HUNT OUT ON BUSY SUNDAY
Posted 02:30 p.m., November 30, 2008
COLA -- It's not a quiet Sunday in USC's camp.
** It's not entirely surprising, but Steve Spurrier has let offensive line coach John Hunt go, sources confirmed Sunday afternoon. While he was a veteran coach, good guy and long-time Spurrier friend, Hunt's units had struggled more than they hadn't while at USC.
The line isn't solely to blame, but, in categories that count against it, the Gamecocks finished the regular season last in the SEC in rushing offense (98.3 yards a game, the only team below the century mark in average) and next-to-last in sacks allowed (38).
** Additionally, the school just put out through a release that freshman Stephen Garcia will be the bowl game starter at QB. Again, not a shocker, given what Spurrier said and how Chris Smelley played yesterday, but the release is sort of an unprecedented measure.
I'm sure Spurrier would've said the same thing to us if he were having a typical 2 p.m. teleconference. But, alas, there isn't one today.
** On top of that, as we reported last night, David Reaves will join brother-in-law Lane Kiffin's new staff at UT. Reaves was USC's QBs coach and recruiting coordinator.
It'll be curious to see how South Carolina copes with the losses to the staff entering the month of bowl preparation. And on that subject, it's still believed that the Outback Bowl makes all the sense in the world despite two consecutive devastating defeats.
With no concrete options from the SEC -- LSU is 7-5, too, and Kentucky and Vanderbilt are 6-6 -- the Outback will look to a friend, Spurrier, who knows about half the bowl's board members and in particular chairman Jim McVay. (McVay was the marketing director for the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits when Spurrier was the coach.)
We'll of course have more on these items on the blog and in tomorrow's paper.
-- Th
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