Shane Beamer talks Gamecocks bye week before Florida

Shane Beamer discusses South Carolina’s strengths and weaknesses during the Gamecock’s bye week.

Looking Back

The Gamecocks have had a lackluster season so far. The team currently has a 4-4 record, and has a decently tough remainder of schedule. The beginning of the season brought some hope to Gamecock fans, as they had two dominant wins, and their in state rival, Clemson was falling fast. Unfortunately, South Carolina made the trip to Athens in week three and suffered a 40-13 loss. Since then, South Carolina has only beaten Troy and Vanderbilt. The latter was a last second, one point victory, and raised some concerns for Gamecock fans. Week Eight the team travelled to College Station, and suffered another hard loss at the hands of Texas A&M. Beamer saw this as an opportunity to see what improvements needed to be made, and capitalize on them.

Zeb Takes Back the Reins

After suffering a torn Meniscus against the Aggies, fans have been curious to hear the state of quarterback Zeb Noland. Zeb underwent surgery for the injury, and is prepped to start against Florida next weekend. Beamer seems confident in his ability after he took over for Luke Doty during a season ending foot surgery.

In his absence, backup Jason Brown has stepped up to keep the offense in check. While Brown has not seen an excess of playing time, he seems to handle himself well in practice. The team is ready for Zeb to return, but Beamer let everyone know that they are comfortable playing under Brown as well.

Swamp Meets Sandstorm

Beamer is hoping to get his team into a comfortable position and good headspace before next weekend. The Florida Gators will enter Williams-Brice late that Saturday night. Florida has been an on and off team, but a dominant offense nonetheless. Jaylan Foster is the player that the Gamecocks need to focus on, as he is the teams best defensive player. Foster has already racked up 65 tackles and five interceptions this season. This could be deadly to the Florida offense if the Offensive Line is not vigilant.

The Gators defense has been struggling this season, and if Zeb Noland can find their breaks, he may be able to put numbers on the board. This Gators team will be coming straight off of their rivalry game against the Georgia Bulldogs, and regardless of the outcome, the team will be tired. This bye week is perfect for the Gamecocks to get some rest, and play with intense energy to try to slow this Florida team down.

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Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at Williams-Brice Stadium.