Buckle up, Gamecock fans, the remainder of the 2025 season for South Carolina football is shaping up to be a grueling five-game stretch. Ranked matchups against the nation's No. 11, 6, 8, 4 and 5 teams will test every ounce of this team's toughness. The silver lining? Saturday night's showdown in Death Valley against the LSU Tigers comes right after South Carolina's scheduled bye week. One thing about Shane Beamer's Gamecocks is that they ordinarily come out firing after a break.
Dating back to 2021, Beamer's first season as head coach, South Carolina is 3-1 following a bye week. If not for a fourth quarter collapse against the Florida Gators i 2023, that record would be a perfect 4-0. In those four games, the Gamecocks have averaged 38.2 points per game on offense while allowing 25.5 points to their opponents.
Fortunately for the Gamecocks, all four of the post bye week games under Beamer have been played in front of the home crowd at Williams Brice Stadium. South Carolina has not faced a road game after a bye since the 2019 season when they stunned Georgia 20-17 in double overtime. That changes this Saturday with a trip to Death Valley to face LSU.
The Tigers are 3-2 in their last five games coming out of a bye week, with one loss at home and one on the road. In three games under Brian Kelly, LSU is 1-2 after a bye, averaging just 24.3 points per game while giving up 38.3 on defense.
Marching into Death Valley and leaving with a win will be no easy task, but history tells us that it may not be as daunting as it appears to be on paper. Don't be surprised to see the Gamecocks make some noise on the road in a hostile environment.