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Morris: Spurrier success relies on run game
Posted on 09.02.09
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survey:
Forget Stephen Garcia. What matters most to Steve Spurrier's South Carolina offense this season —- and just about every other one during his illustrious coaching career —- is the running game.
If USC can run the football, the Gamecocks will have a successful season. Even a respectable running game will make Garcia a better quarterback, and in turn finally will make Spurrier's offense the Cock 'n' Fire attack he promised upon arriving at USC five years ago.
Without a solid running game, USC's offense will sputter just as it has the past two seasons. Without a solid running game, Garcia will not be an effective quarterback. Without a solid running game, USC will not play in a bowl game.
Spurrier, more than anyone, knows this to be true. That is why he hired Eric Wolford as USC's offensive line coach and put him in charge of the running game. Wolford was hired from Illinois, where in 2007 the Illini set a school record with 3,338 rushing yards.
When Wolford interviewed for the job, he certainly knew of Spurrier's reputation for wanting to "pitch the ball around the park." So Wolford made certain Spurrier was serious about establishing a running attack.
"He made it pretty clear," Wolford says. "We want to run the football."
That does not mean Spurrier has changed his ways. His USC teams never will use the running game to set up the passing attack. It’s just that Spurrier seeks the balance of running and passing that made his offenses explosive at Duke and Florida.
His 1989 ACC championship team at Duke averaged 179 rushing yards per game . His two best teams at Florida —- the 12-1 club in 1995 and the national champion of 1996 —- averaged 174 and 170 yards rushing, respectively. Those are the three highest rushing averages among Spurrier's 19 college teams.
For whatever reason, it has not translated at USC, where the 2005 and 2008 clubs produced the worst rushing averages of Spurrier's career. The 2005 Gamecocks averaged 95 yards per game on the ground, and last season USC was limited to 94.
Thus, Spurrier's move to hire Wolford, who most certainly will incorporate many run-blocking schemes. USC fans can expect the offensive line to charge off the line of scrimmage on occasion, a change from the past couple of seasons, when nearly every play called for pass-blocking techniques.
With better line play and the emergence of a big-time runner among a cast of prospects, USC could produce its first 1,000-yard rusher since Derek Watson in 2000.
"You've got to believe we're going to improve, because we weren't very good last year," Spurrier says of the running game. "I'm not saying it's coaching. I'm just saying we sort of got beat up a little bit. Guys didn't block very well. But hopefully we'll be better."
Perhaps to the surprise of many, Spurrier's offenses over the years have featured four 1,000-yard rushers. Randy Cuthbert went over the mark in 1989 at Duke, Errict Rhett topped 1,000 in 1991 and 1993 at Florida, and Fred Taylor did the same in 1997 for the Gators.
Still, it never has been easy for Spurrier to shed his pass-happy reputation, which he added to by calling his Duke offenses "Air Ball" and his Florida offenses "Fun 'n' Gun." Even his players occasionally questioned whether he was serious about incorporating a running game into his offensive attack.
When he arrived at Florida in 1990, Spurrier met with his offense and began going over the numbering system for plays. To illustrate plays, Spurrier had the unit watch film of Duke's win the previous season at Maryland, a game in which Cuthbert carried the ball 38 times.
"Coach, y’all are running the ball almost every play," Spurrier recalls Rhett saying as he watched the film.
"Yeah, we're going to throw and run," Spurrier responded.
"I thought you were the passing coach," Rhett said.
After four seasons under Spurrier, Rhett finished as Florida's career leader in rushing attempts with 873.
Among his stable of young running backs at USC, Spurrier might have the next Errict Rhett. More importantly, it appears Spurrier has made a commitment to producing another Rhett by establishing a running game that will make the Gamecocks offense look like his offenses of old.
Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM
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