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Coach says his team has more in common with Kentucky, Vandy than with the Tide

Spurrier tempers expectations

Steve Spurrier lead h

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier

Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thesate.com

Written by SETH EMERSON

semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 10.14.09
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How will the Gamecocks fare against Alabama?

Gamecocks vs. Tide

WHO: USC (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at Alabama (6-0, 3-0)

WHEN: 7:45 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

LINE: Alabama by 18

TV: ESPN (TWC 26/DTV 206/Dish 140)

RADIO: WNKT-FM 107.5

ONLINE: Seth Emerson will blog live from the game. Get updates at gogamecocks.com.

South Carolina and Alabama are both ranked. And the teams are a combined 11-1 entering Saturday's game.

But to hear Steve Spurrier tell it, his Gamecock team has more in common with teams such as Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

"There was more pressure on that Kentucky game. I can assure you of that," Spurrier said. "And the game next week, when we play Vanderbilt. Because we line up with those guys a lot better. So, we all know that."

South Carolina, ranked No. 22, is a 17-point underdog at No. 2 Alabama.

"If something good happens, we're going to give it our best shot and see what happens," Spurrier said. "But we're not going to toss in the towel if it doesn't work out for us. There's a lot of football left. This is just one game. We want to get in the mix with them, see what happens. But we also remember down the road a little bit, too."

Senior receiver Moe Brown agreed that the Gamecocks can have a nothing-to-lose attitude compared to Alabama.

"We're going in to play the No. 2 team in the nation, so the pressure's on their shoulder," Brown said. "They definitely have aspirations to win an SEC championship, an NCAA championship, with a ranking that high. If any pressure is put on us, it's self-pressure to just perform."

Seriously, nothing to lose. Spurrier was also upfront about coaching differently as an underdog.

"(You) play it a little more wide open, hope that everything hits, than you would (normally)," Spurrier said. "You certainly have no chance if you play conservatively against a team like this, unless you feel like your defense can play really well. If we feel like our defense can stop them almost every time, then you can play conservatively. Alabama's got such a good defense."

Mind over matter. Entering the season, the big worry for Nathan Pepper was his chronic knee problems. Turns out, an ankle injury has been a bigger worry - and the defensive tackle has still managed to play almost every snap, except for sitting out the Florida Atlantic game.

"My knee's been holding up fine. It's just I had the little ankle setback against Georgia," Pepper said. "I guess that's a blessing in disguise, because it's taken my mind off my knee and put it on my ankle."

Linebacker battle. South Carolina's Eric Norwood and Alabama's Rolando McClain are two of the SEC's best linebackers, so a comparison is inevitable when their teams play. But Norwood did not bite when asked about the debate.

"He's a very good player. He's a heck of an athlete. Just for somebody his size to go out and do what he does, he's pretty good at it," Norwood said. "But as far as comparing me to him, I'm not really gonna go there and make the comparison. We're two different players."

Norwood leads the SEC with 6 sacks. McClain leads Alabama with 42 tackles, and has 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.

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