Spurrier adjusts to Newton

COLUMBIA - Who says you can't teach an old ball coach new tricks?

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Steve Spurrier won a Heisman Trophy as a classic passer at Florida in 1966. In 12 seasons as the Gators coach, Spurrier relied on pocket passers like Danny Weurffel and Rex Grossman.

These days as South Carolina's coach, Spurrier's happy to watch quarterback Syvelle Newton get the offense going with his legs instead of his arm.

Take last week against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks faced third-and-13 near the end of the third quarter when Newton ran 15 yards to keep alive a touchdown drive.

"I was telling (assistant) David Reaves that play right there makes me a lot smarter than him getting sacked," Spurrier said.

Newton's mobility has the Gamecocks picking up more than half their third-down conversions (32 of 63). It's much improved over last season's 34 percent conversion rate and is a big reason why the Gamecocks (5-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) have won four of five heading into Saturday game with No. 8 Tennessee.

Newton's talent helps, too.

"We're calling the same plays," Spurrier said. "We didn't find a bunch of them that all of a sudden work."

Spurrier knew about Newton's versatility - he had used the senior at quarterback, tailback and receiver in a 2005 game with Vanderbilt. But instead of forcing Newton into a rigid system, Spurrier has allowed him to think - and run - outside the pocket.

The shift has improved South Carolina's offense from 99th in the country the first two weeks to 56th this week - not numbers Spurrier was used to in Florida's "Fun-n-Gun" heyday, but enough to make him smile.

The improvement has come in very un-Spurrier-like fashion: South Carolina has run about 30 times a game.

"We try and mix the run with a few passes here and there, and let Syvelle run around on his own ...," Spurrier said.

After Newton's first start, a 27-20 win over Wofford, he was winded and not sure he even wanted to play quarterback again. However, he's fine with the move now.

Not everything is perfect for Spurrier.

"We still don't audible much at all," he said.

Overall, though, Spurrier is pleased with Newton's progress.

"A mobile quarterback can take care of a lot of problems up front," Spurrier said.

Maybe Spurrier has learned something new.