Shane Beamer Pushes Forward After LSU Loss: ‘We Can’t Sit Around and Be Sad Boys’
The South Carolina Gamecocks sit at 3-3 midway through the 2025 season after a hard-fought 20-10 loss to LSU, but head coach Shane Beamer isn’t letting his team dwell on the setback.
“We can’t sit around here and be sad boys because we’re 3-3 and just lost a heartbreaker in a lot of ways to LSU,” Beamer said on Oct. 14. “It’s pick yourself off the mat and get ready to go again. That’s life.”
The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) now turn their attention to a major home test against No. 13 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1) on Oct. 18 at 12:45 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
Beamer has been here before — in 2024, his team was also 3-3 heading into a matchup with Oklahoma. That game ended in a 35-9 South Carolina victory, sparking a six-game winning streak that completely turned their season around.
While Beamer acknowledges the similarities, he cautions that every year is its own challenge.
“I think the only thing I take from it is just keep getting better,” Beamer said. “The first six games we’ve learned from it, but it’s behind us. Control what you can control and keep getting better. And that’s what I told the team at the end of practice today — we’ve always been a team that has gotten better as the year has gone.”
One of the biggest positives from the LSU loss came in the running game. South Carolina’s ground attack showed life, rushing for 193 yards on 45 carries and scoring a touchdown. The Gamecocks now average 115.3 rushing yards per game, just ahead of LSU’s 115.0, and are no longer last in the SEC in that category.
“We didn’t win the game, but I saw signs of improvement,” Beamer said. “I saw signs of that with the way we went out and approached practice on Oct. 12 and the way we practiced today. I see us getting better.”
Beamer pointed to his track record as proof that South Carolina teams tend to peak late in the season.
In 2021, the Gamecocks went 2-2 in both September and October, then 2-2 in November. In 2022, they finished strong at 3-1 in November. In 2023, they recovered from a rough start to go 3-1 in November, and in 2024, they finished 5-0 down the stretch.
“You can say a lot about the teams that I’ve coached as the head coach,” Beamer said. “But one thing you can’t say is that we haven’t gotten better every single season as the year’s gone.”
Beamer Addresses Fake Punt Penalty Against LSU
South Carolina also faced frustration on special teams, going 0-for-2 on fake punts so far this season. The most recent misfire came against LSU, when punter Mason Love attempted a pass to tight end Mo Brown on fourth-and-5 from the Gamecock 40-yard line — only for it to be nullified by an illegal procedure penalty.
Beamer said he received a short explanation during the game and later spoke with the SEC’s head of officiating, though he kept details private.
“Disappointing that we weren’t able to stay on the field there offensively after that fake punt,” Beamer said.
While the Gamecocks continue to battle inconsistency, Beamer remains confident his team will find its rhythm — just as it has in years past.
