‘But somehow another, we’re 3-1.’

Unfiltered Steve Spurrier is the best Steve Spurrier, a tell-it-like-it-is coach who will throw anyone under the bus within a country mile following a performance he deems embarrassing.

His tirade post-Vanderbilt Saturday night was comical to most and a direct reflection of how he views this season’s Gamecocks, a preseason division favorite plagued by mental errors, coverage breakdowns and faulty special teams play who has luckily won three of their first four contests.

“We’re virtually giving games away,” the Head Ball Coach said, glancing at the stat sheet. “But we haven’t given one away yet. Something good keeps happening for us, so maybe we can avoid catastrophe. Overall as a team, we probably deserved to lose.”

Spurrier backed off his remarks in Nashville during Sunday’s teleconference and shouldered the blame for his coaching staff, notably special teams coordinator Joe Robinson whose unit has given up three kickoffs for touchdowns over its last five games dating back to last season.

Good teams don’t do that according to Spurrier.

“We don’t blame the players,” he said. “You get out of them what you put into them. The coaches need to coach better. It starts with me. I am in charge of everything here. I tell our coaches all the time, ‘They represent you. Whatever kind of coach you are, that’s how your players play, as simple as that.’ And we think we have good players who aren’t playing very well. It goes back to coaching.”

At some point, South Carolina’s problem areas, notably on defense, will lead to losses — reality in a conference boasting eight nationally-ranked teams and two others on the cusp.

The Gamecocks have given 144 points through four games, the most during the Spurrier era and 41 more than the previous high over the first quarter of the season in 2011. South Carolina’s defensive line has struggled to shed blocks, currently last in the SEC with just four sacks and the secondary’s been the punchline for several Spurrier comments.

A struggling defense hosts defending division champ Mizzou on Saturday night, a team the Gamecocks have handled each of the past two seasons. A loss drops South Carolina a game back of contenders Florida and Georgia and could lead to more questions from the HBC concerning scheme and his coaching staff.