Perspective on Shane Beamer's second season at South Carolina
The last time South Carolina had an eight-win regular season, the revisionist history of the schedule doesn’t look all that great. The Gamecocks didn’t beat a lot of stalwart teams but this year was different.
As the Gamecocks prepare now for a bowl game, let’s look at some perspectives recapping an unequivocal second season.
Improved record, historic wins
Firstly, South Carolina improved their record from 6-6 to 8-4. It is a rare jump that many coaches do not see in their sophomore seasons. The Gamecocks beat top 10 teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time in program history to close out the season.
The biggest win of the season came at the end of the year. Beamer’s squad knocked off in-state rival Clemson for the first time in seven years. It was a goal that Beamer set on day one of his new role in Columbia and he accomplished that on his second try.
Not only did the Gamecocks knock off a top-10 team at home for the first time 2014 and snap the Clemson streak, but there were a few other big wins.
South Carolina picked up its first win in program history over Texas A&M and also beat Kentucky in Lexington for the first time in a decade. The Gamecocks also pushed their winning streak against Vanderbilt to 14. No other East team has won more than five straight over the Commodores (Georgia).
Become a NIL supporter of your South Carolina Gamecocks today!
The South Carolina athletic department is looking to give Beamer to a new contract as first reported by GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark.
Lack of Offense
South Carolina struggled to find its identity throughout the year on offense. The last two games of the year were certainly a welcomed chang to what took place at times season.
Top 10
- 1New
Jalen Milroe
Mysterious hand growth
- 2Hot
Cooper Flagg
Coach K doesn't rule out return to Duke
- 3
1-seeds on the line
Teams still in the running
- 4
Hugh Freeze
Diagnosed with cancer
- 5Trending
Hard Knocks
NFL show coming to college
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has departed for Nebraska, giving fans hope for a more consistent offense in 2023.
Here’s how South Carolina finished in the SEC offensively:
Total yards gained: 9th with 4,572, an average of 381 per game.
Passing yards: 5th with 3,093, an average of 257.75 per game.
Rushing yards: 12th with 1,479, an average of 123.25 per game.
What do these numbers say? Well, it shows how big of a difference the last second half of the season made on the passing numbers. Rattler threw for an average of 406.5 yards in the two contests.
It also shows what can happen when a team has a banged-up backfield for the second half. The rushing yards dipped significantly in the second half because of the injuries to Lloyd and Beal-Smith.
Subscribe to Gamecock Central until the 2023 football season for only $10!
Beamer Ball 2.0
South Carolina lived up to the legacy started by Beamer’s father Frank. Pete Lembo has done a spectacular job with the unit. The platoon was good last year, they got even better in 2022.
Here’s how the Gamecocks finished in the stats that matter:
Blocked Kicks: 6 – Tied for 3rd (NCAA)
Blocked Punts: 5 – Tied for 2nd (NCAA)
Net Punting: 43.27 – 5th (NCAA)
Punt Returning: 1st in Touchdowns with 2 – 2nd in average with 18.33 yards per return. (NCAA)
Kick Return defense: 17.22 yards per return – 23rd (NCAA)
The unit is led by their punter Kai Kroeger. Kroeger burst onto the scene in 2022. Over half of Kroeger’s punts (52 percent) were spotted inside the 20-yard line.
His 46.8-yard average was 2nd in the country and the best out of the SEC. Kroeger was named to the USA Today All-SEC First team. He was also named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy punter of the year award, snupped as a Guy finalist.
