USC looks to build off Shaw, defensive efforts
"We've still not won the SEC. That's our ultimate goal," Spurrier said at his press conference Tuesday afternoon. "We know it's not going to be easy. It would be extremely difficult. But that's our goal. That's what we're shooting for."
Since Spurrier's arrival at USC, the Gamecocks have made strides toward achieving the dream of a conference championship. South Carolina made their first-ever appearance at the SEC title game in 2010 and went undefeated in the Eastern division for the first time in school history last year. For the Gamecocks to continue that string of success, quarterback Connor Shaw must continue to play well. Spurrier said Shaw has the mental makeup to be a successful signal-caller.
"He's been around football his whole life, and he's pretty much dedicated to that," Spurrier said of the junior quarterback. "He doesn't have a lot of outside interests other than be the best quarterback he can to help our team win games and be successful."
Spurrier also noted that Shaw's mobility has been an asset to the offense.
"He's the kind of guy we move around quite a bit," said Spurrier. "He can throw on the run. He can do a lot of that kind of stuff."
While Shaw's evolution has been critical to USC's success, the defense has paved the way for South Carolina to become a force in the SEC. Although the Gamecock defense lost two first-round draft picks from last year's unit, there is still plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball for USC.
"We think we got some good solid defensive tackles," Spurrier said when asked about his defensive line's potential. "We have all senior linebackers. I think all of them are fifth-year guys. We got a lot of experience right there at the linebacker position."
USC will have a new defensive play caller this season. Lorenzo Ward will take over as defensive coordinator for Ellis Johnson, who left last season to become the head coach at Southern Miss. Spurrier said that Ward is a good fit to run South Carolina's defense, noting the performance of the unit against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, which was Ward's first game as coordinator.
"Lorenzo and I think very much alike on defensive philosophies, coverages, all that kind of stuff," Spurrier said. "We have full confidence he's going to be a good one."
South Carolina will be tested by a tough conference schedule in 2012. The Gamecocks will face Georgia, LSU and Florida in a three-week stretch in October, with only the Bulldogs coming to Williams-Brice. After missing out on a second consecutive trip to the SEC championship by one game last year, Spurrier admitted that scheduling could play a part in who represents the East in Atlanta this year.
"If I made the schedule, Georgia would be playing LSU and we'd be playing Ole Miss," Spurrier joked.
Although navigating the SEC waters is always a challenge, Spurrier seemed confident that his team would be able to compete for a conference title. The Head Ball Coach quipped that the Gamecocks' recent success has helped him stay on the sidelines as long as he has.
"We've got a good team," Spurrier said. "We've had some good teams at South Carolina the last couple years. That's probably why I'm still coaching."