Shane Beamer compares his 2 South Carolina teams at halfway mark of season

Shane Beamer likes where his team stands heading into the second half of the season. The Gamecocks are on a 3-game winning streak, improving to 4-2 overall with Saturday’s win over Kentucky.

In Beamer’s first year, the Gamecocks were 3-3 at the midway point. Speaking on Sunday’s media teleconference, the second-year South Carolina shared that he feels better about this year’s team heading into the second half.

Beamer told media members that the 2022 squad is “further along” and playing with great confidence.

Asked about comparing last year at the midway point and this year: “I think we’re a lot farther along. Certainly, feel better going into the off week this year than last year.” Carolina was 3-3 off a loss at Tennessee at this juncture in 2021. Their bye followed the A&M loss.

— SportsTalk Media Network (@sportstalksc) October 9, 2022

Beamer talking about the differences in South Carolina at the midway point last year vs. now:

“There’s great confidence right now. We’ve won three games in a row and our best football is still out there (ahead).”

— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) October 9, 2022

One notable difference in the 2021 and 2022 schedules is the bye week. The 2021 squad did not have its bye until late October, coming off of a 44-14 loss at Texas A&M. This year’s team will be off in Week 7 and return to action in Week 8, hosting the Aggies in Columbia.