Major changes the move after pair of South Carolina losses? No, Gamecocks say
Shane Beamer isn’t panicking. At least not yet.
Beamer has spent his first 10 months as South Carolina’s head football coach preaching consistency. He wants to be the same, genuine guy each and every day. He expects the same from his staff. He expects the same out of his players.
And even after back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Georgia to open Southeastern Conference play, Beamer is still emphasizing consistency.
“We’re not happy with how we played, but we’re in September,” he said Tuesday. “I’m not sure what the outside narrative is outside this building — don’t really care — but I know in this building we as a team see how close we are. We as a team understand that we have a lot that we have to clean up — players and coaches.”
South Carolina has had its share of on-field struggles. The Gamecocks haven’t gone over 100 yards rushing since the season opener against Eastern Illinois. USC’s offensive line still ranks 111th out of 130 FBS teams in pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. South Carolina’s defense also sits 11th in the SEC in rush yards allowed per game.
Yet Beamer has largely remained calm, cool and collected — minus a brief rant regarding Georgia’s “100 five-star recruits” on defense after the Gamecocks’ loss in Athens — over his first four games as the head coach in Columbia.
“I don’t think there’s necessarily one or two guys that all of a sudden feel like we’re on some sinking ship because we’re 2-2 and have lost to two undefeated teams,” he said. “... It’s not like that at all.”
Speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Beamer assured there’s no reason to overhaul things after a handful of shaky outings.
There are, of course, adjustments and changes to be made schematically to spark an offense that has had its share of struggles over the past few weeks.
Take freshman running Juju McDowell, for example. Saturday against Kentucky, McDowell lined up in the slot, next to quarterback Luke Doty in the backfield and motioned all over South Carolina’s varying formations. It was an attempt at finding creative avenues to get the springy tailback in space.
Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t. It doesn’t matter. It showed a willingness to adapt.
“It’s been a blast,” McDowell said of how he was used last week. “I did this a little in high school — having the opportunity to be versatile and go in and contribute to the team in as many ways as possible. It’s the best.”
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has echoed Beamer’s sentiments on consistency over the past few weeks. He’s shouldered the blame for the ineffective offense and noted there were plays he’d like to have back against Georgia in a recent press conference.
But like Beamer, South Carolina’s first-year offensive coordinator is still feeling out the roster and finding what works.
The Gamecocks spoke all offseason how they hoped to rotate Kevin Harris, ZaQuandre White, MarShawn Lloyd and McDowell in the backfield. Over the first two weeks, the Gamecocks did just that.
The last two weeks, though, Lloyd and White’s touches have tailed off. Harris has been relied on more as a bell cow. McDowell has seen his touches go up and down after he received 11 touches at East Carolina, zero against Georgia and five versus Kentucky. It’s all part of adapting.
“We’re never going to be a reactionary,” Satterfield said last week. “That’s one of our pet peeves is when coaches lose a game and they come back, and they’re (saying), ‘We’re starting today doing this. We’re going to do this different.’ We’re not doing anything really different. We’re cleaning up some stuff. We still have our system we believe in and we know it’s a great system. We’re just for holding people accountable.”
Tuesday, Beamer hearkened back to his preseason spiel in the wake of Doty’s foot injury. He referenced the “doom and gloom” crowd that live and die by each bit of positive or negative news. He explained how a couple losses won’t dissuade the South Carolina staff from following the path they’ve laid out.
Beamer inherited a team that won just two games last season. The Gamecocks have only once had a winning SEC record since 2014. They also haven’t beaten Clemson in seven years.
South Carolina’s bowl chances took a hit with the loss to Kentucky. USC now likely need to win their next three against Troy, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, before finding a sixth win over its final five games that include four teams currently in the Associated Press Top 25.
Still, eight games remain on the Gamecocks’ schedule. Beamer and his staff aren’t ready to blow up the experiment yet.
After all, it’s still September.
Next South Carolina football game
Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) vs. Troy Trojans (2-2, 0-1 Sun Belt)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Line: South Carolina by 7
