Wrong Coach On The Hot Seat?
Without question, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Phillip Fulmer comes into Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. this weekend with his rather rotund posterior squarely on the “hot seat.”
Saturday’s game against South Carolina is generally regarded as a “must-win” for Fulmer, whose remarkable accomplishments in Knoxville have tapered off dramatically in recent years.
Fulmer’s Vols are 3-5 this year, with their only wins coming against Division I-A also-rans UAB, Northern Illinois and Mississippi State. They’ve also been blown out by Alabama, Florida and Georgia, who are clearly the three best teams in the Southeastern Conference this year.
But is Fulmer the only one who should be feeling the flames?
Gamecocks’ head coach Steve Spurrier, who came to Columbia to great fanfare back in 2005, is in year four of his tenure at South Carolina and yet the results he’s produced – on the field, off the field and in recruiting – are well short of expectations.
Spurrier is only 26-19 at Carolina thusfar, including an anemic 13-16 in SEC games.
To put that number in perspective, Spurrier lost only 12 SEC games in 12 seasons at Florida, winning six conference championships and one national title.
That’s why Saturday’s South Carolina-Tennessee showdown is so important.
Personally, we think it’s doubtful that a Volunteer win will save Fulmer, but why shouldn’t a Gamecock loss similarly sink Spurrier?
Beating Tennessee, Arkansas and Clemson shouldn’t be problematic for South Carolina. All three programs are clearly on the decline this year, and the Gamecocks should be favored in all three games.
Assuming a loss on the road against Florida, that would put South Carolina at 8-4 for the year, with a 4-4 SEC record.
Frankly, anything short of that and our belief is that Spurrier should be canned.
Comments
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' ... on October 30th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
You must be joking.
By Joseph Reynolds on October 31st, 2008 at 8:50 am
What convoluted logic..
the only reason that USC “should be favored” against schools that have far better programs than it has…is because of the coach..because never before in our history has a bad year at any of those schools automatically translated into a “should win” scenario for USC…so it can only be assumed that it is because Spurrier has been here that we now can assume a win..
yet if he doesnt win he should be fired….so he is given implied credit for advancing the school so much in 4 years that it now makes us the favored team… but lambasted if he doesnt win all 3.
You are the kind of fan that has left us mired in the mediocrity that you love to flaunt to the rest of the world. Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy. If you can keep us mediocre, then you can come up with new ways to pretend that you are witty when you slam “your” school to the rest of the world.
Please stop calling yourself a USC fan and go away. Seriously. Leave. Now.
By fitsnews on October 31st, 2008 at 11:25 am
NSJS,
13-16 in the SEC, players who can’t stay clean, shitty recruiting …
… no we’re not joking.
-FITS
By Dixie on October 31st, 2008 at 11:46 am
It’s kinda hard to coach a bunch of hoodlums who can’t follow rules and seem to like po po more than football. I’m just sayin’…
By amateurhour on October 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
But wait… the ‘ole ball sack’ has back to back wins against Wofford.
Sort of like LOUser Holtz, 33-37 as big cock.
Until the USC fans stop leaving the game with 3-4 minutes to go when the outcome is still in doubt, they will continue to lose. Mediocrity in the stands = mediocrity on the field.
By Jamse on October 31st, 2008 at 4:45 pm
FOUR?
4-4 in the SEC after 4 years is an accomplishment????
When you have fans/residents of a state that have expectations lower than any other in the nation I suppose a celebration with a Main Street parade is in order.
And these same fans boast how loyal they’ve been as booster club members since granny was a teenager only to find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes time to assign their long-held seats to a slickster putting up real money?
The latest slap in the face to these mediocre loving fans get is to have them stand in line to pay a “donation” for the “right” to just buy a ticket to the Wofford game? Or the much vaunted Citadel game? Or the Louisiana-Lafayette School of Barberology and Cosmetology game?
Good luck getting that “donation” past the IRS.
Mediocre fans: bend over and take it like the good lil’ bitches you are.
By jimtheg8r on November 3rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
fits…this is one of the dumbest thing i have every read. USC got way above grade with Holtz and Spurrier. Your logic rivals the morons in Arkansas that ran Houston Nutt out. There are a ton of good people at USC that realize how good they’ve got it…Cocks would be a threat to NO ONE if it weren’t for the HBC.
By fitsnews on November 3rd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Jimmy,
That’s “not so great,” friend.
The fact is the Cocks still aren’t consistently a threat to anyone, but the few times they border on that status is totally thanks to the Carolina defense – which is all ELLIS JOHNSON, not Spurrier, or the “HBC” as you call him.
Carolina’s D won the Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi games – i.e. the Gamecocks’ only three SEC victories this year.
Carolina’s D has also forced seventeen turnovers (fourth-best in the SEC) and yet USC still ranks dead last in the conference in turnover margin …
Why is that?
Simple … Spurrier’s offense has given up the ball TWENTY-FOUR times, easily the worst mark in the league.
USC is also worst in the conference in rushing offense, with less than HALF the total yards of conference leader Alabama.
“Way above grade?” Puhleeze …
What games have you been watching?
-FITS
By jimtheg8r on November 4th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Fits, nobody calls me jimmy except my grandmother :-)
good points, but who hired Ellis? HBC=yes. who committed the turnovers? HBC=no. Cocks will never be able to recruit the 4-5 stars to have the same talent on the field as UF, uga-ly, UT, Bama, LSU, etc., yet they are competitive and win more than they should.
Last year’s meltdown was awful and you should be ticked. But to say Spurrier should be on the hot seat isn’t right. I am prejudiced, the HBC is the man in my book and always will be. If USC thought he’d do the same there as at UF, that’s irrational.
How many W’s did the Cocks have over UF, UGA, Vols before he arrived? And how many games were they in, like LSU this year…versus being blown out early.
Good luck to the Cocks, I am worried about your upcoming visit to the Swamp.
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