Spurrier wants to return

Steve Spurrier says he'll be back in the middle of South Carolina's playcalling and back on the Gamecocks' sidelines next season.

Spurrier said Tuesday that he'll increase his playing-calling role down the stretch and won't let the potential of another frustrating finish - the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) have lost two straight with No. 1 Florida and No. 23 Clemson left - lead him to leave the Gamecocks after the season.

"Obviously, the president and the AD and all that decides on who coaches," Spurrier said. "But hopefully we've got some guys that are really going to help us on the way. We have a good coaching staff here."

"Again, I hope and plan to go three or four more years," said Spurrier, 64. "We'll see what happens."

Spurrier had mostly ceded weekly gameplanning duties to son, Steve Jr., the past two years, but has maintained veto power if he didn't like the call.

More football

ECU loses Kass, Marshall: East Carolina will be shorthanded as the Pirates continue defense of their Conference USA championship.

Safety Dekota Marshall and tight end Rob Kass suffered season-ending injuries in last week's loss to Virginia Tech, coach Skip Holtz said Monday.

Marshall broke two bones in his lower left leg midway through the first quarter of the 16-3 loss to the 20th-ranked Hokies. Holtz says Marshall had surgery over the weekend.

Kass injured his right knee in the second quarter when he fumbled after a catch and had several players fall on him.

Holtz also says defensive lineman Josh Smith is questionable with a shoulder injury and missed most of last week's practices.

Basketball

Boeheim wins 800th: Jim Boeheim became the eighth Division I coach to reach 800 wins when Syracuse routed Albany 75-43 Monday night.

Boeheim, 65, got his first victory, 75-48 over Harvard on Nov. 26, 1976.

Bob Knight leads the career list with 902 victories. Only Mike Krzyzewski (833), Jim Calhoun (804) and Boeheim are active among the eight who have reached 800.

Arkansas suspends five: Arkansas suspended five players Tuesday, including three athletes identified in a rape complaint that did not result in charges, for violating unspecified team rules.

Coach John Pelphrey said guards Courtney Fortson, the top returning scorer, and starter Stefan Welsh were suspended indefinitely. Guard Marcus Britt was suspended for six games, forward Glenn Bryant two games, and walk-on guard Nick Mason will not dress for fall-semester games.

Field hockey

Wake, UNC in NCAA field: Wake Forest will host a four-team first- and second-round bracket this weekend in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina (16-2) is also included in the bracket at Winston-Salem and will face Ohio State (13-6) in a first-round game Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Wake Forest (12-6) will meet Indiana (14-6) in the other first-round game at 2 p.m. Saturday. The winners meet Sunday at 2 p.m. for a spot in Final Four.

Wake Forest will also be the site for the Final Four, beginning Nov. 20.

Tuesday's result

ACC soccer

Clemson 2, Virginia Tech 0: Clemson senior forward Nathan Thornton scored two second-half goals to lead the ninth-seeded Tigers over eighth-seeded Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

Clemson (6-11-1) advanced to meet top-seeded Wake Forest (13-2-2) today at 5:30 p.m..

From college news releases

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