Everything Shane Beamer said about Gamecocks’ COVID-19 situation ahead of bowl game
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer updated the Gamecocks’ COVID-19 status during the virtual Duke’s Mayo Bowl media day on Wednesday.
Here’s everything Beamer said about the situation and where USC stands heading into its first bowl game since the 2018 season against North Carolina:
Question: Where does South Carolina stand in regard to positive tests and is there any fear the game could be canceled?
Shane Beamer: “We did have a couple positives, which is unfortunate. Nothing that’s going to prevent us from playing in the game. It’s just a tough deal. We had a couple a few positives, zero symptoms for anyone.
I’m just the head football coach at South Carolina, so I’m sure no one cares what I think, but it’s a disappointing deal because one of the positives was a senior walk-on getting ready to play in his last football game ever as a South Carolina Gamecock. Feels completely great. Has zero symptoms. Not a cough. Not congestion. Not a runny nose. Nothing. His college career ends with a phone call telling him that he just tested positive for COVID and he’s got to get in a car and drive home yesterday afternoon.
Every single one of the positives that we had yesterday, zero symptoms at all — felt great, had great weeks of practice and all that as well. Certainly something that we’re working through right now, but we did have some (positive tests), but nothing that’s going to affect our ability to play in the game. Obviously we’re 24 hours out right now and (it’s) next man up.”
Question: How has that made preparation with knowing from hour to hour from practice to practice, you might be down another person?
SB: It’s just part of it. You look around and every team in America, every sports league in America is dealing with it right now. You can turn on an NFL football game and half the time you can’t recognize who some of the players are on the team, because teams have so many guys out — players and coaches, NBA, college basketball — it’s part of it. We’re not the only ones that are dealing with it.
But it’s certainly challenging. I mentioned it the other day that we’re not the same team that we were against Clemson. Since then we’ve lost some guys that have decided to move on and have entered the transfer portal. Mentioned it the other day, we’ve got a few guys that are suspended and aren’t here. And then you throw in the COVID complications on top of it.
We’re not the same group that we were when we played Clemson in that last regular season game, but I don’t know if any team is. I think a lot of teams are dealing with it, but it’s just part of it. We rep a lot of guys in practice. We try and get a lot of guys reps in games to develop depth and we’ve got confidence in whoever we have.
The way things were trending, there was going to be some positive (tests), so it wasn’t like we were surprised yesterday when we got some positive. Certainly that’s been part of our planning this week as well as making sure that we’re — I don’t want to say worst case scenario — but that we weren’t shocked that we got some positives yesterday and that we were preparing everybody to go out there and play.”
Question: How nerve wracking is it for you as a coach, especially when you look at what happened in North Carolina State yesterday just hours before the game they find out that they’re not going to play?
SB: “It’s part of the landscape and right now I hate it for those teams that put that work in and don’t get to play in the game.
We talked about it earlier in the week that my biggest fear was having to walk into a team meeting room and tell these guys that we weren’t able to play in this game. So we wanted to make sure that we did all the precautions, that way we could make sure that that we were able (to play), but also letting these guys have fun.
I’m sure there are some people that would want me to have barricaded these guys in their hotel rooms all week, not allowing them to leave their rooms except to go to practice and walk around and sit around waiting for something bad to happen. I’m sorry, I’m not going to do that. We enjoyed ourselves here. We took care of each other. We tried to be safe and take as many precautions as we could and you also understand what’s at stake.
We’ve got a great group of guys that we want to have an opportunity to play one more game tomorrow together as a team, because this is a really special group and we’re on track to do that.
Again, each day you want to balance them having fun, but you also have to understand there’s protocols in place and certainly being in Charlotte has been — I don’t want to say easier — but the city of Charlotte has more protocols from a mask mandate and things like that than what we had in Columbia. We’re following the law here in Charlotte as well and here in the hotel that we’re staying at what’s required — which makes it a little bit easier as well.
Question: Receivers coach Justin Stepp and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray weren’t at practice the other day. What’s their status along with anyone else on the coaching staff’s status for the game on Thursday?
SB: “Justin and Torrian will be at our walk through today. Justin and Torrian, you’re right, they weren’t here the other day. They are back.
Justin was at breakfast this morning and ran the receiver meeting and Torrian will be at the walk through here a little bit later.
And then in regards to anybody else, I don’t want to get into all that right now.”
Question: Have you talked to UNC head coach Mack Brown about the status of either of the rosters at all?
SB: “Honestly no. I’ve thought about that a couple of times, just calling him and being like, ‘Hey man, where are you guys on stuff?’ but we didn’t. The first time I spoke with him was last night at this event and it was more just kind of overall landscape.
One of my good friends in coaching is Stacy Searles — North Carolina’s offensive line coach — and his wife is a good friend of my wife. My wife and Stacy’s wife, they went walking yesterday morning to get out and get some exercise. I was hoping that Emily, my wife, could get some scoop out of Stacy’s wife but I don’t think it happened.
But no we haven’t (talked). Competitive-wise and all that as well I don’t think you’d want to share that and I certainly wouldn’t want to share where we are.
At no point this week did I think that we were in position or in danger of not playing this game. I know there was chatter and rumors out there about that last night apparently. That hasn’t even been a discussion from our standpoint. We’re in good shape and excited about the guys that we’re taking into that stadium tomorrow.”
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 12:33 PM.
