[Tuck4Bama]

Short weeks cause plenty of college football coaches to fret. Not Steve Spurrier. In fact, the USC football coach wouldn’t mind an even shorter week.

No. 11 South Carolina plays No. 8 Kentucky on Thursday. On Monday, Spurrier was speaking to the media, but he could have been coaching a game.

“The only reason football needs time off is because guys get banged up a little bit. As far as X’s and O’s, we could play in two days,” Spurrier said. “We all have our offenses, and we all see how the other team has their general scheme of things. We could go play tonight if we had to. But because you get bumps and bruises, you need to heal up.”

Spurrier compared it to basketball, where teams play twice a week during the conference season but often play on consecutive days in tournaments. The Gamecocks men’s basketball team is scheduled to play three games in four days during the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.

That said, Spurrier would have no use for a Friday night game, which some high-profile teams (such as Oklahoma) have played. If South Carolina were offered a Friday game, Spurrier said he would turn it down.

“I just think Friday night belongs to the high schools,” he said. “Saturday afternoon and night belongs to college, and the pros take Sunday. The ratings are so good that it’s obvious they’re going to put (college) games on Thursday night.”

Honors for Smelley. Quarterback Chris Smelley earned the first SEC honor of his career, being named the freshman of the week for his performance against Mississippi State. Smelley threw for 279 yards in the second start of his career.


Notes: Short week not a concern, Spurrier says