HOOVER, Ala. — Steve Spurrier has been criticized for his handling of quarterback Stephen Garcia, who currently is with the team “on a probationary basis” after being suspended five times in his career for alcohol-related problems.
Garcia was cleared to resume team activities this summer. It’s generally thought that the senior will assume his duties as the starting quarterback when preseason camp starts next month. But Spurrier said Wednesday that’s not necessarily the case.
“People assume that him and Connor Shaw will battle it out pretty good,” Spurrier said. “Stephen may be our best quarterback, but we’ll have some good competition.”
Shaw, a sophomore from Flowery Branch, played in nine games last season and completed 70 percent of his passes for 223 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions as Garcia’s backup. Garcia is the leading returning passer in the SEC with 3,059 yards with 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Spurrier was asked if he thought he had treated Garcia differently than he would, say, a backup tight end.
“No, I think I’d treat a backup tight end the same way,” he said. “Basicially he’s a good kid and a good person. And he’s really made some lifestyle changes to try to deal with this.”
Muschamp shows poise
Will Muschamp, a Georgia graduate and football letterman, did a good job volleying with the media in his first stint on the podium as an SEC head coach. The former Texas defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting was hired to succeed Urban Meyer as Florida’s head coach in December.
Following were some of Muschamp’s notable quotes from Wednesday:
On taking over an established program such as Florida: “It’s great to be a head coach right now. We’re all undefeated right now, and nobody’s made a dumb call yet on third-and-long.
On fan feedback: “My email is full of suggestions from the Gator Nation. But I try to listen to Urban Meyer a lot more. He’s been a great help.”
On how much input he has on the offense: “I’m a defensive coach. I hired Charlie Weis to run our offense. He has 40 years of NFL experience. What am I going to tell him?”
There was a testy moment when a Florida beat writer pressed Muschamp on whether running back/receiver Jeff Demps was going to return to play his senior season or continue as a track professional.
Said Muschamp: “Based on our conversations, he’ll be playing for us this fall. I like to deal with these kinds of things eyeball to eyeball. He’s in Italy right now, and I ain’t ever been to Italy.”
Ball out for Gators
It appears the football career of Florida defensive end Neiron Ball of Jackson may be over. At the very least he won’t be playing this fall. Ball suffered a sort of stroke before last season and has been diagnosed with a vascular condition.
“As of Monday, he’s on a spiritual retreat in Colorado and will not physically be a part of our football team this fall,” Muschamp said. “We’ll revisit that January. But that’s OK. The No. 1 priority for Neiron is his health, and we’re just happy he’s doing well.”
Depth at tailback
Georgia’s depth issues at tailback heading into the season are well documented. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino touched on why that’s problem in the SEC.
The Razorbacks appear well set at the league’s glamour position. They sport the SEC’s leading returning rusher in Knile Davis (1,322 yards), get back fleet-footed Dennis Johnson from a medical redshirt season and believe they have a budding star in rising junior Ronnie Wingo Jr.
“I’ve always believed you have to have depth at tailback,” said Petrino, a former Falcons coach. “As the year goes on your running backs are the ones who take all the big hits and that wears on them. You have to be able to go to somebody without missing a beat. ... I also try to get Knile to the fourth quarter where he’s fresh and strong.”
Less contact?
The Ivy League on Wednesday announced that it is reducing the number of full-contact practices teams its teams may hold in an effort to minimize head injuries and recurring concussions among its football players.
The SEC has not adopted such a policy, not yet anyway.
“We have not had that discussion, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t talked a lot about concussions and head injuries,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. “But player safety is a matter of great importance to everybody in conference.”
Georgia coach Mark Richt has greatly reduced the amount of contact in the Bulldogs’ practices the past few years and even eliminated two-a-day practices last year. No word yet on what his plans are this season, but he’ll meet with SEC media Thursday.
Meanwhile, Spurrier said he favors little to no full contact in the Gamecocks’ practices.
“To me it doesn’t make sense to get your own players injured in practice,” he said. “you have to be smart enough to know that when the game comes it’s real football. When the Army practices they don’t use live bullets, do they?”
