The South Carolina football program is 6-5, achieving bowl eligibility with its most recent win over Auburn. In the last two weeks, the tune of the Gamecocks’ season has changed. The team struggled to score points over its first eight contests. There were blown opportunities in a close loss to Kentucky, abysmal performances against Georgia and Tennessee, and a Texas A&M loss where the Gamecocks had just six yards of offense through three quarters of play.
My, how things have changed.
The Gamecocks hit the reset button following a bye week in late October. Fast forward to November and South Carolina is playing its best ball of the year. Third string quarterback Jason Brown entered the lineup and the offense finally found a running game behind ZaQuandre White. The result has been two wins in their last three tries.
Early on, the team was winning ugly. The defense secured close victories over East Carolina, Troy, and Vanderbilt. The offense failed to score more than 17 points over the first eight games (defensive/special teams scores boosted point totals vs. Tennessee, Troy, and ECU).
Over these last three games, though, the Gamecocks have posted totals of 40, 28, and 21, picking up big wins over Florida and Auburn.
Now, there’s a matchup with Clemson looming. Tiger head coach Dabo Swinney, who also has his team playing their best ball, has taken note of Beamer’s turnaround in Columbia.
"“That’s a good team playing with a lot of confidence, playing physical, playing with ton of effort. I think that’s a reflection of what Shane has been able to do in a short time.”"
In the short time that Swinney notes, Beamer has been able to get the Gamecocks to six wins when outsiders believed three to four was the max. A program that won six games since 2019 is back in the postseason during year one under a new head coach.
Beamer has been able to win the fans over while changing the culture at South Carolina. The next step would be a win over its archrival, a feat the last head coach was unable to achieve.
South Carolina takes on Clemson in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night with kickoff set for 7:30 PM. The Gamecocks are currently an 11.5-point underdog.