Very Stiff GatorPiliot…..but absolutely true. At least he beat VANDY everytime he was on the O&B sideline

By Donnie Young on 09.05.08 10:01 am

And from one of Spurrier’s former players!

Sorry I had to bring that up again, Don, but we just don’t get folks like you everyday.

By Vince Gagliano on 09.05.08 11:17 am

I just knew I’d find something like this on here today.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Spurrier’s goal is not and has never been to embarrass the University of Florida. Yes, he wants to win an SEC title in Columbia, and doing that would probably include beating the Gators. But no, I don’t think that he has some kind of personal vendetta against Florida. He may resent the fact that Florida chose Urban Meyer over him. Who wouldn’t in his position? Whether you want to admit it or not, he’s the architect of the current state of your problem. Florida was clearly a step behind Bama, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, and LSU before Spurrier. Sure, Bear Bryant called Florida a sleeping giant. Bobby Bowden called USC a sleeping giant. It took Spurrier to wake the giant up at Florida. With qualifications like that, why shouldn’t he resent the decision to take Meyer? Florida might still be the middle-tier program they always were if not for Spurrier. But I don’t think he takes that resentment as motivation to “embarrass” Florida. I think that’s crazy and self-important. You think Spurrier thinks about Florida all day long, but he doesn’t. He thinks about proving that he’s capable of leading the Gamecocks to an SEC title. I find that kind of ambition admirable.

Also, your comments about this being a death sentence for our program are patently absurd. Look around at all the programs that have improved over the past few years: Mizzou, Rutgers, even Vandy. A few years ago, the idea of Vandy getting a bowl berth was unthinkable, but I expect they’ll do just that this year. There’s no reason that we won’t improve one day. I’m beginning to think you’re right about Spurrier not being the one to take us there, but that doesn’t mean that a young, motivated coach can’t.

You know, I’ll be honest. I used to really like this site, and I guess I still do. The analysis is usually pretty good. But I just don’t know where this stuff comes from. First, you come to our site and rub salt in our wounds right after the game. Today, you publish a piece utterly bashing our athletics programs. And finally, I just can’t understand how someone like you can hate someone like Spurrier who gave much more to the University of Florida than you could ever dream of giving. Simply astonishing.

By Gamecock Man on 09.05.08 7:22 pm

I think it’s a little early to be throwing dirt on Spurrier’s grave. It’s only the second game of the season. I felt SCar would be fighting for 3rd place in the East this year and they still are. The only thing I will adjust is my expectation that Vandy will finish 4th or 5th in the East instead of 6th and possibly make a bowl this year.

By Keltic Gator on 09.05.08 10:11 pm

GC Man,

Sorry about the G&A Attack comments — that was taking things too far. I apologized on that thread. I like G&A Attack, and Brandon. Chalk it up to a bit too much Thursday night cheer.

But as Ben Stiller once said in Happy Gilmour, “You’re in my world now, Grandma” here at O&B Hue.

I don’t have any dislike for South Carolina. At one point I rooted for them to win games just as I do Vandy.

I just don’t care for your coach.

Spurrier is a weird problem for me. I’m sure as a person he might have all kinds of redeeming qualities. When I say I dislike the guy, my feelings are enclosed within the “it’s just a game” box. I dislike the college football persona known as the OBC. Not a man who has a family, who donates to charity, and who is active in his community. I’m not that crazy.

I view Spurrier’s actions through the eyes of a Gator fan. You view them through the eyes of a USCe fan.

We see things differently, obviously.

There’s nothing about Spurrier’s decision to return to the SEC East that did a lick of good for the Gators. Maybe Spurrier enjoys the challenge (although I rather suspect that he didn’t think he was signing up for what he’s currently going through) but I don’t wish him any success at all. Any success he enjoys hurts my boys, or at best doesn’t help.

I will always take it personally that he chose to coach at a school which plays the Gators every year, that he chose to coach in a place where his yearly goal, if achieved, smashes the hopes and dreams of Gator Nation.

Spurrier gave a great deal to Florida, but I think you’re starting to see that Florida is a special place with or without Steve Spurrier. God is still smilin’ on the Gators despite the visor being installed in the Palmetto state.

College football is personal for a lot of people and in this respect, I am no different. When it comes to these matters I am fiercely protective of my team, and I really don’t have any regrets.

By GatorPilot on 09.05.08 10:15 pm

I appreciate the apology but you’ve done it before and never apologized until Brandon called you out on it. I’ve seen you threaten to ban people from O&BH for making similarly malicious comments; all we’re asking is that you treat us with the same respect that you ask visitors to treat you with here. We’re glad to have rival fans’ viewpoints, but please, keep it civil from now on.

I posted a response to this post on GABA. Don’t take it the wrong way; like I said, I enjoy your site and respect your opinions. But I strongly disagree with you on this post, esp. on the stuff about us never being able to win anything if we don’t win with Spurrier. You say that Florida is a special place like they were destined to be great, but no one knew that until Spurrier got there. One day we’ll find our own Spurrier, someone who will transform us into the program we’ve hoped for.

And you should listen to your pal Keltic Gator. I’ll admit that I’m not as stoked about the season after this loss, but it’s only the second game. We still have lots of time to improve and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities for us to have a decent season. The defense is still solid and, truth be told, the offense did look a little better against Vandy. They didn’t lose the game for us; special teams lost it. And one of the special teams gaffes was really just bad luck.

And like someone said on a Georgia site today, the Dawgs were a bounce away from losing to Vandy twice in a row last year, and look what happened to them. Vandy seems to be a different animal under Bobby Johnson than they used to be. I remember last year when Auburn lost to USF and Miss St and everyone was predicting that they wouldn’t win 6 games. Then we all realized that it wasn’t that Auburn was awful but that USF and Miss St were better than usual. You might see that happen with Vandy this year.

By Gamecock Man on 09.05.08 10:36 pm

All good points, GC Man. And I’ll definitely try to be more respectful over on your turf. I dunno what it is, Spurrier brings out the ‘nasty’ in me.

By GatorPilot on 09.06.08 7:10 am

By the way, the only time I’ve threatened to ban people here at O&B Hue is when they consistently try to twist and divert threads with negative comments. The people you’re referring to did it at least two dozen times before the threat was finally made, and at that time their posts had no other redeeming value of any kind. I’d like to think my comments on your site are nowhere near that level.

By GatorPilot on 09.06.08 7:12 am

Gatorpilot, your comments really aren’t on the same level as those guys, so I apologize for the analogy. But they were getting on our nerves. A little of it is probably just us getting touchy; we’ve had a lot of futility and frustration to deal with lately. Five straight SEC losses will do that to you. But at any rate, I appreciate your understanding. And like I said, your always welcome over there. Just try to express your feelings about Spurrier and our program in, ahem, more substantial ways and I think we’ll be cool.

And good luck with the Canes today. This will be a rare week when I want to see the Gators run up the score.

By Gamecock Man on 09.06.08 9:26 am

hey man! I will, and forever will, feel in debt to Steve Spurrier…he won a Heisman, and Coached a National Title, and several SEC titles, But, I almost agree, but not quite, i pull for south carolina, all the time, UNLESS playing the Gators, when Urban Meyer leaves us for Notre Dame (2 or 3 years) then, Spurrier will return, end of story!!

So, Go Gators, and (when not playing the Gators) Go Spurrier!!

By The Shotts on 09.07.08 1:04 am