South Carolina debuts in AP Poll
For the first time in over four years, South Carolina finds itself in the AP top 25.
The Gamecocks, after four consecutive wins, find themselves as the No. 25 team in the country. The last time South Carolina was ranked was in the Sept. 4, 2018 version of the poll after a season-opening win against Coastal Carolina.
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Then No. 24 South Carolina lost to Georgia the following week and has not been ranked since. The Gamecocks ended that year with seven regular-season wins and a loss in the Belk Bowl.
The ranking is South Carolina’s second ranking over the last seven seasons dating back to 2015 season.
South Carolina (5-2, 2-2 SEC) earned it with a four-game win streak after starting 1-2 on the year. Since then the Gamecocks have won four straight, including consecutive SEC games at Kentucky and at home to Texas A&M Saturday night.
It’s the longest win streak since 2013.
Now, it’s about South Carolina keeping its ranking. The Gamecocks host Missouri next (4 p.m., SEC Network) before traveling to Vanderbilt the first weekend of November.
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The Gamecocks end the season at Florida, then home to Tennessee before rounding out the regular season with a road tilt at Clemson.
Shane Beamer proud of South Carolina’s fight
from Collyn Taylor
A month ago, Shane Beamer sat in the South Carolina postgame locker room coming off a shellacking to top-ranked Georgia. There, he snipped back at a question about his team giving up in the second half of the blowout loss.
The tone Saturday night, his hat still wet with the Gatorade his team doused him with, was vastly different.
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“I’m so proud of their fight. They never flinch. It’s a really, really special group of kids in that locker room and I’m happy for them. It’s a little over a month ago we sat in here after the Georgia game and got asked if I sensed any quit in this football team. Does that look like this team quit?” Beamer said, matter-of-factly.
“Since that day we’ve won four straight for the first time since 2013. We just beat Kentucky on the road in Lexington for the first time since 2012. Then we just beat Texas A&M for the first time ever. So no, there’s no quit in this team. We have a bunch of freaking fighters on this team.”
The Gamecocks exorcized some demons Saturday night, beating Texas A&M 30-24 for the first win in program history against the Aggies.
The jubilation and pandemonium of the six-point win was a far cry from the despondent press conferences South Carolina had after its worst loss to Georgia in program history.
And it served for MarShawn LLoyd and South Carolina as a message to the rest of the SEC.
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“We were able to show people that two weeks ago wasn’t a fluke. We’re here now. South Carolina’s on the rise. We’re here to compete with anyone,” he said. “We’re here to get better and better each week, we’re here to prove to everyone we can play against any team and compete against anybody.”
