To get this out of the way: Yes, this was a moderate letdown after the Robbie Caldwell Hayride Hour.
• "We may win it this year." HEY I THINK SO TOO. Seriously. Sakerlina over Arkansas in the Dome this December. I will not get off this pony until the Hawgs lose to UTEP.
• "I don't think we've had but one player arrested in two years, and those charges were dropped."
• Twice, he mentions being beaten "soundly" by UConn in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Visible, audible teeth grinding.
• "Until we prove that we can play on a consistent basis, we've just got hope." Fearless Leader fights back tears and reaches for his harmonica.
• "Should be a heck of a game, our opener against Southern Miss."
• "Players are getting arrested for things that in the old days they did NOT get arrested for. ... They would not go into the tank that night." Simpler times.
• Giving the turkey insemination talk a run for its money: "Hopefully soon we can get over those seven wins and get up in there." Caliente!
• A guy across the room beats me to a Garcia question, and asks it WAY nicer than I was going to (my plan: "Coach, has Stephen Garcia matured, at all?"). Reply: "He should play pretty well." Beat. "If he's the quarterback."
• That said: "Stephen is our starter."
• THAT said: "We got another guy." And, "We'll let it play out." Oh, bother.
• Some jagoff from the Red & Black asks if he's worried about losing his title as most quotable coach. Spurrier graciously refrains from throttling him: "No, I'm not worried about that at all. ... I don't think I've won enough games lately to make outlandish quotes."
• "I never thought I'd get a bigger bonus for our guys graduating than I did for the bowl game."
• "I think I have a pretty good relationship with Stephen...I left him alone this sumer. And I left him alone this spring, pretty much. Let him go play." Stephen Garcia operates on a bungee leash at at all times, like a rambunctious toddler at the mall.
• "I''m not critical of him. He may be playing the best he can. I don't know." SPURRIER TOTALLY LOVES GARCIA AS THOUGH HE WERE HIS OWN SON AND JUST DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT. /ilovemydeadgayquarterback'd
• On the Cocks' oft-beleagured O-line: "More juniors and seniors than we've ever had. I read that in the paper. I think it's true."
• It actually took many minutes for him to get asked about his golf game.
• Asked who his greatest rival has been: "Oh, I've really not paid a lot of attention to that. ... Some coaches I like a little better than others, obviously."
• And, to the tiresome point we knew this had to get to, "The former Tennessee coach, I didn't really pay a lot of attention." I sit on my hands to refrain from asking him about his winless record against El Kiffykins.
• Asked about his care with this year's ballot after last year's ballot kerfluffle: "Well, I had Jevan Snead No. 1. Somebody told me he wasn't playing this year!"
• "ALL RIGHT GOOD TO BE HERE SEE YA." I swear, I almost wish for the OBC of old at times like this, even though that involved a lot of making bitchmeat out of my precious alma mater. Let bangs, and not whimpers, be the order of the day once more.