Spurrier puts perfect run on line against Kentucky

Oct 9, 2009 - 7:56 PM By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C.(AP) -- Florida's dominance over Kentucky in the 1990s made plenty of sense to Steve Spurrier: Better Gator players meant big wins against the Wildcats.

That perfect 16-0 run continuing at South Carolina? That's something the Gamecocks' head ball coach can't fully figure out.

"Obviously, at Florida normally we had the better team almost every time we played them," said Spurrier, who won all 12 games with Kentucky as Gators coach.

"Here, I don't know," he continued. "It's pretty even. We're pretty even with Kentucky. We've seemed to get the good turnovers and the good breaks in close games."

Spurrier gets the chance for a 17th straight victory when No. 25 South Carolina (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) faces Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.

Only Penn State coach Joe Paterno has longer undefeated stretches against one team - 26-0 all time against Temple, 24-0-1 against Maryland - according to South Carolina's sports information department.

"Nah, we don't talk about that at all," Spurrier said of his streak. "Every game stands on its own that year, I've firmly always believed that."

Kentucky was among Spurrier's favorite stops during his ultra successful run as Gators coach from 1990-2001. In 1994, Florida won 73-7, then two years later defeated the Wildcats 65-0 on the way to the 1996 national championship.

Spurrier seemed to pick up where he left off in 2005, the Gamecocks defeating Kentucky 44-16 in his debut season. The margins, though, have tightened since then with South Carolina winning two of the past three games by a touchdown.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks has watched his teams bungle chances to succeed against South Carolina.

In 2005, the Wildcats fumbled on three straight possessions in the second to turn a tight game into a 44-16 blowout and give Spurrier his first SEC victory with the Gamecocks. Two years ago in a Thursday night, ESPN showdown, South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood tied an NCAA mark by returning two fumbles for touchdowns as the Gamecocks defeated the eighth-ranked Wildcats, 38-23.

Last year at Kentucky, South Carolina used a blocked field-goal return TD from Captain Munnerlyn and a late scoring pass from Stephen Garcia to keep the streak alive, 24-17.

Kentucky's protection on the field goal last year was "like parting the Red Sea," Wildcats coach Rich Brooks said. "And there goes a 10-point swing in the game, and it ended up a seven-point game. Those are the things you can't do if you want to win a lot of SEC games."

The Wildcats need to start by winning one in a brutal stretch to start league play.

They lost 41-7 to No. 1 Florida in a game remembered for the sack by defensive end Taylor Wyndham that led to Tim Tebow's concussion. Kentucky followed with a 38-20 loss to No. 3 Alabama. And after South Carolina, which owns a 9-game win streak in the series, the Wildcats travel to unbeaten Auburn, ranked No. 17.

So it's crucial, Kentucky safety Calvin Harrison says, to fix the problems that have led to the South Carolina's recent success.

"Mistakes and turnovers have really been hurting us in the past games," Harrison said. "We just have to limit those and get them corrected."

Even if the Wildcats do, it might not matter with the heady, mistake-free ball South Carolina's played this year.

Garcia has grown in skill and leadership with just two interceptions in five starts this season. South Carolina's running game is averaging 60 yards more a game so far than a year ago. And the defense, led by Norwood, keyed a 16-10 victory over then fourth-ranked Ole Miss two games ago.

The Gamecock players say they won't be thinking about Spurrier's streak of their own run of success against Kentucky, who they haven't lost to this decade.

If anyone's doing that, offensive lineman T.J. Johnson says, the streaks probably won't last .

"We're taking this game as we take any other game," he said. "We're going to go in there with focus. It's an SEC game, so you know it's an important game for us."