Focus remains same as it did in '22 for South Carolina after picking up massive win

South Carolina finally cracked the code and got the big win it had been needing. So, now what? What comes next after a monumental win where the Gamecocks played their best football of the season?

Teams have been in this situation before where they’d win a big game and then lay an egg the following week. It’s happened a lot in college football, particularly in a season like this one where it can be any team’s week. Just ask Alabama after beating Georgia then losing to Vanderbilt the following week.

The Gamecocks are no stranger to being in this situation. In fact, they were in a similar boat two years ago when they had just suffered a 32-point loss on the road at Florida. Then in the following week, as 22.5-point underdogs, they shocked everyone and beat No. 5 Tennessee in a 63-38 win.

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Even after that signature win, not many gave South Carolina a chance to do it again. Not with a trip to No. 8 Clemson on deck. But with the odds stacked against them, the Gamecocks fought from behind to beat a top-10 team for the second consecutive week and in the process knock the Tigers out of the playoff picture.

In a lot of ways, this week is eerily like the way 2022 went. Present day South Carolina, fresh off a 44-20 win over No. 10 Texas A&M, heads to Nashville to take on an upstart Vanderbilt team. No two teams are the same, but Shane Beamer led the charge for the upset wins back then. And he knows the mindset it takes to not let up after a huge win.

“We had the opportunity over the next two weeks to change the trajectory of the program,” Beamer said, reflecting on how the Gamecocks were able to finish the ’22 season the way they did. “When we beat Tennessee, we just reiterated that. We didn’t say we had one week to do it. We had the next two weeks. We need to continue to build on that and that nobody thinks you are going to be able to do it two weeks in a row. Leaning into that is what we did two years ago. I think this year is very similar.”

Now, just because South Carolina didn’t let the Tennessee win go to its head two years ago doesn’t automatically mean it won’t this time or that it hasn’t before. Going back to 2010, after picking up arguably the biggest win in program history over top-ranked Alabama, the Gamecocks went to Kentucky a week later and let an 18-point lead slip away in a 31-28 loss.

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This isn’t the only instance where they couldn’t build off a huge win. Since 2010, they’ve gone on to lose four separate times, including the Kentucky loss, after beating a top-10 team. So, it has happened before, and it very well could again with the Commodores a much-improved squad at 6-3 on the year.

But there is good news. From what has been said this week, the team seems to not be letting the A&M win linger. While it was a great win for the program, it’s just one game with a lot of season still left to play.

“You’ve seen teams that get good wins and then they kind of relax going into the next week no matter who they’re playing,” Cason Henry said. “And I don’t think that we’re that kind of team. I think that we bring it every week and I’m really proud of my teammates obviously for having that mindset.”

Comparatively, Vanderbilt has been in the same shoes that South Carolina is in right now. There’s no question beating Alabama on Oct. 5 was the biggest win in program history. In the weeks that followed, the Commodores won their next two games before losing by a field goal to Texas. They won the next week, though, and beat Auburn to become bowl eligible.

“I think Vanderbilt’s the same way,” Henry said. “They came off a really, really good win over Alabama and they’re bringing it every week. I think it’s going to be a really physical game and I think that we need to bring it this week to have success.”

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The message throughout the week has been to take things one game at a time and go 1-0. It’s a good thought process to help keep things in perspective. But Beamer realizes last Saturday’s win was just the beginning of an all-important month for the Gamecocks. So, while the win was nice, the real work is just starting.

“Last week, we said, ‘They remember November,’ and they do,” Beamer said. “It wasn’t just, they remember November 2. … I am sure there are a lot of people that think, man, they played great against Texas A&M. There is no way they can do it two weeks in a row against another good team. It is a challenge for us to see if we can. I would say that, as well.”

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