South Carolina Turns to Mike Furrey for Offensive Reset as Beamer Seeks Late-Season Spark
COLUMBIA — Shane Beamer didn’t make the change because he wanted to — he made it because he had no choice.
With only three games left to salvage even a sliver of optimism from a disappointing season, South Carolina simply couldn’t keep trotting out an offense with no identity and one that failed to maximize the natural ability of quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
The question now: Can USC’s offense truly look different with Mike Furrey calling plays after Mike Shula’s dismissal?
Beamer suggests the changes won’t be drastic flashes of creativity, but purposeful shifts.
“A little bit less of some stuff, maybe a little bit more of things, but ultimately, doing what gives us the best chance to be successful,” Beamer said. “That fits our players, which is what we’re trying to do each and every week.”
That’s the key — tailoring the offense to the roster. It’s what the Gamecocks have claimed to pursue all season, but the results on Saturdays said otherwise. Whatever the offense was supposed to be under Shula, it rarely translated beyond practice.
It was broken, and with the season slipping away, waiting any longer wasn’t an option.
Furrey Brings Energy — and a New Voice
Furrey has experience calling plays as the former head coach at Limestone, and from the moment he stepped into his new role, players say the vibe shifted.
“He’s got an energetic personality. He’s talking trash to the defensive backs during stretch every day about what the receivers are going to do to them,” Beamer said. “He’s brought that swag or whatever you want to call it, and he’s brought that to the offense.”
But what does that translate to on the field — especially with an undefeated, No. 3-ranked Texas A&M waiting?
Receiver Vandrevius Jacobs said the changes aren’t wholesale.
“I wouldn’t say we added a bunch of new stuff. We added some stuff that he couldn’t add before, that he likes, but for the most part, it’s just go out there and compete,” Jacobs said. “Not change too much, just trying to capitalize, because there’s a lot of opportunities we missed out there.”
“Simplify” Becomes the Theme… Again
The word resurfacing around the program is familiar: simplify. It was first mentioned when Shawn Elliott replaced Lonnie Teasley as offensive line coach. The line has improved since then — helped by better health — but still struggles with sheer talent matchups.
Backup quarterback Luke Doty echoed the theme:
“The biggest thing is simplifying some things to help our guys play fast… shorten some things. Little things like that to play fast and eliminate clutter.”
Still, facing Texas A&M — with a defense led by Mike Elko and one of the strongest fronts USC has seen — is a tough environment to expect an offensive renaissance.
But There Is Hope — and Precedent
While it’s a tall task, recent examples around college football show what midseason coaching changes can spark:
- UCLA, after firing its head coach, stunned Penn State with Jerry Neuheisel calling plays.
- Auburn, fresh off firing Hugh Freeze, suddenly erupted for 38 points in a near-upset after weeks of dreadful offense.
Sometimes a new voice — any new voice — changes everything.
Could South Carolina get that same jolt?
Beamer isn’t ruling it out.
“I hope. I hope, certainly,” Beamer said. “(Auburn) did a good job, would hope that we have similar results. That’d be nice.”
The Gamecocks now enter College Station searching not just for improvement, but for identity — something that’s eluded them all year. If Furrey can deliver even a spark, the season’s closing stretch could look very different than what came before.
