Is South Carolina the team that edged Old Dominion or routed Kentucky? Shane Beamer's response
South Carolina football struggled to a 23-19 victory against Old Dominion in the season opener.
Freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a rocky debut, completing just 10 of 23 passes for 114 yards. However, the bigger issue was the offensive line. Sellers was sacked four times, three in the first half.
It led to negative comments from some fans still reeling with the Gamecocks finishing 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game in 2023.
On Tuesday, coach Shane Beamer explained his technique for players on how to deal with the negativity.
"I always tell them, the same people patting them on the back this week may be the same people ready to stop cheering for us the next," Beamer said. "You got to be an idiot to think some people weren't disappointed with how we played against Old Dominion."
The Gamecocks (2-0) cleaned it up in Week 2, dominating Kentucky 31-6 at Kroger Field.
The Gamecocks sacked Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff five times, leaving him with minus-29 rushing yards. Sellers showed improvement, completing 10 of 14 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
"Last week, people were saying, 'What the heck is wrong with all.' This week, people are saying, 'We're the greatest,'" Beamer said. "We talked about doing a great job of handling success this week."
Now, Beamer and company are focused on the Gamecocks' matchup with No. 17 LSU (1-1) on Saturday (noon, ABC) at Williams-Brice Stadium.
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"We don't need to change," Beamer said. "We played well against Kentucky because we prepared well for that game. That will be the key this week. We can't worry about who we're playing. We need to prepare the same way."
Kamryn Jackson covers high school sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at KEJackson@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @KamxJack.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Shane Beamer on South Carolina roller coaster start before LSU game
