Shane Beamer Reacts to South Carolina’s 29-20 Loss at Missouri
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer met with reporters following the Gamecocks’ 29-20 defeat at Missouri on Saturday night. Beamer addressed the team’s struggles, key moments in the game, and what comes next.
Opening Statement
“Congrats to Missouri. They did what they needed to do to win the football game. I’m proud of our guys and the way they came in here and competed. We expected to win this football game, disappointed that we didn’t. I just told them in the locker room when you get out-rushed 285 to minus-nine, you’re not going to win. When you are in the red zone like we were and went backwards, it’s going to be hard to win. When you have, once again, 14 penalties, it’s going to be hard to win. [And] when you have opportunities to make plays, and we don’t get it done, it’s going to be hard to win.
“Having said all that, we had the lead going into the fourth quarter. And we weren’t able to finish.”
Beamer credited Missouri’s backup kicker Robert Meyer for converting a key field goal after the Tigers’ starter was sidelined. “Credit that guy coming in as the backup kicker and making that,” Beamer said. “But [there was] not enough good to win the game.”
Injuries Pile Up
The Gamecocks dealt with several injuries throughout the night. “Cason [Henry] got hurt in the first play. DQ [Smith] had a little bit of a quad contusion that flared up in pregame warmups, and [he] said he couldn’t go. And then, we had some guys get banged up during the game.”
On Penalties
Beamer didn’t shy away from frustration over the 14 penalties.
“The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again,” he said. “So, when you have 14 penalties on the road, something’s got to change, starting with me.”
Tackling Issues
Beamer acknowledged tackling was a deciding factor. “Really, really, really disappointing. We’ve said it all week — you got to get 11 hats to the ball on this guy [Ahmad Hardy] and tackle him. … A lot of those [yards] are because of missed tackles, or losing leverage, or whatever it might be. So, all 11 got to get there.”
On LaNorris Sellers’ Play
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers passed for 302 yards but also took costly sacks. “You just gotta get rid of the ball, and that’s what I told him. He’s made a ton of plays for us, obviously. But some of those things, [if] it’s not there, you got to throw it away. He knows that.”
Beamer also addressed the team’s rushing struggles: “Too many sacks, negative plays. But we didn’t gain a lot, either. So, [I] got to look at it.”
Halftime Adjustments and Missed Opportunities
At the half, Beamer felt confident despite mistakes. “That’s what I told them at halftime is, ‘You’re on the road in the SEC. We’ve not played good enough football at the half, but we’re right where we need to be.’”
But execution fell apart late. “You look at the second-to-last drive on offense … it was three plays, and there’s opportunities there to make plays. We ran the quarterback counter into the boundary, and we don’t block the corner or the safety — which just can’t happen. … We got a guy [Vandrevius Jacobs] wide open across the middle, and we’re not able to connect.”
On the First-and-Goal Sack
Beamer called it a missed chance. “That’s hard. We were in play action … it’s a bang-bang play. It’s there, or it’s not. And if it’s not, we got to get rid of the ball. You got three more plays because, hell, I’m probably going to go for it on fourth down because of where we were. And that’s what we can’t do.”
Moving Forward
Beamer emphasized the need for changes before facing Kentucky next week.
“It’s a challenge, but that’s what we get paid to do. We got to look at everything: schematically, personnel, everything that we’re doing. … We’re a third of the way through. We’ve been a team that’s always gotten better as the season goes, and [I’m] confident that this year will be no different.”
On Missouri’s running back Ahmad Hardy, Beamer added: “He’s a big back. He’s got really good contact balance. … He was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year last year for a reason, and he’s been a great addition to them in the portal”.
