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Shane Beamer’s temper boiled over against Illinois, but his energy has lit a fire under South Carolina
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The term Beamer Ball is synonymous with elite special teams play and a physical, innovative defense.
At least it was when Frank Beamer was running off a seemingly endless string of 10-win seasons at Virginia Tech.
But times change. And personalities evolve from generation to generation.
As they have with Frank’s oldest son.
Shane Beamer is still an ardent proponent of special teams and defense now that he’s coaching a team of his own at South Carolina. But his version of Beamer Ball is built around the passion he brings to the program.
His fiery nature was on full display in Tuesday’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl when he had to be restrained from going after Illinois’ Bret Bielema during a confrontation early in the third quarter.
Beamer had already lost patience with his coaching counterpart for the snail-like substitution tactics he was using, successfully, to slow down the Gamecocks’ offense.
His anger boiled over when Bielma, on the field near the South Carolina bench to check on an injured player, made a taunting gesture in his direction.
“I’m a competitive guy,” Beamer said after the game. “I have a ton of respect for Coach Bielema. I’ve enjoyed being around him this week. But I thought that was uncalled for, especially when his own player is on the ground hurt.”
Beamer’s over-the-top reaction isn’t necessarily what you’d like to see from a coach in the heat of battle. Especially at that juncture of a close game. It’s the players’ job to be emotional and their coach’s job to help keep them focused.
But in this case, such outbursts can be excused every now and then.
That’s because Beamer’s emotion and drive have injected an energy into South Carolina’s program on the field, in the stands at Williams-Brice Stadium and all across the state that it hasn’t had since a certain Head Ball Coach was running the show in Columbia a decade ago.
The momentum heading into the new year is undeniable — even though the Gamecocks’ 21-17 loss Saturday kept them from reaching the 10-win mark for the first time since 2013 and only the 4th time ever.
But with many of their key playmakers returning and 6 straight victories to close the regular season, including a rare Palmetto Bowl triumph against rival Clemson, they figure to have an even better shot at reaching or surpassing that goal next season.
The biggest reason for all the crowing is the emergence of quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Although the redshirt freshman is still in the process of harnessing a dynamic dual-threat skill set, he has already displayed enough of it – to go with elite poise and leadership abilities – to catapult his name to the first page of the list of legitimate Heisman Trophy hopefuls in 2025.
The fact that he’s being mentored by Mike Shula, South Carolina’s newly elevated offensive coordinator who helped guide Cam Newton to an NFL Rookie of the Year season with the Carolina Panthers in 2011, should only aid his progression.
At 6-3, 242 pounds, Sellers has a physique resembling that of Newton.
But that’s not the only similarity to the 2010 Heisman and national championship winner. Sellers also has the uncanny ability to perform magic tricks in the backfield by making something out of nothing as he did in the come-from-behind win against Clemson.
His improvisation and running are still his strengths. But against an Illinois defense designed to prevent him from making plays with his legs, he was forced to show off his growth as a passer.
He responded with a 24-of-34 performance for 260 yards and a touchdown that provided a glimpse of how far he’s come in his first season as a college starter and how much farther he still has to go to reach elite status.
One possession after displaying his accuracy and touch with a delicately delivered 6-yard dime to tight end Joshua Simon for a 4th-quarter touchdown, he threw too low and behind a wide-open Simon in the end zone on 4th down for what would have been the go-ahead score.
That turned out to be South Carolina’s last offensive snap of the game and a disappointing way to end a successful season.
But that’s already yesterday’s news.
Loaded with a stockpile of young talent led by Sellers, sophomore receiver Nyck Harbor and impressive rookie edge rusher Dylan Stewart, and fueled by the energy of Beamer Ball, the Gamecocks have too much going for them as they look ahead to the new year to be too down about a close loss that ended the old one.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
