For some South Carolina Gamecocks fans, this time of the season is often referred to as "Cocktober." Even more so this year than others, as the Gamecocks are set up to face a gauntlet of teams in the coming weeks. Contrary to popular belief, though, the month of October has not been kind to South Carolina during the tenure of head coach Shane Beamer. Let's dive a little bit into some of the trends and what's gone wrong the team in garnet and black.
We'll start in 2021, Beamer's first season as head coach for the Gamecocks. The team went 2-2 in October, with both wins coming at home and both losses coming on the road. South Carolina managed just 78 points on offense, compared to allowing 124 on defense.
Fast forward to 2022, the Gamecocks went 2-1 in October with a win at home against Texas A&M and a win on the road against Kentucky. The lone loss came at home against Missouri in a game that Beamer's squad managed just 10 points.
The past two Octobers have been extremely unkind, as South Carolina is just 1-5 in the month, with the lone win coming last season against Oklahoma. Prior to that game, the Gamecocks had lost six straight games in "Cocktober."
Half of those losses in both 2023 and 2024 came against ranked opponents, something that will be all too familiar this season. The rest of the 2025 schedule boasts games against the current No. 11, No. 6 and No. 8 teams. Luckily, two of those three games will come in Columbia in front of the home crowd.
The Gamecocks success after a bye week under Beamer combined with the 5-8 record in October under the head coach will make for a fascinating month of football. Something will ultimately have to give, and South Carolina fans are certainly hoping it is the post bye week team that shows up and not the struggling October bunch.