ATHENS – Steve Spurrier hasn’t mellowed with age.
He’s 70 years old now and still says what’s on his mind, especially after a loss like Georgia’s 52-20 win over South Carolina at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night.
“They totally dominated us. …They clobbered us,” Spurrier said. “They’re a lot better than us. We’ve got to make some changes somewhere. We have to do something different.”
Spurrier said the same thing after the Gamecocks finished 7-6 in 2014. He brought in Jon Hoke as co-defensive coordinator in an effort to improve the Gamecocks’ defense.
But Spurrier lost quarterback Connor Mitch in the opening victory over North Carolina and has seen his team struggle on both sides of the ball in losses to Kentucky last week and Georgia on Saturday.
The Bulldogs rolled up 576 yards of offense and held South Carolina to 258.
Spurrier, who cultivated outstanding quarterbacks at Florida, watched Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert complete 24 of his 25 attempts for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
He also saw his own quarterbacks – Perry Orth and freshman Lorenzo Nunez — combine to go 10-of-22 for 84 yards and an interception.
“Offensively, I’m open to suggestions,” Spurrier said.
Georgia’s 52 points matched what a Spurrier-coached Florida team scored on a visit to Athens in 1995. He called a last-minute touchdown pass to become the first opposing team to score 50 points at Sanford Stadium.
“That was 52-17, though” said Spurrier, pointing out the difference was greater in 1995. “A lot of people have been putting 52 on us lately.”
Spurrier still holds a 16-7 advantage over the Bulldogs, but the Gamecocks have lost their past two games at Sanford Stadium.
He looked for ways to energize the offense by rotating Orth and Nunez, a freshman from Kennesaw (Harrison).
They both sparked South Carolina to its lone first-half touchdown with Nunez starting the drive with a 17-yard run and Orth finishing it with a 4-yard scoring run.
Nunez scored South Carolina’s other touchdown on a 7-yard run and finished as the Gamecocks’ leading rusher with 76 yards on 10 carries.
“Lorenzo came in there and made some nice runs,” Spurrier said.
When asked if this was his last visit to Sanford Stadium, he said, “I hope to come back many times.”