![Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, left, and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer chat at mid field during warm ups before an NCAA football at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_108,w_3000,h_1687/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/244/01m5e7ntrccwr7dw462a.jpg "Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, left, and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer chat at mid field during warm ups before an NCAA football at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off a bye this week, set to take on the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. Head coach Shane Beamer's team had a huge win two weeks ago, going on the road and upsetting then-No. 16 Florida Gators 39-18.
It was a big bounceback performance for the Gamecocks, who had entered the matchup 0-3 in SEC play. Now, as South Carolina enters the back half of the season with six games, the Gamecocks are looking to keep that positive momentum going.
During his weekly press conference, Coach Beamer addressed how his team can keep what went right in the Florida game rolling the rest of the season.
"Just continuing to get better," Beamer said via Gamecock Central. "You know, I’ve told our players, the best teams in college football are the ones that just keep getting better each week. And when we play our standard of football, which we did for probably 55 minutes of the Florida game, we’re a pretty good football team and a formidable opponent for anybody. When we don’t, we’re not.”
Although South Carolina had entered the Florida game being outscored 31-0 in the third quarter, the Gamecocks outscored the Gators 14-3. The Gamecocks went to the locker room with a 17-10 lead, and kept their foot on the gas in the second half.
Shane Beamer suggests South Carolina got healthy during bye week
“So for us, it’s just continuing to play just consistent performance each and every week," Beamer continued via GC. "We’ve got a good football team. That’s what gives me hope. And we have to continue to get better and just play our standard consistently, and we do that and continue to get better. You know, I like our chances."
While this is a nice notion from Coach Beamer, he also knows South Carolina has a challenge going up against Tennessee. The Vols just upset Alabama last week, and have wins over Georgia Tech, Auburn and Arkansas.
If South Carolina plays like it did against Florida, the Gamecocks have a chance to win most of the rest of the games on their schedule.
Saturday's game between Tennessee and South Carolina marks the first time these two former SEC East rivals are meeting since 2023. The last time these two played in Columbia, the Gamecocks won 63-38.
Saturday's game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and air on ESPN.
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