Spurrier has no plans to leave

COLUMBIA --- Steve Spurrier says he'll be back in the middle of South Carolina's playcalling and back on the Gamecocks' sidelines next season.

Spurrier said Tuesday that he'll increase his play calling role down the stretch and won't let the potential of another frustrating finish -- the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) have lost two in a row with No. 1 Florida and No. 23 Clemson left -- lead him to leave the Gamecocks after the season.

"Obviously, the president and the AD and all that decides on who coaches," Spurrier said. "But hopefully we've got some guys that are really going to help us on the way. We have a good coaching staff here and so forth.

"Again, I hope and plan to go three or four more years," said Spurrier, 64. "We'll see what happens."

What's guaranteed is Spurrier will be more emphatic in getting the play he wants on the field after last week's 33-16 loss at Arkansas.

Spurrier had mostly ceded weekly gameplanning duties to son, Steve Jr., the past two years, but has maintained veto power if he didn't like the call. At least twice this season, Spurrier said the Gamecocks were too conservative on offense at times, including after the Razorbacks defeat.

Spurrier has gone 34-26 overall and 18-21 in the SEC since replacing Lou Holtz after the 2004 season with a mantra, "Why not us?" borrowed from that fall's World Series champion Red Sox.

Five seasons later, some Gamecock fans are asking "Where are the wins?"

Perhaps most troubling is South Carolina's tantalizing pattern of early success followed by closing disappointment.

South Carolina lost its final three in Spurrier's 7-5 debut season. Two years later, the Gamecocks opened 6-1 before losing five in a row to miss the postseason. Last fall, South Carolina was 7-3 before dropping its last three contests to Florida, Clemson and, in the Outback Bowl, to Iowa.

Spurrier was so torn up by that last one, he thought about quitting last January.

Instead, he revamped his coaching staff . The group helped lock up young players last winter who play key roles now such as receiver Alshon Jeffery, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and tailback Jarvis Giles.

"We'll have some guys come that I'm really looking forward to coaching," Spurrier said. "I'm looking forward to watching Alshon Jeffery, Stephon Gilmore. We've really got some good, young guys that have a chance to have some big-time careers here."