UF legacy is safe. Compiling a 122-27-1 coaching record in 12 seasons - as well as earning the 1966 Heisman Trophy - has qualified him as a lifetime Gator icon.

"When I got there Florida in 1990, the idea was you had to run and play defense to win the SEC," he said. "You couldn't be a passing team and win the conference. We proved you could throw it and win, although you do need to run and play defense, too.

"It was a lot easier in the '90s. The SEC defenses weren't that sophisticated against the pass. Now everybody has fast players. They can disguise things. Teams can do so much more. But it seems like Florida might still have a little bit more."

He debuted with a four-play scoring drive. He departed with an eight-touchdown barrage against Maryland at the Orange Bowl.

In that respect, even seven years after Spurrier's departure, not much has changed. The Gators remain on the cutting edge - and on the brink of a national championship.

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