Shane Beamer calls South Carolina-SC State game 'great for the state'

South Carolina will host one of the in-state programs on Thursday night rather than Saturday due to Hurricane Ian’s approach in the southeast, and coach Shane Beamer is excited about a South Carolina-SC State game he called ‘great for the state.’

The Gamecocks will host the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network, with weather conditions this weekend looking quite rainy according to current forecasts.

“I think it’s great for the state,” Beamer said. “I know we play Wofford and Furman, I think, coming up in the next couple years as well. So I think it’s great for the state when you’re able to play, the in-state schools are able to play each other.”

South Carolina State has gotten off to a 1-2 start to the season, beating Bethune-Cookman but falling to UCF and North Carolina A&T.

Beamer, of course, doesn’t want his players focusing on those results, particularly with the shorter-than-expected turnaround. The Bulldogs produced an NFL Draft pick last year, with cornerback Decobie Durant going in the fourth round. That’s something the South Carolina head coach has relayed to his players to keep them grounded.

Most of them, though, are familiar with many South Carolina-based SC State players already. The vast majority hail from in state.

“I know South Carolina State played Clemson last year and we obviously play them this year,” Beamer said. “So yeah, I’m all for it. It’s a talented team that you’re going to play each and every year. It’s a well-coached team and it’s a program that we have a ton of respect for with coach (Oliver) Pugh and what they do.”

Shane Beamer prepping players mentally for in-state matchup

The possibility for some flukiness certainly exits on Thursday night given the short turnaround from Week 4.

Much of the game-planning has likely been rushed at this point, which means players and coaches alike need to be ready for the unexpected. Beamer wants the Gamecocks focused on simply executing on their end in the South Carolina-SC State showdown.

“I think our players know for sure, and that’s no disrespect to South Carolina State, every week we don’t spend a ton of time talking about the other team,” Beamer said. “But we also made them very aware this morning that this is a talented team. There was a high draft pick last year on their team. They’re going to have NFL players or players get drafted off this year’s team.

“We’ve got so many guys on our team from South Carolina they know what this program, South Carolina State’s program, is about without a doubt. I was looking at their roster yesterday, I think their entire roster is from South Carolina expect for nine or 10 guys that are not from South Carolina.”

Beamer thinks the opportunity for many players that are familiar with each other is a real bonus for football in the state.

“Everybody on our team pretty much knows everybody on their team,” he said. “So there’s great pride on both sides and there’s a ton of respect for South Carolina State’s program. All you have to do is turn on the tape and see that, and then also see what they were able to do last year against quality teams like Jackson State, (winning 31-10).”