When the game ended at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, the noise from the crowd was still ringing in Shane Beamer's ears. “It was hard to hear throughout the game,” Beamer said. “What an environment. I want to start by thanking our fans. They were incredible.” Then came the brutal honesty. “Obviously, a gut-wrenching loss,” Beamer said after South Carolina fell 29–22 to No. 4 Alabama. “Got to finish. Got an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter at home. We didn’t finish, and they did. We’re going to be sick when we watch this tape.”
For 57 minutes, Beamer's squad had Alabama right where they wanted them, ahead 22-14 late in the fourth quarter, the crowd ready to explode, students ready to storm, the Tide grasping for rhythm. “We’ve got to finish in the fourth quarter,” Beamer said flatly. “We didn’t.” When the game was tied 22-all, Beamer said he told offensive coordinator Mike Shula, “We’ve got the best player in the stadium. Let him go win it.”
“And we just weren’t able to do that,” he added.
South Carolina held an eight-point lead over one of the best teams in the country, outgained Alabama 333-325. But a late fumble by quarterback LaNorris Sellers and a quick Bama score turned celebration into heartbreak. Beamer didn’t sugarcoat it. “We let Alabama score the touchdown so we could get the ball back,” he said. “We had our chance, and we didn’t finish.”
The loss drops South Carolina to 3-5 overall and 1-5 in SEC play. The Gamecocks will head to No. 8 Ole Miss on November 1, where they will have to regroup fast. Despite the heartbreak, Beamer emphasized that the effort, and the atmosphere are signs of life. “It was loud, it was electric, and we gave ourselves a chance to beat a top-five team,” he said. “Now, we’ve got to learn how to close the deal.”