South Carolina football: Top 5 games of the Shane Beamer era
By Paul Harvey
Published:
South Carolina is gearing up for a season of prominent expectations after the first 9-win season under Shane Beamer in 2024.
After a breakout campaign for LaNorris Sellers, he returns as a serious contender in the preseason Heisman Trophy odds, and the Gamecocks hope that will translate into a potential trip to the College Football Playoff. Simply put, the sky is the limit for South Carolina this fall, and it’s up to Beamer to prove he can produce with expectations on his shoulders and not just as an overlooked squad catching teams by surprise.
Before we get there, though, it’s time to take a quick look at all the best moments from the first 4 years of Beamer’s tenure with the Gamecocks. Let’s dive in!
5. 2022 at No. 13 Kentucky — South Carolina 24, Kentucky 14
During his initial season with the program in 2021, Beamer went 7-6 overall and produced the first bowl win for the Gamecocks since 2017. However, he lost both games against ranked opponents in that season and the first 2 of the 2022 season.
An early October road trip to Kentucky provided an opportunity for South Carolina to buck that trend.
Offensively, Marshawn Lloyd led the charge with 141 yards of offense and a touchdown, and Spencer Rattler completed over 70% of his passes with a touchdown. But the key to the upset for the unranked Gamecocks was the defense.
South Carolina recorded 6 sacks, including 1.5 on the part of Jordan Burch and Tonka Hemingway. David Spaulding also recorded a game-sealing interception and a forced fumble as the Wildcats were forced to punt on their first 3 possessions after halftime while South Carolina grabbed control of the game.
4. 2024: at No. 12 Clemson — South Carolina 17, Clemson 14
The 2024 matchup with Clemson is the only time that both teams have been ranked since Beamer joined the program. While it came as a home game for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers, South Carolina had other plans.
LaNorris Sellers was the star of this one, and he saved his best for crunch time. With just over a minute left in the game, and facing 3rd-and-long, Sellers broke free for what would go down as the game-winning touchdown for the Gamecocks.
While Sellers did throw an interception and did not have a passing touchdown, he was the star on the ground with a game-high 166 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The South Carolina defense also forced a pair of turnovers, including a game-sealing interception late in the 4th quarter.
It’s hard to top that kind of dramatic rivalry win, and it punctuated what was South Carolina’s first season with 9+ wins since 2017.
3. 2024: vs. No. 10 Texas A&M — South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20
It might be easy to forget for some, but at the start of November, it was Texas A&M boasting a top-10 ranking and looking like a potential Playoff squad. The Aggies had rattled off 7 straight wins, including upsets of Mizzou and LSU, heading into South Carolina.
Heading into halftime, things were plenty interesting with a 20-all tie at the break. Then, the 2nd half belonged to Sellers and Raheim Sanders.
When the final whistle finally sounded, South Carolina had outscored the Aggies 24-0 in the 2nd half. Sellers accounted for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns while Sanders had 236 yards of offense and 2 rushing touchdowns, both in the 2nd half.
If not for one other memorable performance (also on this list), South Carolina’s 24-point upset would be the largest margin of victory for Beamer vs. a ranked opponent. The 24-point win is still the 2nd-largest of his tenure against a ranked opponent.
2. 2022: at No. 7 Clemson — South Carolina 31, Clemson 30
At the risk of putting a rivalry win below a non-rivalry one, this feels like the safe spot for South Carolina’s 2022 victory over the in-state Tigers. Clemson entered the final week of the regular season with an outside shot at the CFP and facing the Gamecocks at home, but South Carolina had other plans.
Clemson even jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held a 23-14 edge at halftime, but the 2nd half was all in favor of South Carolina. The Gamecocks kicked what would become a game-winning field goal with around 11 minutes left to play, and the rest was about the Tiger defense.
Overall, the Gamecocks dominated things on both sides of the ball after the break, forcing Clemson into 5 punts and an interception. The Tigers also fumbled a punt return with 2 minutes left to play, allowing the Gamecocks to run out the clock.
The win went down as Beamer’s first in the rivalry series, and one of his best games to date.
1. 2022: vs. No. 5 Tennessee — South Carolina 63, Tennessee 38
It’s a shame that the season-ending injury to Hendon Hooker became one of the major storylines of this game. But, to anyone who watched the game, this one was all about the Gamecocks from start to finish.
By the time the first half concluded, Spencer Rattler had already thrown 4 of his 6 touchdowns in the game. At the time of Hooker’s injury, the Gamecocks were already leading 49-31.
The numbers were eye-popping across the board for the Gamecocks, with Rattler completing over 80% of his passes with 6 touchdowns and 438 yards passing. Dakereon Joyner also rushed for 2 touchdowns, and Antwane Wells Jr. recorded 11 catches.
The 63 points scored are still a single-game record for the Beamer era, even including games not against a top-10 opponent, and the 25-point margin of victory is his largest against a ranked opponent. This is still South Carolina’s only top-5 win since a stunning upset of No. 3 Georgia in 2019, and it’s hard to top that for Beamer.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
