South Carolina is staring down the longest streak of the Beamer Ball era, and this weekend isn't about pretneding otherwise. It's about answering. After five straight losses, including a gut-wrenching loss at Texas A&M, the Gamecocks (3-7, 1-7 SEC) finally return home to Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time in nearly a month. This matchup is the start of two-game home stretch to close out a season that has done anything but follow the preseason script. However, these two games still offer a shot at closing 2025 with pride, momentum, and a little bit of redemption for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Coastal Carolina (6-4, 5-2 Sun Belt) comes in hot, winning four of its last five games. The Gamecocks, despite their record, opened as a huge favorite, 23.5 points, and that line has already stretched to 24.5. Clearly the oddsmakers believe South Carolina has more in the tank than the scoreboard has shown lately.
Injury Notes: Harbor and Cisse Trending Up
There is no official SEC availability report with the last two opponents being non-conference matchups, but Beamer did offer some encouraging updates this week.
- Brandon Cisse practiced full-go on Tuesday.
- Nyck Harbor, who was taken to the hospital after the A&M game, is “better than he was a couple days ago” and moving in the right direction.
How Does This Team Bounce Back?
Let's be honest, last weekend was brutal. For the first half of the game, the Gamecock offense looked reborn. New play caller Mike Furrey dialed up some of the best output of the season. South Carolina held a 30-3 halftime lead in College Station, and still somehow limped away with a 31-30 loss. It was the kind of disappointing collapse that tested everything from leadership to confidence to belief.
But according to Beamer, the team showed up to practice (yes, practice) looking sharp, locked in, and refusing to spend the week staring at the rearview mirror. We will see if that transfers to the field on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Day Comes Early
Instead of waiting for rivalry week against Clemson, the Gamecocks will honor its seniors on Saturday. Twenty-three players will walk:
Oscar Adaway III, Nick Barrett, Jared Brown, Colin Bryant, Demon Clowney, Andrew Colasurdo, Jordan Dingle, Luke Doty, Bradley Dunn, Rahsul Faison, Monkell Goodwine, Jatius Geer, Nathan Harris-Waynick, William Joyce, Buddy Mack III, Chase McCracken, Rodney Newsom Jr., Cole Rasmussen, Eriq Rice, Larry Scott, DQ Smith, Chase Sweigart, and Bryan Thomas Jr.
These are the guys who showed up week after week, through the chaos, the coaching changes, the highs, and the long bruising stretches. They deserve this moment.