Updates » d that he prefers to move his team to Las Vegas over So

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Steve Spurrier, never one to mince words, is pretty honest about how his last season with South Carolina went.Spurrier, now an ambassador and consultant for athletics at Florida, his alma mater, says he believes theres only one direction for the Gamecocks to go under new coach Will Muschamp.It was such a lousy year last year, Spurrier said. Theres no way he could do as poorly as the outcome last year.Muschamp, 45, will be looking to begin to rewrite his coaching legacy, starting with Thursday nights opener at Vanderbilt (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). He was fired after four seasons as Floridas coach from 2011 to 14. He spent last season as Auburns defensive coordinator before taking the South Carolina job.I think you live and learn each year, whether youre a head coach, coordinator or business manager, Muschamp said. You learn different things that work and different things that dont.Muschamp wasnt the Gamecocks first choice to replace Spurrier -- they had their sights set on Georgias Kirby Smart, North Carolinas Larry Fedora and Houstons Tom Herman before hiring him -- but hes out to prove he was the right one.With a rare do-over as a head coach, Muschamp insists theres more to him than the screaming, maniacal sideline character that helped earn him the reputation as one of the sports best defensive coordinators.Im not worried about that, Muschamp said. Perception is not always reality in life. Im not overly concerned about the perception of things. I think people who know ball and know me know that Im a good coach.There havent been many head coaches who were afforded second chances to prove their critics wrong, especially in the SEC. There have been only a handful of men who have coached two teams in the league, including Nick Saban (LSU and Alabama), Spurrier (Florida and South Carolina) and Paul Bear Bryant (Kentucky and Alabama). Most of them were successful at their first stop.Thats why Muschamp was somewhat of a surprising choice to lead the Gamecocks. After guiding the Gators to a 7-6 record in his first season in 2001, they went 11-2 and played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl the next year. But then the bottom fell out, as the Gators went 4-8 in 2013 and 7-5 in 14 (Muschamp didnt coach in the bowl game after stepping down after a 6-5 regular season).South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner says Muschamp accomplished more at Florida than his record might reflect. When Muschamp took the Florida job, he had never been a head coach, and he replaced Urban Meyer, who guided the Gators to two national championships.Unlike a lot of people, I didnt think the Florida situation was a failed attempt by Will Muschamp, Tanner said. A lot of people say he failed at Florida. I know people say that, but I dont see it that way. It was four years, and there was adversity but there was also success.Former Texas coach Mack Brown, who hired Muschamp as his defensive coordinator in 2008 and later designated him as UTs coach-in-waiting, said his former assistant coach should be more prepared in his second stint as a head coach.?Hes at a great place, Brown said. When you walk into a place like Florida or Texas, without any head coaching experience, the learning curve is so steep and youve got a short time to get there. After youve done it, it gives you a totally different experience as a head coach.More than anything else, Muschamp knows hell put more emphasis on his teams offense. His Florida teams lack of production on that side of the ball was his ultimate undoing. In his final three seasons with the Gators, they never ranked better than 12th in passing or 10th in scoring in the SEC.Every place is different, and at the end of the day I knew we had to be productive offensively, Muschamp said. If you go back and look at Florida, we did try different things, schematically and coordinator-wise. We went through some things and we werent productive. That falls on my shoulders, and I feel much more comfortable about our staff and the buy-in from our players right now.Muschamps last offensive coordinator at Florida, Kurt Roper, will direct the South Carolina offense, and he retained offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who coached the Gamecocks in their final six games after Spurrier resigned last season.While senior quarterback Perry Orth is expected to start against the Commodores, freshman Brandon McIlwain is expected to play in the game. Another freshman, Jake Bentley of Opelika, Alabama, who skipped his entire senior year of high school to enroll at South Carolina this summer, might be the teams best passer.That future at that position at South Carolina is as good as anywhere in the country, Muschamp said.But South Carolina has plenty of holes everywhere else, which is why fans might not see immediate results. The Gamecocks are expected to start only two seniors (left tackle Mason Zandi and Orth) on offense, after finishing 12th in the SEC in total offense (362.1 yards) and scoring (21.9 points) in 2015.South Carolina has five seniors starting on defense, but star linebacker Skai Moore will miss the season while recovering from neck surgery.The Gamecocks dont have a lot of depth. For all the good Spurrier did at South Carolina, such as guiding the Gamecocks to three consecutive 11-win seasons from 2011 to 2013, a first in the programs history, he didnt exactly leave behind a wealth of talent.The drop-off at running back, receiver and defensive back is pretty scary for us, Muschamp said.At least help might be on the way. South Carolinas recruiting class this past February was ranked 10th in the SEC and 27th nationally. The current class of 21 committed players for 2017 is ranked seventh in the league and includes seven players in the ESPN 300.I really believe that our fan base is educated and pays attention to recruiting, Tanner said. They understand the situation were in right now, where recruiting had taken a step back. We all want to win the next one, but I think theyll be extremely patient with Will if thats what it takes.If the Gamecocks stay healthy and a handful of young players contribute, they might be able to finish 6-6 or better. Country singer Darius Rucker, a lifelong South Carolina football fan, has promised a free concert in Columbia if the Gamecocks make a bowl game.Hows that for lofty expectations?I think fans will be patient because Steves time didnt end up well, Brown said. Everybody feels like theyre down. I dont think the expectations are very high. Its kind of a new birth. Steve had a good run, but its over. 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The best brand on the planet is coming together with one of the best brands in professional sports. It is truly one of those situations where 1+1(equals)3.Nevada lawmakers narrowly approved a deal in a special session last week that increases hotel taxes in the Las Vegas area to raise $750 million for a stadium and more than $400 million to expand and upgrade the Las Vegas Convention Center. In raw dollars, its the largest public contribution ever toward an NFL stadium, although the publics share of the total costs -- 39 percent -- is on par with stadiums in other similarly sized cities.Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is putting $650 million toward the project, while the Raiders and the NFL will kick in $500 million. Critics called the deal a total scam, saying it prioritizes the legacy project of one of the worlds richest men over Nevadas school and mental health needs.Any relocation needs approval from three-fourths of NFL tteam owners -- a historically conservative bunch that has shied away from Las Vegas because of its legal sports betting.dddddddddddd Davis said hes not going to guess whether enough owners will jump on board.Davis denied speculation that supporting the Las Vegas plan was a way to force Oakland, which is also trying to keep the team, to build it a stadium. He emphasized that he prefers to move his team to Las Vegas over Southern California, which is also an option.I made a commitment to the governor of Nevada, he said after the ceremony. Ive never used another city as leverage.Beyond the Raiders, a stadium close to the Las Vegas Strip would be a boon for UNLV, which now plays at a field seven miles from campus. UNLV has been trying to break out from its reputation as a commuter school and elevate its academic and sports programs.Were entering into a renaissance here for the university, and you could definitely feel that here today, UNLV President Len Jessup said.The deal faced headwinds in the Nevada Legislature, but it cleared that hurdle with persuasion from workers in the Laborers Union, who are eager for some of the 25,000 construction jobs expected to come from the stadium and convention center. The construction industry tanked during the recession, and it hasnt fully rebounded.It means the world for our families, said union organizer Kenneth McLin, who wore a hardhat and fluorescent shirt to the ceremony.