South Carolina, Shane Beamer are shocking everyone — except themselves

Ben Portnoy
Artie Walker Jr./AP

As players and staffers flooded the field in the immediate moments after South Carolina’s 30-24 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, head coach Shane Beamer raced around Williams-Brice Stadium with as much grace as a Tasmanian devil.

He bounced from person to person, enjoying the jubilation of the first win over the Aggies in program history. He hugged his wife, Emily. He embraced running back MarShawn Lloyd and center Eric Douglas. He even high-fived the fan who asked simply, “Sir, let me shake your hand.”

By Sunday, Beamer took a more business-like approach on his weekly teleconference with local reporters. He was starting to flip the script — even as the internet continued basking in the Gamecocks’ most recent glory.

“Certainly proud of our guys and want to celebrate what we’ve done to this point without a doubt,” Beamer said. “But also understanding that — I don’t mean this in an arrogant way — it should be expected what we’ve done. It shouldn’t be a shock to us on the team where we are right now.”

Beamer’s words aren’t anything completely new in the world of college football. Programs nationwide preach keeping things day by day, one game at a time, keep moving forward, etc.

But at a place that’s spent more time than not in the doldrums of the Southeastern Conference, Beamer is actively working to change expectations. So far, so good.

“We were able to show people that two weeks ago (beating Kentucky) wasn’t a fluke,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said after the Texas A&M win. “We’re here now. South Carolina is on the rise. We’re here to compete with anyone and we’re just going to just keep getting better and better each week.”

It’s easy to forget Beamer has only been on the job in Columbia for a little under 24 months. He’s endeared himself to the fanbase as quickly as any coach in America over the last two coaching cycles.

Winning has plenty to do with that.

South Carolina’s 2021 and 2022 seasons have brought plenty of moments worth celebrating. Beamer became the first coach in school history to beat Texas A&M on Saturday. USC downed Kentucky two weeks ago for just the second time in nine years.

That’s not to mention wins over Florida, Auburn and North Carolina a year ago that carried Beamer to a tie for the most wins by a first-year South Carolina head coach (7) since C.R. Williams won eight in his debut campaign in 1903.

“It’s not a place (South Carolina) where you can’t win,” The Athletic’s Andy Staples told The State during the preseason. “It is a place where you can win double-digit games, but a lot of things have to go right. And I think you look at the way they’ve managed it, I think they’ve done a really good job and they’ve upgraded the talent on the roster and faster than I thought they’d be able to.”

Take Sunday as the latest feather in Beamer’s cap. South Carolina slid into The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in four years at No. 25. It received the same ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Just a few hours later, Charlotte fired head coach Will Healy. Both South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo are among the names being thrown around as potential candidates for the 49ers position.

Those aren’t things that happen at programs struggling to succeed. If anything, it’s validation Beamer and his staff have things trending in the right direction.

“We’ve got some fantastic coaches on our staff and as we continue to win, other schools are going to want to talk to them, whether it be for assistant coaching positions or head coaching positions,” Beamer said. “I’m happy for them and what I tell our coaches is just keep me informed of anything that’s going on, and I will help them in any way if there’s an opportunity out there that is something they’re interested in, that they feel is a better situation for them and a chance for them to advance their career.”

Beamer joked that a recruit called him at 2 a.m. Sunday after the A&M win just to discuss the victory. These are the kinds of discussions that go on when palpable buzz surrounds your squad.

That buzz stands to grow in the coming weeks. South Carolina ought to be favored in its next two games against Missouri and at Vanderbilt. It’s not inconceivable Vegas takes USC to win at Florida three weeks from now should the Gamecocks handle business between now and then.

Beamer in his postgame press conference still dripped in the purple Gatorade his players coated him in as the clock struck zero in Saturday night’s historic win. By Sunday, he had started to flip the page.

There’s reason to be excited in Columbia right now. But Beamer and his squad expected to be here — even if few else did.

South Carolina 2022 football schedule

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