Shane Beamer defends state of South Carolina program after Clemson loss
As the game clock at Williams-Brice Stadium ticked down to zero Saturday night, Clemson football players flocked to midfield and planted a white and orange flag in the middle of the Gamecock logo to punctuate another edition of the storied rivalry game.
South Carolina lost to Clemson 16-7 in the regular-season finale, dropping to 5-7 overall and falling one game short of bowl eligibility. The contest snapped a three-game win streak for the Gamecocks. Their postseason hopes are now up to a very slim chance and APR rankings.
USC head coach Shane Beamer called the loss “disappointing” in the opening statement of his post-game press conference. The Gamecocks finished 7-6 in Beamer’s first year as coach in 2021 and then 8-5 in 2022 — winning a bowl game that inaugural season.
When asked how he’d describe the state of the program looking forward, he said it’s “as strong as it’s ever been.”
Beamer cited South Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class — which 247Sports ranks No. 19 in the nation — is headlined by five-star edge Dylan Stewart, eight four- and seven three-stars. USC also started five true freshmen this season: wide receiver Nyck Harbor, defensive backs Jalon Kilgore and Judge Collier as well as offensive linemen Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh. Those guys give Beamer hope for the future.
There’s also all the tribulations next year’s returning players went through this season, losing 12 teammates to season-ending injuries and winning three straight after a 2-6 start. They’re stronger now than they were back in August.
“Nobody’s patting ourselves on the back for going 5-7, but I think there’s a lot of teams that wouldn’t have been able to respond to the adversity that we faced throughout the season over and over again like we did,” Beamer said. “I just wish I had been able to do more as a head coach to get them over the hump tonight and get a win.
“We’ve got a helluva team coming back next year,” Beamer added. “Unbelievable group of freshmen coming in. We have to get better as coaches — we weren’t good enough this year.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2023 at 12:05 AM.
