 "Photo: Nick Esares/ The Gamecock")
USC football coach Steve Spurrier is known for a lot of things. He's one of the most successful and highly regarded college football coaches of all time. He won a Heisman Trophy in 1966. He's known for a personality that mixes seriousness with sarcasm. But most of all, he knows how to coach up college quarterbacks.
In his first season at USC, Spurrier has taken sophomore quarterback Blake Mitchell to task, looking to make the soft-spoken signal caller his next big surprise.
When Spurrier arrived at Duke University in 1987, Duke's football program was struggling. Spurrier improved the Blue Devils dramatically, eventually turning them into ACC co-champions in 1989. That same year, Spurrier also helped senior quarterback Anthony Dilweg set school records in passing yards and touchdowns after he had been a backup his previous three seasons at Duke. Dilweg's good play resulted in him being named ACC player of the year.
When Spurrier returned to his alma mater Florida to coach in 1990, the quarterback position was very much up in the air. Spurrier eventually looked to sophomore quarterback Shane Matthews - a fifth-stringer upon Spurrier's arrival - to lead his offense. Under Spurrier's watchful eye, Matthews worked his way into becoming a Heisman candidate by his senior season.
Spurrier continued to show his knack for coaching college quarterbacks when Danny Wuerffel took the reins of his Gator offense. Wuerffel and Spurrier led Florida to two national championship appearances and won their second attempt at a title in 1996. Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy that year as well.
Spurrier closed out his Gator career with quarterbacks Doug Johnson, Jesse Palmer and Rex Grossman. Johnson and Palmer often drew Spurrier's criticism, but still led Florida to a 29-8 record during their college careers. Grossman started playing as a redshirt freshman for Spurrier in 2000 and was named first team All-SEC later that year. Spurrier also coached Grossman in 2001 and helped the sophomore to finish second in the Heisman race that season. Grossman was the fifth sophomore ever to finish in the top two of the voting at that time.
Fast forward past Spurrier's short NFL career with the Washington Redskins and that brings us to the current season, 2005, and his present quarterback, Mitchell.
Compared to Spurrier's former quarterbacks, Mitchell's college career might be most Matthews'.
Mitchell seemed out of place in former USC coach Lou Holtz's offense, and his playing time reflected that. Holtz preferred to go with quarterbacks more known for their legs than their arms, often starting Dondrial Pinkins or Syvelle Newton.
In limited action in 2004, Mitchell put up less than impressive numbers - 9-of-22 for 86 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions and a 61.47 passer efficiency rating.
Then came Steve Spurrier and a fresh start for Blake Mitchell.
The 2005 season has been a totally different story for Mitchell. He set the tone for the new season when he hit Noah Whiteside with a long touchdown pass against Central Florida on the Gamecock's first drive of the year. He has continued his strong play, leading the team to a 6-3 record completing 62 percent of his passes in the process, and has thrown 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
Mitchell ranks third in the SEC with a 143.52 passer rating. This is without much of a running game to help support him.
It's widely known by Gamecock players, coaches and fans that Mitchell is a quiet guy. Is it a lack of confidence that an SEC quarterback needs to lead his team, or is it calmness?
Mitchell spoke about his calm personality on and off the football field.
"It's just my personality; I'm kind of calm and laid back. I think that carries over onto the field. I probably should get more excited sometimes but when it comes to pressure time, I just try to stay calm and make plays. I don't want to be out there panicking and have the other guys on offense looking at me and wondering 'Oh, what's going on.'"
While Spurrier's college quarterbacks have been highly successful, it's not an easy job leading his offense. It is well documented that Spurrier is tougher on quarterbacks than any other position on the football team. He lets his signal callers know when they make a mistake, and he expects the mistake to be corrected quickly. Some quarterbacks can handle it, and some can't.
"You just have to take what he says and keep going, take it and apply it to your game," Mitchell said. "If you let that get to you, it's going to get to you when you are out in a stadium and fans are booing you."
Spurrier is hesitant to praise his young quarterback's progress this season.
"He has some good plays and few bad plays. Overall, he's much improved from earlier in the year; he's doing fine," Spurrier said.
It's unknown whether Heisman Trophies and championships lay ahead for Mitchell and Spurrier, but one thing is for certain. The sophomore from LaGrange, Ga., has come a long way from third string.
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