Shane Beamer sounds off on UGA, facing Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp in Week 3
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer faces a pair of familiar foes in Week 3.
Saturday, USC will head down to Athens for a 7 p.m. meeting with No. 2 Georgia, featuring Beamer’s former boss Kirby Smart and recently-fired Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp.
“How much time you got?” Beamer quipped when asked why preparing for a Smart-led team is difficult. “They’re really, really, really good. I haven’t spent a ton of time watching them yet ... but I know how talented they are.”
Beamer, who’s in his first year as the head coach at South Carolina, worked on Smart’s staff during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Beamer served as the Bulldogs’ tight ends coach and special teams coordinator during his two seasons at UGA.
“I like to think that (Georgia) is a demanding place that we work at,” Smart said at Southeastern Conference Media Days in June. “And (Beamer) did a tremendous job meeting those demands.”
“I think the biggest thing is I know how (Smart) runs that program,” Beamer said Sunday. “No one in that facility is ever allowed to get comfortable — coaches and players. Meaning they’re not sitting around right now patting themselves on the pack after their 2-0 start and what they’ve done. They’re in there doing everything in their power to get better this week and that’s why they’re consistently good.”
In almost five seasons as the head coach at South Carolina, Muschamp finished his time in Columbia 28-30. He was unceremoniously ousted after a 2-5 start to the 2020 season, while his final contest on USC’s sidelines came in a 59-42 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 14.
Muschamp was initially hired as an analyst on Smart’s staff over the offseason, but has since been elevated to special teams coordinator when Scott Cochran took a leave of absence due to health issues.
Smart and Muschamp both played at Georgia and served on the same staff together at Division II powerhouse Valdosta State during the 2001 season and again at LSU in 2004, where they worked under current Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
“Very little,” Beamer said when queried on the impact Muschamp might have given his internal knowledge of South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s matchup. “And that’s no disrespect to Will. None of the schemes are alike in what we’re doing this year compared to last year.”
Beamer told reporters Sunday that he and Muschamp traded calls in December and January after Beamer was hired at South Carolina, though they aren’t particularly close. He did note they’d run into one another on the recruiting trail in the past.
“He’s somebody I have a ton of respect for,” Beamer said of Muschamp. “I know he’s doing a phenomenal job for Kirby (Smart) over there in Athens and I know it’ll be an exciting night for him on Saturday night as well.”
Quarterback Luke Doty still on the mend
South Carolina’s quarterback situation remains fluid.
Beamer told reporters Sunday that Luke Doty continues to rehab from the foot injury that has held him out for most of the past month. Doty participated in Sunday’s practice and the coaching staff is hopeful he’ll be ready to go Saturday against Georgia.
Asked if there was any trepidation about starting Doty against what projects as a formidable Georgia defense coupled with his lack of game reps this fall, Beamer was resolute.
“We’re not going to say ‘Well, let’s wait another week’ “ he said. “(Doty has) got to get out there and get game action at some point. Luke’s a competitor. So whether it’s against Georgia, Eastern Illinois, or the Green Bay Packers, when we to put him out there we’ll put him out there.”
Beamer recaps East Carolina win, honors players
Prior to taking questions on Sunday, Beamer discussed the week that was.
Escaping its first trip to Greenville, North Carolina since 1997, South Carolina honored the following players for their efforts ahead of the win over ECU:
Offensive Player of the Week
- WR Josh Vann
Defensive Player of the Week
- EDGE Aaron Sterling
- EDGE Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare
- LB Brad Johnson
Special Teams Player of the Week
- RB Juju McDowell
- CB Darius Rush
- P Kai Kroeger
- K Parker White
Next South Carolina football game
Who: South Carolina at Georgia
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 7:59 PM.
