COLUMBIA, S.C. - Along with teaching South Carolina how to successfully finish close games against teams like No. 2 Auburn, coach Steve Spurrier has a message for Gamecock fans: ``Please don't clap when we come close.''<br>
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Spurrier watched tape of his team's 24-17 nail biting loss to the Tigers and was as bothered by his players lack of execution at critical moments as he was with the positive reaction he heard from many of the 74,374 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium.<br>
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Spurrier says he wants fans to keep being as loud as they were during the game. But ``I don't know if any coach has told our fans, 'Please don't clap if we get beat,''' he said Friday.<br>
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Spurrier saw plenty of opportunities for the Gamecocks to succeed and fail.<br>
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There was the whole third quarter, when Auburn ran 28 offensive plays to Spurrier's none; there was the perfectly thrown pass with less than three minutes left that glanced off Jared Cook's hands that would've been the tying touchdown; and there were three lob throws to star receiver Sidney Rice in the end zone, none of which he grabbed for TDs.<br>
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``Last night was a game where we had numerous chances to walk off the field a winner,'' Spurrier said. ``I mean numerous chances.''<br>
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Spurrier's accustomed to winning such games. South Carolina fans aren't the Gamecocks have lost 20 in a row to opponents ranked in the top five.<br>
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Spurrier understands South Carolina lost to Auburn 48-7 a year ago and how a close loss when a big defeat was expected is enough to encourage applause.<br>
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He noticed it a season ago after South Carolina lost to Clemson 13-9 at Williams-Brice and fans cheered the Gamecocks for the effort. ``They thought we were going to get clobbered. We didn't get clobbered so that's OK,'' Spurrier said. ``That's not OK.''<br>
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Spurrier says if the Gamecocks are ever going to rise to championship level, they should expect more from themselves than simply staying close to top teams. Spurrier thinks the fans have to expect the same thing.<br>
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South Carolina had more of just about everything than Auburn first downs, total yards, total plays. Yet it was the Tigers who came up with key completions, runs or stops.<br>
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The Gamecocks got inside Auburn's 20 four times, yet only managed Kenny McKinley's 13-yard touchdown catch right before halftime.<br>
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Both of Kenny Irons' 1-yard touchdowns for the Tigers came on fourth down when the Gamecocks, with a bit better execution, could've been in position to prevent them, Spurrier said.<br>
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Defensive end Ryan Brown said the Gamecocks know they can compete with teams of Auburn's skill. ``We just got to make crucial plays,'' he said.<br>
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Spurrier did not get angry at Cook for missing the critical catch. But the coach had more pointed words for Rice, who caught five TDs a week earlier against Florida Atlantic but was held to 48 yards on four catches by the Tigers.<br>
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Three times, Spurrier said, quarterback Syvelle Newton lofted an arching ball for Rice in the end zone that he did not catch. One was intercepted by linebacker Will Herring in the first quarter. Defensive back Patrick Lee tipped away the final play with 19 seconds left.<br>
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Spurrier wished he had called a better play that last fourth down, knowing the 6-foot-4 Rice may have been tired.<br>
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``Sidney's supposed to get it at the highest point,'' Spurrier said. ``But he was too tired, didn't run a good route. And the kid (Lee) was all over him.''<br>
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Spurrier's players have the weekend off before reconvening Monday to start preparations for Kentucky on Oct. 7. He wants the Gamecocks to get the Auburn defeat out of they're systems, although it sounds like the ball coach hasn't put it behind him yet.<br>
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``It was a game that was there to be won and we didn't do it,'' he said. ``We walked off the field losers.''<br>
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Spurrier's expects Gamecock fans to remember that, too.
