Shane Beamer gives early keys to the game for UNC matchup
The first Gamecock Football with Coach Shane Beamer TV show of the 2023 season aired on Sunday morning with the South Carolina football coach giving some early thoughts on North Carolina prior to his usual Tuesday preview press conference.
Beamer and UNC head coach Mack Brown go way back and have a ton of respect for each other, which each made clear prior to their last matchup in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“I certainly have a lot of respect for Coach Mack Brown and what he’s done over his career, wherever he’s been as well and he’s got a really good team that we’ll be facing in Charlotte next week,” Beamer said.
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After getting the usual niceties about of the way, Beamer’s attention quickly turned to the quarterback position.
“Obviously, for them, it starts with the quarterback, Drake Maye,” Beamer said. “He came in at the end of the game when we played them in the bowl game a couple of years ago. He came in and finished out the game, so we’ve played against him, but what he’s done since then has been remarkable. When people talk about, ‘He’s going to be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft next season,’ that’s legitimate and he’s a really talented player as a thrower but just as an athlete and being able to run as well. So we’ve got to be able to do a great job of being able to corral him and that also means offensively we’ve got to be able to stay on the field and score some points, because you’re facing a team with a really good quarterback.”
The ACC Player of the Year and a First-team All-ACC performer, Maye had a huge season as a redshirt freshman last year.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder started all 14 games for the Tar Heels, completing 342-of-517 passes (66.2%) for 4,321 yards and 38 TDs and seven interceptions, while rushing for 698 yards and seven TDs.
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While the matchup will certainly come down to more than just quarterback play, it will be billed as a head-to-head battle between Spencer Rattler and Maye.
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Rattler, who finished last season on fire, has had a huge preseason camp, according to all indications, and was named the Preseason Player of the Year by Beamer during the same broadcast Sunday.
When the two teams last matched up in December of 2021, Rattler had just committed to the Gamecocks as a transfer a few days earlier and Maye, as Beamer mentioned, was a backup to Sam Howell.
There will, thankfully, be no mayo bath this year as the two schools square off in the Duke’s Kickoff Classic this weekend with Rattler and Maye front and center.
“It’s a Game 1,” Beamer continued. “Game 1s are always tough because there’s just so many unknowns for both teams. But our guys are really motivated, obviously, and excited to play, and I know it’s going to be a great night in Charlotte.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium with ABC carrying the broadcast. ESPN’s College Gameday will also air live from Charlotte outside of the stadium that morning.
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