South Carolina fans were not too pleased with their team’s 23-19 win over Old Dominion on Saturday, and they let the coaches and players know it by sending down a chorus of boos at various points throughout the game.

Monarchs head coach Ricky Rahne came to Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks’ defense, using the closing statement of his press conference as a platform to express his opinions on the fans’ behavior.

“The other thing is – probably for the South Carolina people in here, more than anybody – but make sure these fans understand that there was a lot of booing out there today, and that those kids can be in the other locker room too,” Rahne said. “They deserve to be able to feel good about winning a football game because they just played a heck of a football team, so they shouldn’t feel bad.”

Rahne’s Old Dominion squad rallied from a 17-6 deficit in the second half to lead South Carolina 19-16 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. New Gamecock starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran in a 3-yard touchdown to give his team a late lead that it would not relinquish.

Emphasizing how hard each team played and that South Carolina truly earned this win, Rahne spoke specifically to the media when talking about how this game should be portrayed.

“No one should make those kids feel bad about, quote-unquote, ‘barely winning,'” Raine said. “So, if that is the headline that everybody’s going to write, I can assure you that is not a good headline.”

With growing talk about Beamer’s job security, the Gamecocks did not appear to impress many in the victory over the Monarchs, although plenty of opportunities to change that outlook await.

South Carolina next hits the road to take on Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.