South Carolina at Clemson: Steve Spurrier Post-Game Press Conference

The full press conference can be seen here and quotes are below:

On why the Gamecocks lost:

Okay, sorta like I told our team, Clemson was better than us. They were better than us today. Played better and they coached better and we got beat, simple as that. They're a real good team. Their defense stymied us most of the day and their offense ran for a bunch of yards here and there on us, so give those guys credit, they're better than us.

On the Carolina defensive performance:

We gave up two long runs didn't we, two long receptions. We've given up some long ones before. Our defense played well there in the second half for a long time. Obviously we should've onside kicked it there at the end, but I thought with seven something minutes left that maybe we could stop them again. But that wasn't to be. Obviously a lot of decisions I wish we'd done a little differently.

We gave up some big third downs and passes early in the game, but at times we forced a bunch of punts. We gave up 35 points but our defense really didn't play all that poorly.

On Clemson's quarterbacks:

Oh [Watson] is a good passer, we noticed that. I guess the other guy threw one to us and that's the last one he threw wasn't it?

On the Clemson defensive performance:

Give Clemson defensive guys credit, they're the best in the country, they played like the best...Yeah, they handled us I would say pretty well. We ran for minus five yards about three straight first downs and that was discouraging.

On the Carolina offensive performance:

When we watch the tape we probably did not block very well. But we had some chances here and there to really get in the game, especially if we'd got that touchdown on the two yard line, might've been a four or five point game there and who knows what might could've happened. But we did not capitalize on that one.

After [Pharoh Cooper] scored I kept reminding our guys, we gotta get it to Pharoh, get it to Pharoh and we didn't. And then he re-hurt his ribs a little bit towards the end there. But, oh yeah, obviously there's a lot of things we could've done differently, offense and defense.

I thought Dylan played well, I thought he played well. Again, we kept throwing on third down and I mean, we're throwing into air. Where's the receiver, what are we doing? So we had some poorly coached plays put it that way...Yeah, we had pressure on Dylan the whole game, simple as that....[The sack and forced fumble in the second quarter] was a careless play on his part. He said he didn't feel the guy, but still, get out there and throw it away.

On whether the injuries to Busta Anderson and Brandon Wilds were to blame for the offensive issues:

Well we've got other running back and tight ends. Jerell [Adams] played pretty well in there. No, I'd say the line of scrimmage was the problem for our offense.

On his assessment of the team now that the regular season is over:

Well I told the guys, 6-6 might be what we are. We're bowl eligible, 6-6. Obviously we could've won some and we could've lost some we won. So maybe we just say this is where we are and try to win us a bowl game, simple as that.

On whether there will be changes to the coaching staff:

This is not the time for all that.