Good feelings from Florida win linger. Gamecocks know focus on next game is critical
A handful of players approached head coach Shane Beamer during South Carolina’s in recent weeks with a pitch.
The Gamecocks wanted to hold a players-only meeting on the heels of a 44-14 defeat at Texas A&M. It would be a chance for USC to vent its frustrations and pull closer for a final four game stretch that, with a pair of wins, could end with a bowl game.
The exact discussions of that meeting have stayed behind closed doors. But Saturday it sprung South Carolina toward an upset win over Florida and is again being discussed as USC tries to move into preparations for this week’s trip to Missouri.
“It is a challenge for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Beamer conceded on Tuesday of flushing last week’s win. “... We’ve had some great wins, but a win like that certainly is a little bit different for our guys and we’ve got to handle it the right way.”
That South Carolina held a players-only meeting could be construed as concerning. Yet for Beamer, it was proof of concept for the vision he and his staff have tried to sell for months.
Taking over a program that had won only six games over the past two seasons combined has its challenges. Replenishing a roster doesn’t happen overnight. Trying to keep bodies from entering the transfer portal is another battle in its own right.
Throw in an offense that had ranked among the Southeastern Conference’s worst, an offensive coordinator who has come under fire most of the season and a revolving door at quarterback, and Beamer’s first fall in Columbia certainly hasn’t unfolded how he’d hoped.
Despite all that, the Gamecocks sit one win shy of bowl eligibility with three games remaining and just recorded the programs’ largest win ever over Florida.
“All I can remember telling guys on the sideline was, ‘This feels good. This feels good,’ ” defensive tackle Jabari Ellis said postgame.
Since the throttling of Dan Mullen’s Gators, South Carolina has taken chances to celebrate. Ellis brought the Florida football he scooped up and returned for a touchdown to his postgame press conference. Beamer appeared on SEC Network a handful of times Monday to discuss the win. USC’s in-house video department even added some fuel to the flames late Monday night with a video describing how open receiver Josh Vann was on his 24-yard touchdown reception.
But echoing his sentiments after the Florida win, Beamer doubled down Tuesday that USC hasn’t “arrived.”
The trip to Missouri is a challenge in itself. The Tigers have been a mess defensively, allowing almost 500 yards per game, but the offense is still averaging north of 31 points per game — good for sixth in the conference.
This isn’t to say South Carolina shouldn’t cherish what occurred Saturday. Beamer has said all season the Gamecocks ought to enjoy their wins. The victory over Florida, in particular, cured plenty of recent ills.
Saturday was a night in which a listless offense found its footing. The offensive line that struggled for the bulk of the campaign dominated the line of scrimmage. South Carolina’s tailbacks included a pair of 100-yard rushers and combined for 284 yards on the ground. Third-string quarterback Jason Brown was precise in his first start since transferring to USC from St. Francis (Pennsylvania).
That’s worth celebrating. South Carolina just can’t lose sight of the immediate future.
“We know that if we win this next game it’s a bowl game,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said. “But we’re focused on winning these next three games and then focus on a bowl game later.”
The Gamecocks haven’t been short on letdowns in recent years. After beating No. 14 Auburn last season, South Carolina dropped its last six games. USC lost to a middle-of-the-road Tennessee team two weeks after upsetting Georgia in 2019. It was also shut out 28-0 in the 2018 Belk Bowl by Virginia after a 7-5 regular season.
This South Carolina team, though, is fighting through complacency.
“People didn’t count on us this year — they had us I think at three and a half wins. (That’s a) slap in the face,” tight end Nick Muse said. “We proved them wrong so far. We’re gonna keep proving them wrong. We’re not trying to get to 6-6 and make a bowl game. We’re trying to get 8-4, make a bowl game, win it (and) be ranked next year.”
Lloyd told reporters that the saying around the team facility this week has been adjusted from “Compete every day” to “compete harder.” Beamer added he’s instituted more good-on-good work in practice this week to ensure competitiveness.
In theory, it’s all a recipe that would help South Carolina reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. If it can’t solve Missouri, though, USC has a steep hill to climb against No. 16 Auburn and Clemson in its final two games to reach the postseason.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Good feelings from Florida win linger. Gamecocks know focus on next game is critical."
