Win, not revenge, on Fulmer's mind

COLUMBIA - If any college coach should be sick of hearing about Steve Spurrier, you'd bet it would be Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer.

• Photos

Spurrier has made a big part of his reputation - both for pointed barbs and championship football - at the Vols' expense. While at Florida, Spurrier came up with gems like, "You can't spell Citrus without U-T," and backed up those words by winning seven of 10 matchups with Fulmer.

And when Vols fans figured payback was near with Spurrier's return to college at South Carolina a season ago, he did it again. The Gamecocks broke a 12-game losing streak and won for the first time in Knoxville, 16-15, last fall.

Still, Fulmer says he won't be focused on revenge when his No. 8 Vols (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) take on Spurrier's Gamecocks (5-2, 3-2) tonight.

"I don't know about payback games," he said. "Each year you try to get ready to play the best you can. It's worked pretty well for us trying to do it that way."

But wouldn't it be extra nice to beat Spurrier?

"He's not going to play any, you know," Fulmer said.

Spurrier has spent the week downplaying any rivalry between himself and Fulmer. The two are coaches with a job to do. It's true, their games during Spurrier's Florida days typically decided the SEC Eastern Division race. But when the game ended, so did the back-and-forth between the teams, Spurrier said.

This week, it's "not so much personal," Spurrier said. It is "just for the entire team to try and get a big win."

But it's hard keep Steve from being Steve.

He said this week that his one-liners were just good-natured. But he couldn't help but remind people this week that since winners made the jokes, the Vols "weren't telling too many up there."

On Thursday, Spurrier explained to his radio call-in audience why Tennessee was perennially strong. Along with its large stadium and good recruiters, Spurrier wryly added, "I've never heard of anybody flunking out of Tennessee, have you?"

The Vols understand a victory would keep them in the hunt for the league title, but they also need someone to knock off Florida in the SEC East. Tennessee has won four in a row since its 21-20 loss to the Gators in September, and Erik Ainge has played like one of the league's best quarterbacks, leading the SEC in passing yards and total offense.

There are some who'll swear the difference last year was Spurrier on the opposite sideline and expect he'll be in Fulmer's headset again tonight.

Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo doesn't agree. The coaches "have so much confidence, and I have so much confidence in them getting the job done that I'm not worried at all," Mayo said.