Shane Beamer remains confident while preparing for Furman’s ‘disruptive’ defense
This is Shane Beamer’s reality: Furman won’t be an easy win. While sometimes an FCS program might be shrugged off as a no-big-deal type of game, Beamer made it clear he doesn’t view the Paladins like that.
“This is a hell of a football team coming in here this weekend,” Beamer said Tuesday during his weekly availability. “And that’s not coach speak and ‘Shane’s trying to rally the guys’ on Tuesday.”
Despite the acknowledgment of Furman’s success, the Gamecocks’ head coach said he’s still confident South Carolina can walk out of Williams-Brice Stadium with a victory. It just might take more effort than what some people may be expecting.
“They won’t be wide-eyed and coming in here on Saturday night,” Beamer said. “So if anybody thinks this is a ‘take-a-breath week,’ you’re sorely mistaken.”
Furman can force turnovers
Beamer described Furman’s defense as “disruptive.” That puts pressure on the Gamecocks to make smart decisions on offense — from calling the plays to executing them on the field.
“They’re a heavy-pressure team, they’re bringing pressure from everywhere,” Beamer said. “We’ve got to be really good with what we’re calling, what we’re asking our offensive line and running backs and what protection to do, because they do a good job of coming from everywhere.”
The Paladins’ secondary developed a reputation of forcing big-time turnovers during the 2022 season, and carried that over into their home opener against Tennessee Tech last Thursday. Six total turnovers, four interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and two fumble recoveries, all led to the season-opening 45-10 Paladins win.
While it may be a common situation, Furman players took notice of UNC’s ability to exploit South Carolina’s formations and stances to know the play type (run or pass) before the ball was snapped.
“I think if anything, it’s just making sure we don’t tip anything off with stances and things like that,” Beamer said. “But that’s universal.”
Last season, Furman led the country in takeaways at the FCS level and led the nation in blocked kicks. Beamer said that while he knows South Carolina has its own advantages on special teams, it’s still something the Gamecocks have to prepare for.
They’ve played lots of college football
There isn’t much Furman hasn’t seen. The Paladins are ranked sixth in the FCS Coaches Poll and are only missing six players from last season’s two-deep. Everyone else is back. And that makes it harder to prepare for a ranked FCS program on the rise. On the flip side, there’s also a overwhelming amount of young players on the USC two-deep, following multiple injuries in the 31-17 loss to then-No. 21 North Carolina.
Beamer said he’s still expecting major improvements from the offensive line and beyond, and that there can’t be a “slow burn” to making changes. Furman’s defense has previously proved it can handle “bigger” teams — like Clemson, where despite losing the September 2022 game, 35-12, the Paladins held the Tigers to only seven points in the second half.
Just like the turnovers, Beamer was quick to point it out.
The Gamecocks know they can play better, and Furman head coach Clay Hendrix acknowledged it on Tuesday afternoon. Beamer said it helps that Saturday’s game will be the first home game since upsetting Tennessee last season, and it makes everyone excited despite knowing there’s an immediate need to play better.
“Nobody is more upset about the way we played Saturday night than the people in this building because our guys, players and coaches put a lot into Saturday night,” Beamer said. “But our guys are excited for our home opener.”
South Carolina vs. Furman game, TV/stream info
Who: South Carolina (0-1) vs. Furman (1-0)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Watch: Streaming on SEC Network Plus and ESPN+
This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
