 "Photo: Katie Kirkland / The Gamecock")
In 1990, a 45-year-old Steve Spurrier returned to coach his alma mater. In 12 years, he won 122 games as the head ball coach of the Gators. He won six conference championships and a national championship at a school that had never seen either. Spurrier revolutionized the SEC with a passing attack the likes of which the league had never seen.
Fifteen years after arriving at Florida, Spurrier has been charged with building up a new program, and a new head ball coach has taken the reins of the program Spurrier built into a national powerhouse.
On Saturday, Urban Meyer will lead the new look Gators into Williams-Brice Stadium to take on the very man whose shadow hangs over the Florida program, but now dawns the garnet and black. When Spurrier arrived at Florida, Meyer was a 26-year-old wide receiver coach at Colorado State University, but couldn't help but keep an eye on what was going on in Gainesville, Fla.
"I fell in love with the way they played, the way they walked, the way they talked, the way they took the field, the way they came off the field, the way they scored points," Meyer said about Spurrier's Gators. "A coach would be lying to you if they sat there and watched the University of Florida play under coach Spurrier that you didn't get excited.
If I saw them on TV, I made sure I sat down and watched them play because of the swagger. I was a fan, and you're not supposed to be a fan."
Meyer brings a revolutionary offense of his own to the table Saturday. His "spread option" became famous during the 2004 season when Meyer led the Utah Utes to a 12-0 record and a No. 4 ranking.
This season, Meyer's Gators are 7-2 and have a chance to play for an SEC Championship. Should the Gators beat the Gamecocks in Columbia, and get some help from the Auburn Tigers (who play Georgia later in the evening), the team will be the SEC East representative in Atlanta's SEC Championship game.
A few current Gator seniors were on the team during Spurrier's last season at Florida. But his legacy still dominates the scene at Florida and the current Gators are aware of it.
"Part of being a Gator is knowing the history and legacy of the program," Florida quarterback Chris Leak said. "He's a big reason that Florida football is where it is now."
Now the only thing standing in their way is Spurrier and his new crew, who brings a four-game winning streak into the contest. In his first season at Carolina, Spurrier's Gamecocks are bowl eligible and have already knocked down one barrier with a win against the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.
While the story lines are obvious, both coaches have downplayed them all week and aren't changing their tune of keep the focus on the players.
"This is about 70 young men getting on a plane and flying to Columbia, S.C., in a tough environment and trying to compete for an SEC Championship," Meyer said Monday. "Any talk about things other than that is unjust to our players, and any coach would say that."
"It's been three years since I've coached there," Spurrier said Tuesday. "This is my team now. It's our team, we are all involved in it. I've been with this group for I guess about a year or so now. I've only had one team at a time and this is my team."
Spurrier's new team hasn't seen much success against his old one. During his 12 years in Gainesville as head coach, Spurrier was 10-0 against USC.
USC last beat Florida in 1939. The Gamecocks are on a 14-game losing streak to the Gators dating back to 1964, when Florida was quarterbacked by a young sophomore from east Tennessee. His name was Steve Spurrier. Gamecock fans hope that same east Tennessean can help them start a streak of their own.
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