Following a disappointing 3-5 conference finish last season and missing out on a bowl game, the South Carolina Gamecocks’ 2-0 start this year has injected new life into the program.
Head coach Shane Beamer, however, is determined to keep his team grounded as the bright lights of the big stage intensify.
“The spotlight is back on us, but we talked this morning that one of the keys for us this Saturday is we got to handle success the right way,” Beamer said.
“There’s a lot going on this week that we didn’t have to deal with last week, or that we didn’t get to deal with last week. It’s a positive.
After a dominant 31-6 victory over Kentucky, in which South Carolina entered as 10-point underdogs, the national attention quickly shifted back to the Gamecocks.
The win marked the team’s third straight win over the Wildcats and set the stage for ESPN’s College GameDay to make its way to Columbia for tomorrow’s showdown against Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers.
While Beamer appreciates the attention, he made it clear that success brings plenty of new challenges.
“We need to get used to it, but we need to make sure that we’re handling distractions the right way, and we also have to handle success the right way,” he said.
Beamer went on to express the importance of staying focused despite the fanfare, noting that support can be fleeting.
“The bandwagon, if you will, is getting full in a lot of ways. But understand, there’s people on that bandwagon right now who may jump off the next time things don’t go well,” he said.
South Carolina’s win over Kentucky wasn’t just a statement game on the field, but also a signal of the team’s potential to break out this season.
Nevertheless, Beamer emphasized the need for continued effort and to not buy into the hype (like Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish did).
“The key for us is just continuing to just work and continue to get better,” Beamer said. “That’s what we’ve talked to our players about – just keep working, keep getting better. We know there’s a lot of things from that Kentucky game that we have to clean up, as good as the score was.”
“We played with great effort and physicality and toughness, and that didn’t just happen. We prepared last week to go play like we did on Saturday, and that’s going to be the key for us,” Beamer continued.
“It’s not get caught up and being in the national spotlight and the hoopla and having Ryan McGee right next door interviewing players and myself, or ESPN right now, but instead, just worrying about what we can control and go get better and get back to work.”
Looking ahead to the high-profile showdown with LSU, Beamer emphasized preparation over the excitement of national attention.
As College GameDay heads to South Carolina for the first time since 2014, Beamer remains focused on blocking out the noise.
Kickoff for the massive clash against the hungry LSU Tigers is set for noon EST tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on Beamer’s comments? … Of course, he said all of the right things, but will his team actually be able to block out the distractions and not get too ahead of themslees.
Are you buying the Gamecocks as a legitimate playoff contender? … Or do you think their hype balloon will soon be popped???