By Brett Hudson

South Carolina did not have a single game end 14-0 in 2012 – in fact, no game featuring a Southeastern Conference team ended 14-0.

That number combination was the only one on South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier’s mind, because 14-0 was the vote tally on several issues when the head coaches of the conference met to vote last month.

Spurrier, yet again, went to bat for providing players of football and men’s basketball with money to help pay for expenses and to help their families see them play every game.

“We believe those two sports, the income producers, those players, most of them come from lower-income families, that we should provide some expense money so their parents can go to the games, lodging, travel, meals, what have you,” Spurrier said. “We’re only talking about $300 a game, basketball would be a little less.

“I’m going to keep fighting for our guys. I don’t know what will come. If President Obama would say, ‘Spurrier, you and those coaches need to quit fighting for your players, that they get enough, they get enough full scholarship,’ then I’ll shut up about it.”

After some more serious votes, they took some time to kick a rival program while it is down.

“(Commissioner of the BCS Bill Hancock) said they were sitting with the commissioners of our BCS conferences and the athletic director at Notre Dame,” Spurrier said. “Somebody asked, why was he there? We just started trying to figure out why the athletic director at Notre Dame is equal to all the conference commissioners.

“Nobody had a good answer for that. For whatever reason, all 14 of our head coaches thought that Notre Dame should join the ACC and play football like all the rest of us.”

Center of attention

The Jadeveon Clowney saga took another turn for the impossible when Spurrier announced – casually, as if it were no major feat – that the 6-foot-6, 274-pound Clowney ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at the conclusion of summer workouts.

“He told me he’s a little lighter now than at the end of the season,” Spurrier said. “He’s done an excellent job of staying out of the limelight all summer.”

Even with his previously-thought-to-be-impossible speed, Spurrier merely jokes at the idea of Clowney featuring his talents on the offensive end as well.

“We got a bunch of offensive players that are pretty good,” Spurrier joked while still mulling over the idea. “He played a little in high school, though. He’s capable. He’s capable of running with the ball.

“But that wouldn’t make sense: run with the ball, sprain an ankle, be standing over there with me the rest of the season. That wouldn’t be very smart.”

Is it gameday yet?

With the anticipation mounting for South Carolina’s season opener, in a Thursday night showdown with North Carolina to be televised by ESPN, Spurrier did what most other coaches will not: look forward to game No. 2.

More so, the advantage the Gamecocks have in that affair with the Georgia Bulldogs by playing the season opener on Thursday.

“Yeah, we like Thursday night, opening the season particularly. You get to practice two more days than everybody else,” Spurrier said. “You come in two days earlier than the rest of the guys that open up on Saturday.”

Even if only for a split-second.

“But that one’s after North Carolina. We’re worried about the Tar Heels right now.”