As South Carolina heads into a Week 3 SEC showdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Gamecocks find themselves 2-0 and ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25. The road to 2-0 hasn't necessarily been pretty, but the Gamecocks' success and some of their failures can be attributed to two things: Beamer Ball and field position.
It starts with "Beamer Ball," the nickname passed down from legendary head coach Frank Beamer to his son and current Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer. Since Beamer's arrival in 2021, most South Carolina fans know how well the team has fared in the special teams department.
From fake punts, blocked kicks, and field goals, the Gamecocks thrive in game-changing plays on special teams, and that theme has shined through again for the 2025 season. This time, though, it hasn't necessarily been the trick plays or the blocked punts. It's been with the legs of South Carolina punt returner, Vicari Swain.
Vicari Swain… King of the Return 😤 pic.twitter.com/dg4fvHJSr5
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) September 7, 2025
Swain has three punt returns for touchdowns in the first two games, tying a program record for punt return touchdowns in a single season. All three of Swain's punt returns have come at a point in the game where the South Carolina offense was struggling to find its footing.
When it comes to the offense, the narrative that it's been atrocious has been a bit skewed through two weeks. Yes, it is a bit worrisome that the Gamecocks have scored just 51 offensive points in the three games that Mike Shula has called plays (including the Cheez-It Bowl). However, this season especially, Virginia Tech and SC State have done a good job forcing South Carolina into poor starting field position.
The Gamecocks have not started a single possession in opponent territory this season. In fact, they've started just three of their twenty possessions on their own 30-yard line or better. That means just 15% of possessions this season have required 70 yards or less for a touchdown scoring drive.
No matter the team, bad field position on a consistent basis will come back to haunt you. Especially with a young offense like South Carolina has, those long, time-consuming drives are not going to happen in the early parts of the season. It will be something to monitor as the season goes on, but for now, the offense should not be a major concern for Gamecocks fans.