'He deserves it': Beamer explains decision to name Davis Beville a captain, let him close out game in return to Oklahoma
As the fourth quarter began, the game was already in hand. Barring some miracle, it was very unlikely Oklahoma would be making a 26-point comeback.
With about 10 minutes left to go in South Carolina’s eventual 35-9 win over the Sooners on Saturday, head coach Shane Beamer started to talk with offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and offensive analyst Mike Shula. They all had the same idea in mind.
“We really wanted to get him in the game,” said Beamer, referring to third-string quarterback Davis Beville. “Really from about the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter on, it’s making sure we get Davis in the game.”
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Without context, you might be wondering why Beamer and his staff were so adamant about getting a journeyman quarterback into a blowout game. Isn’t that just par for the course when the score is settled? But this game meant a lot not just for Beamer but also to Beville.
So much of Saturday was made out to be about Beamer’s first trip back to Norman since his days as an assistant at Oklahoma. Lost in the shuffle of all the storylines, Beville, who played at Oklahoma from 2022-23, would be returning for the first time since he transferred, as well.
So, with just under five minutes to go, Beamer decided to put in second-stringer Robby Ashford after he had decided to call it a day for starter LaNorris Sellers. Under normal circumstances, Ashford may have just finished out the game. But Beamer wanted to ensure Beville also got in.
“When we put Robby in, we didn’t want the clock to run out and not be able to get Davis in. So we put him in there on that third down,” Beamer said.
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After five plays for Ashford, Beville checked into the game for the first time, though under less-than-ideal circumstances. His first play came on 3rd and 11. And it couldn’t have gone much worse. Beville was quickly brought to the ground for Oklahoma’s sixth and final sack of the game.
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“I wish we had protected a little better,” Beamer said. “He could have thrown for a conversion. I didn’t envision the story going where he went in there and got sacked, but that’s how it happened.”
While his first chance to get in didn’t go as planned, he did end up getting somewhat of a “last laugh” if you will. With under a minute to go, he kneeled out the final two plays of the game, which capped off a forgettable afternoon for the Oklahoma faithful.
In addition to seeing a short stint on the field, Beville received an honor much higher than any playing time could ever give him. He was named one of South Carolina’s four team captains for the game.
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“When we as a coaching staff were discussing that, I liked the idea, but I wanted to make sure some of our players were okay with it,” Beamer said. “So, I reached out to four of our players that have been here on this team since 2020 and asked them what they thought about making Davis a captain.”
And the vote went about as expected. There were no objections.
“It was unanimous, like 100 percent, heck yeah, that would be awesome, he deserves it — those kinds of comments,” Beamer said. “So happy for him. I know he appreciated it yesterday.”
