Shane Beamer details the difficulty of guarding a receiver like Jalin Hyatt

One of the biggest pieces to Tennessee’s high-powered offense this season is wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who uses his speed and route-running ability to be an important weapon for the Volunteers. That presents plenty of challenges for opposing defenses, and Shane Beamer knows it.

Beamer talked about what South Carolina will have to do to contain Hyatt and the Vols on Saturday, saying his versatility within Josh Heupel’s scheme coupled with his playmaking ability make him hard to defend. That’s why the Gamecocks will have to make sure to keep track of him at all times.

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“Figuring out where he is, for sure,” Beamer said. “Typically, he’s going to be in the slot, but sometimes, he’s going to be outside, sometimes they’re using motion with him, sometimes he’s going from one side of the formation to the other. No matter where he’s lined up, he’s really, really, really, really, really fast and has the ability to take the top off the defense immediately when the ball is snapped. They do a great job of moving him around. It’s not just him. They’ve got fantastic receivers all over the field with obviously Jalin’s speed and athleticism, but just the size they have and the physicality they have along with him, also.

“There’s a bunch of weapons, but they do a great job with him of moving him around. One, you’ve got to get lined up with their tempo and make sure you’re in the right place. Now, when the ball’s snapped, you’ve got a guy with elite speed coming right at you. It’s certainly a challenge. You have a guy like him who’s as dynamic as he is, it makes it even tougher.”

Shane Beamer evaluates how to overcome struggles on offense

After scoring a season-low six points in a loss to Florida, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is working to make sure his offense comes more prepared this week.

The Gamecocks struggled to hang on to the ball against the Gators, surrendering three fumbles, one of which led to a Florida touchdown on the ensuing drive. In his Tuesday press conference, Beamer said the key to getting better isn’t making sweeping changes, but focusing on what went wrong and working on improving it in practice.

“I think each week’s different,” the coach said. “You always after each game kind of step back and say, ‘OK, what were the issues yesterday and why were they the issues?’ We couldn’t hold onto the ball and maybe were turning the ball over too much? Well, maybe we need to spend more time on ball security, which we do a ton of in practice already to begin with. Were we making a lot of mental errors and guys just didn’t play with confidence? Well, maybe we had too much in and their minds were cluttered.”