Notable quotes from Shane Beamer's Florida week press conference

Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday ahead of this week’s big game between South Carolina and Florida on Saturday (3:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus) at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gators are 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the SEC and have the toughest part of the schedule coming. After losing two of its last three games, South Carolina (2-3, 1-2) is coming off a much needed bye week.

Here are some of Beamer’s most notable quotes …

FROM SHANE BEAMER’S OPENING STATEMENT

“The bye week was great for us. Practiced Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday last week and those were three productive days for us on and off the field as a staff and as a team to really reevaluate where we are. And what we need to do to get to where we want to go as the season goes on. Was great to reevaluate some personnel, schemes, you name it — and then got some really good work in on the field as well. Gave the players off Thursday, Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday.

They needed to get away physically and mentally. It’s been a long five weeks — been been a grind. The month of August combined with that, really haven’t had any days off. As a staff we haven’t, and the players, not much other than the Mondays we have in the season that’s our mandatory day off.

It was good for everybody to get away. Got back here on Sunday late afternoon, had practice and meetings. And that was good. The energy has been really, really good. The work on the field Sunday night and today has been really, really good as well. Gave us a chance to get healthy and reset as we go to the last seven games now that we’re into October and going into November.

Also, got a big opportunity Saturday. Great to be back at Williams-Brice Stadium for a Saturday afternoon, 3:30 game, SEC Network. Going to be an awesome environment. Want to thank our fans. I know this thing was sold out already when the kickoff time is announced. Another example of how we have the greatest fans in all of America, and they showed it again with that. Home field environment has been awesome this season, and I know Saturday will be no different as we get our second SEC game of the year in Williams-Brice Stadium against a really good football team coming in here.

The Gators have impressed Shane Beamer so far

“They’re 4-2 right now. The quarterback who transferred in is playing really well — is completing over 80 percent of his passes in SEC football game I think he’s 78 (percent) overall. If you look at the SEC games he’s played in against some good defenses, he’s completing over 80 percent. Really talented group of running backs; great vision, can run with power, can make you miss. Talented receivers. Tight end had a really great game on Saturday against Vanderbilt. Talented offensive line.

Big and physical defensively. Active in the front seven. Their defensive line is huge. Athletic at linebacker and then some elite players in the secondary as well. They’re a team that continues to get better each week. Played really, really well against Vanderbilt on Saturday in all three phases. We’ll have to play really, really well on Saturday.

I like our team, like the way we’ve worked in practice and our mindset right now as we go into the last seven games of the season as well.”

ON THE HEALTH OF SOME GAMECOCK PLAYERS

“(Receiver) Juice (Wells), I’d say, is doubtful for this week. He met with the specialist this morning up in Charlotte. Just saw him in the training room a little bit ago when I got off the practice field. The injury is really healing well — on the fast track from a healing process.

Certainly don’t want to put Juice out there before he’s ready, and don’t want to put him out there without the right mindset as well. I think it clearly could be a a week-to-week thing. It’s healing at a really, really good pace. Nobody wants to be out there more than Juice, but I would say he’s doubtful this week. But I wouldn’t 100 percent close the door on anything.

Everybody else is really good. Cason Henry won’t play this week. But he is getting closer to be able to play. Hopefully by the end of the month we’ll see him back out there. Every day I walk through the weight room on the way to the practice field. You see Markee Anderson, you see Jaylen Nichols, you see Ryan Brubaker, you see Ni, who got hurt last week. You see all these linemen — and Cason as well, and it makes you go, it’s half of our O-linemen in here rehabbing on the way to the practice field. It’ll be nice to get some of those guys back. Cason is on track.

Defensively, really everybody is good. (Defensive back David) Spaulding was limited last week with a wrist, but he practiced today and was fine. Really no limitations at this point for anybody.”

BEAMER ON THE STATE OF THE PROGRAM

“I think the state of the program is fantastic right now. Are we happy with being 2-3? No. Did we expect to be 2-3? No. Am I discouraged for feel like we’ve had a step back? No.

Not to go back to the last two years but based on the way most of you guys projected us the last two seasons, we without a doubt overachieved in 2021 and 2022. And now, I think the natural progression in people’s minds is they won seven, they won eight and they’re supposed to win 10 or nine, and we still may, who knows, there’s a lot of football left.

I look at the big picture as far as everything, where we were when we got here in Dec. of 2020. What we’ve done from a culture standpoint, what we’ve done from a recruiting standpoint since we got here — the success we have on the field.

I get it. Ultimately, I’m judged season to season, week to week, and you’re judged on wins and losses. Right now, in 2023, we’re not good enough because we’re 2-3. But I also look at the big picture as far as the progress we’ve made since we got here. The football that’s still left to be played in the season s well.

I see a group of guys that love being around one another in this program, players, coaches and staff. I see the way they compete out there on the practice field. I see the recruiting process we’ve made where each year has been better and better from a recruiting standpoint.

I see the young freshmen that we’re playing right now. I see the young men that are seniors in high school who will be a part of the program next year, as well as the guys that are juniors in high school that are really excited about what we’re doing. I couldn’t be more fired up. Could not be more fired up about the future. I’m thinking long term.

I get it — you don’t get a six-year rebuilding plan; you’re coaching at the highest level and are expected to win, but I also know how far we’ve come since Dec. 2020. We’re just scratching the surface of what we’re going to be also.”

ON BEAMER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH GATORS COACH BILLY NAPIER

“I’d say the relationship is good. He was at Clemson when I was at South Carolina, obviously. I think 2010 was my last year here, and I believe he was the coordinator that year at Clemson. So he was the coordinator when he wan assistant with the program most of the years I was at South Carolina. I knew him, because we were both assistant coaches — me at South Carolina and he at Clemson — during that time.

Certainly followed him from afar when he went to Alabama, then Arizona State, then followed his success at Louisiana and then really probably reconnected when we both came back to the SEC. It’s good to see each other at SEC meetings and things like that as well.. A lot of respect for the job he did at Louisiana, what he’s doing at Florida and the job at Clemson when he was up there working for Dabo also.”

BEAMER ON WHERE IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED

“We have to play better and coach better in all three phases. I’ll say that. But we’re not far off. We’re not going into games and getting our butts kicked in our three losses,” he said. “We’ve gone into the second half of those games and it’s not like we’ve been out of it at halftime by any stretch of the imagination. For one, we have to do a better job of finishing.

When we get teams in third down, we have to get off the field. When we’re in third down offensively, we have to stay on the field. Offensively, we’ve had too many drives stall out around the 40-yard line going in. It happened twice against Tennessee

Against UNC we had the fourth down the first drive of the second half. Then we had three drives in the fourth quarter inside the 22-yard line and got three points out of it. We have to finish drives offensively when we get in plus territory.

That’s one thing that jumped out and be better technique-wise. Then defensively continue to develop depth and issues where we have to continue to play guys,” he said. “Then are there things from a schematic standpoint we need to be doing differently in all three phases to help guys?”