Spurrier apologizes to Gamecock fans

COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier warned Gamecock fans this year’s team needed a lot of work.

After Saturday’s 37-14 loss to Alabama he asked for their forgiveness.

‘‘I do apologize to our fans. I thought we’d be more competitive than we were today,’’ Spurrier said after the biggest home loss in his 15-plus years of college coaching.

The trademark visor never came off, but Spurrier’s frustration with his team was evident as he paced the sidelines. Several times he slammed his notebook to the ground and at least once he threw off his headset as his offense couldn’t run and his defense couldn’t stop the Crimson Tide’s ground game.

‘‘We’ve got some building to do,’’ Spurrier said. ‘‘You guys know football as well as I do. If you don’t control the line, it’s tough.’’

The problems for the Head Ball Coach — Spurrier’s new preferred nickname — start with that inability to run. South Carolina came into Saturday’s game averaging 38 yards a game, so Alabama, which entered the top 25 at No. 20 with the win, took chances stopping the Gamecocks in the air.

It worked. After allowing a 13-play, 75-yard opening drive that ended on a 1-yard fourthdown scoring run by Mike Davis, the Crimson Tide shut down Spurrier’s ‘‘Cock-n-Fire’’ offense.

South Carolina ran for just 71 yards, while starting quarterback Blake Mitchell went 20-of38 for 173 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Mitchell often looked confused in the pocket and had two more certain interceptions dropped by Alabama defenders.

Mithcell didn’t single anybody out for blame.

‘‘We have to find someone who wants to hit, someone who wants to play more physical,’’ Mitchell said. ‘‘We need to see who really wants to play.’’

South Carolina gained just 21 yards and no first downs over the rest of the first half. The Gamecocks got past midfield just once in the third quarter, and that drive ended when backup quarterback Antonio Heffner was sacked on fourthand 2 from the Alabama 36. Meanwhile the Tide was running crazy. Alabama ran for 338 yards and had 489 yards of total offense — the biggest totals ever under third-year coach Mike Shula.

‘‘Obviously we didn’t tackle,’’ South Carolina co-defensive coordinator John Thompson said. ‘‘We were not physical and we stopped them only a few times ... long runs, big plays, we didn’t get the job done. We got whipped.’’

The loss was bad enough to leave Spurrier hinting he might shake up the starting lineup next Saturday against Troy.

Several times before the season started, Spurrier warned fans he probably couldn’t turn the Gamecocks around immediately. After a lackluster 24-15 opening win over Central Florida, he sounded the alarm again, saying it was not a performance that made him think ‘‘we’ve got a chance for a big year.’’

South Carolina did hang tough with No. 7 Georgia before losing 17-15, but the game against Alabama left Mitchell and others scratching their heads.

‘‘Maybe they were not as good as we thought,’’ Mitchell said.

The Gamecock fans, who bought a record number of season tickets (62,618), streamed out of the stadium in the third quarter. A few even booed the new coach and Spurrier acknowledged the game was sad to watch.

He also envied Shula and Alabama, who turned the tables on Spurrier with a 36-yard touchdown pass by backup John Parker Wilson with just under 10 minutes to go — the kind of trash-time touchdowns Spurrier’s Gators used to rack up.

‘‘I was watching him call plays,’’ Spurrier said of Shula. ‘‘I said, ’That’s a fun way to call it.’ You go back and throw one 60 yards downfield. If you don’t hit it, who cares? You’re going to run it for the next play and you get to stay on the field. We’re not near in that category.’’

But at least one Spurrier nemesis expects the Head Ball Coach to be back soon.

‘‘He’s really doing a good job getting (his offense) installed,’’ said Alabama defensive coordinator Joe Kines, who has spent 10 of the last 13 years coaching defense in the SEC. ‘‘They’ll get