South Carolina is 3-4 and struggling. Shane Beamer needs to evaluate everything
Shane Beamer took questions about his team’s most-uninspiring loss in years and, with a straight face, somehow uttered this:
“I know you guys get tired of me saying it: We had a great week or practice,” Beamer said. “Our guys were focused, had a hell of a walk-through (Friday) at the stadium.”
Based solely on that quote, you might not know that South Carolina lost 26-7 to No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. USC is now 3-4 on the season and 1-4 in the SEC. It managed just 224 total yards against the Sooners, its lowest output on offense all season. The Gamecocks need a miracle to make a bowl game.
But thank goodness the walkthrough on Friday went well.
If Beamer is telling the truth and South Carolina is practicing like the 9-4 team it was a year ago, that makes Saturday’s outcome even tougher to swallow. It signals that Beamer thinks this team is close to success, that they’re just some better injury luck and a few breaks away from competing with the best teams in the SEC.
The reality is, the Gamecocks are nowhere near the top of the conference this season.
This is a flawed football team with rusty parts everywhere, some on the verge of breaking. On a day it cleaned up the penalties (they were only flagged four times), a dozen other leaks sprung.
They didn’t convert a third down until the final quarter. They allowed 13 tackles for loss. They needed eight goal-to-go plays before scoring any points.
And, yet, Beamer took offense to a reporter asking about potentially making more changes to the offense, firing back that he’s already made a change (dismissing O-line coach Lonnie Teasley last week) and will always “look at how to be better.”
It’s no surprise that most fans feel it’s impossible to get better while offensive coordinator Mike Shula is still employed. Amid the boos Saturday were a number of “Fire Shula” chants that were impossible not to hear.
Have no fear, though, because the Gamecocks practiced really well this past week.
What gives him hope, Beamer was asked.
“I see the way we practice during the week,” he said. “ I see the number of guys that we had out today that I wasn’t sure was going to be able to play, that fought their asses off to get back out there and get healthy and be able to play today.
“What gives me hope?” he continued. “I know the talent we have on our offense.”
Two things: One, if there’s an abundance of talent on this team, it’s even more of an indictment on this coaching staff. And two, what evidence is there that Beamer’s statement is true?
Of all the things South Carolina fans can be angry about — Shula, Beamer, play-calling, etc. — they should be livid about how this team handled the offseason.
The Gamecocks justifiably spent a significant amount of NIL money to keep quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge Dylan Stewart ... then flopped on most every other part of roster construction.
This coaching staff whiffed on signing an SEC-caliber running back. They chose to not bring in any wide receivers from the transfer portal because they were so confident in their true freshmen. They chose to start a kicker who’s never attempted a college kick. They failed to bring in a productive edge to put opposite Stewart. They banked on the veterans they had at defensive tackle. And, worst of all, they did not add enough significant pieces to this offensive line.
But don’t worry, that walkthrough on Friday was crisp.
Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise . This is a program that has struggled to handle hype for over a decade. There was 2014, when the Gamecocks were a preseason Top-10 team and finished 7-6. Or 2023, when Spencer Rattler returned to USC only to miss a bowl.
There was all this history to support a decline. But working in South Carolina’s favor was also the fact that Sellers returned, which triggered the 2024 Clemson flashbacks and the hope that he was going to live up to the Heisman hype.
It is undeniable that he has not fulfilled the potential he showed last season. What caused that? Does the blame squarely fall on an offensive line that’s allowed 26 sacks this season? Does it fall on Shula for not developing Sellers? Does it fall on the receivers? Should it fall on Sellers himself?
The correct answer is probably a combination of all those things. The reality is, the Gamecocks’ blocking stinks — and in the moments it holds up, Sellers hasn’t been Superman.
Of course, this all falls on Beamer.
He is responsible for hiring and firing coaches. He is in charge of the Gamecocks’ recruiting and signs off on every player his team signs. He is responsible for the development of every player on South Carolina. The finger should be pointed to the head coach when a team has “a hell of a walk-through” and then plays a hellish game.
Now it’s up to Beamer to find the solutions.
This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
