Beamer reacts: ‘Hell of a happy locker room’ after win, but USC-ECU start was rough
Shane Beamer was still out of breath when he stepped into the postgame news conference Saturday, having just sprinted across the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in celebration of an unlikely win.
Though South Carolina came out on top 20-17, the game was defined by sloppiness, miscues and turnovers on both sides. Beamer told the Gamecocks that “we played about as bad as we could” at halftime, and he wasn’t wrong.
Yet the Gamecocks came away victorious.
“Man, what a win,” said Beamer, still catching his breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a football team than I was this team.
“For those guys to come into an environment like this today to play a really good football team, to withstand everything we withstood ... that is a hell of a happy locker room right now. Having said that, we need to get a whole lot better, offense, defense, special teams, coaching. “
The game opened on a trick play in which receiver Tyler Snead threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jsi Hatfield — mere minutes after Beamer and the coaches reminded the team to keep an eye on Snead.
Noland threw an interception to end USC’s first offensive drive, with tight end Jaheim Bell failing to turn around for the ball. Receivers Dakareon Joyner and Josh Vann both fumbled — Vann at the goal line before crossing into the end zone. The ECU blitz kept Noland under pressure all game, taking three sacks. And the Gamecocks lost 55 yards on eight penalties.
Beamer emphasized the importance of cleaning up those mistakes going forward, especially with a road trip to Georgia on deck next week.
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 4:17 PM.
