What Shane Beamer said about Game 1 loss, South Carolina injuries, halftime hot dogs
After the 31-17 loss to No. 21 UNC, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said there was much to fix. He spoke to the media following the Saturday loss at Bank of America Stadium with his initial thoughts moments after the final whistle.
Injury updates
Beamer said there’s “too many to name” when it came to the injured players. He added he should have a few updates Sunday and into next week. Those injured includes Nick Emmanwori, Mo Kaba, Cason Henry, Antwane Wells, all whom didn’t play the second half. Beamer also noted that starting receiver Ahmarean Brown also left the game early because of injury.
Beamer is scheduled to address reporters next on Sunday evening via teleconference.
On the offensive line woes
With a young offensive line, Beamer said the group needs to “grow up early” with the amount of experience they have coming into Saturdays’ game. The offensive line has been a point of concern for some time now, and despite Spencer Rattler’s attempts to extend plays Saturday, the UNC defensive line made it difficult for the youth to perform at the level Beamer expected. Rattler was sacked nine times — more than any game last season — and the run game netted 11 total yards.
“Not good enough,” Beamer said. “The whole offensive line was sliding to someone that’s a threat and we’re still getting hit. They rushed three on the last drive and we got beat on a double team. It’s ridiculous giving up a sack rushing three people. We’re inexperienced up there but that’s no excuse.”
Beamer: Chain crew missing, eating hot dogs
Beamer said there were a few technical issues that made it difficult for the Gamecocks to perform Saturday, including that the chain crew wasn’t on the field after halftime and during an onside kick attempt — “We’ve got to wait on the chain crew because they’re eating a hot dog,” Beamer said. He added there were clock issues throughout the game that made it difficult to work plays and rotations.
“Kind of the story of the night,” Beamer said. “Clock was wrong the whole dang game. We’re trying to kick an onside kick to start the second half and we’ve got to wait on the chain crew because they’re eating a hot dog. That’s the only disappointing thing about tonight.”
Gamecocks need to play ‘smart football’
Visibly frustrated afterward, Beamer said there were multiple instances throughout the game where points were left on the field. “We didn’t do a good job of playing smart football,” he said. He said there are still issues with the offensive line, including the nine sacks the Tar Heels had. Beamer added that Rattler “gave us a chance” with his performance, despite the physical game the QB endured.
“It’s not all the offensive line,” Beamer said. “I know we had two runs in the first half where the tight end got beat on a cutoff block. That’s Day 1 stuff. We as coaches have got to coach better because we didn’t do a good enough job of putting those guys in position to make plays tonight.”
On the atmosphere
Beamer praised the South Carolina fan support in Charlotte.
“What an environment that was tonight, throughout the day,” he said. “What a great day for college football. I wish we would’ve played better. ... Our fans were amazing. We’ve got to do a better job of coaching and executing.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2023 at 11:46 PM.
