South Carolina has 'long ways to go' in upset bid vs. Tennessee

An upset is brewing in Columbia, with South Carolina having a 35-24 lead over the No. 5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers at the halftime break. Head coach Shane Beamer had his team ready to play on Saturday night, with a ruckus crowd being the rallying factor in the first two quarters.

Beamer has been creative with his play calling in the first half, putting up a big first half number. ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked him what the mindset was heading into the game, with Beamer saying South Carolina wanted to attack Tennessee from the beginning.

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“It’s certainly paying dividends right now,” said Beamer. “Our whole mindset coming into this game was attack in everything we’re doing. Offensive calls, special teams, what we’re calling on defense. You’re not going to sit back and beat this team. So, we wanted to attack.”

Shame Beamer says there is a ‘long ways to go’

With how explosive Tennessee can be on offense, Beamer understands things can change in a heartbeat. He referenced back to the Volunteers’ win against Missouri last week when it was a one-score possession in the third quarter. Beamer is not interested in suffering the same outcome as Eli Drinkwitz.

“We got a long way to go,” Beamer said. “Their game against Missouri last week was a four-point game in the third quarter and they won by 40+ points. So, we got a lot of football left. We got a good football team. We expected this, Holly. I know everybody thought ‘how are we going to keep it close’ and all that stuff. We’re a good football team that played like crap last week. We got a long ways to go.

South Carolina looking to win one on one battles

Shane Beamer finally gave the key to the second half, saying South Carolina needs to win their one-on-one battles across the field. Whether it’s on the defensive end when rushing the passer or when dropping back in coverage. Small wins will lead to the ultimate goal.

“We just go to win our one on ones. We’re leaving our guys, getting one on one opportunities on defense. The pass rush, pass coverage. We got to win.”

Just 30 minutes remain between South Carolina and their upset. Tennessee has College Football Playoff implications on the line, needing a win to stay alive. Josh Heupel will have to find a second-half game plan quickly.