Everything Shane Beamer Had To Say After Arkansas

What did the head coach have to say after the Gamecocks loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks?

After the conclusion of the Arkansas game, where the Gamecocks lost 44-30, Coach Shane Beamer talked to media who made the trip out to Fayetteville, Arkansas. While the game didn’t go the way Coach Beamer would’ve wanted, he expressed optimism in what the Gamecocks showed and the potential is if they continue to progress: 

“I think we got a chance to be a really good football team if we can continue to get better… we talked all week that we’re gonna face adversity here at some point, and that’s when we get stronger as a football team, and I thought we showed that in a lot of ways today”.

While Arkansas went up 19 points with 12:09 left in the game, South Carolina at two different points after that cut the lead down to 2 scores, and had some chances to make the game interesting, but an interception thrown by Spencer Rattler in the Hogs red zone and a fumble by MarShawn Lloyd prematurely ended two Gamecock drives.

During his opening remarks at his press conference, Coach Beamer made no bones about it regarding the two costly turnovers late in the game: 

“Obviously we can’t turn the ball over, especially in the fourth quarter… at least two turnovers in the fourth quarter and you can’t win football games on the road in the SEC [doing that]”.

Another talking point from this coaching staff going forward will more than likely involve taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves in hard-thought football games, which the Gamecocks didn’t do enough of against Arkansas. The Gamecock offense had multiple deep shot attempts in the game which sailed over the head of the receivers while the defense managed to force sixteen 3rd down attempts for the Hogs, but allowed them to convert nine of them leading to the Razorbacks garnering a nine minute advantage in time of possession.

When asked how frustrating it might have been not being able to convert on the chances that were presented, Coach Beamer conveyed that the Gamecocks certainly had their chances but just weren’t able to get the job done enough times.

“Yeah, very [frustrating]. We felt like we had a great advantage with our receivers and tight ends against their defensive backs today. It’s why we threw it like we did. We certainly had some guys open in the secondary… and then there were other opportunities as well… Defensively as well, they were a load, obviously that quarterback is, and we gotta stop the run and get ourselves off the field as well. Certainly had a lot of opportunities out there in all three phases”.

The difference between a good team and a great team can be pinpointed to a lot of different facets, but one that’s applicable here is that good teams create their own opportunities to help themselves win the game, while great teams make those opportunities count when they’re there. South Carolina might not be there yet, but it’s clear that this team is a little bit farther along compared to last year when it comes to the vision that Shane Beamer has for this program.

Beamer also provided an injury update on three defense players who exited the contest. Cam Smith, Jordan Strachan, and Mohamed Kaba will all be re-evaluated on Monday, and Gamecocks Digest will update readers as information becomes available.

“Jordan and Mo [Kaba]... it doesn’t look good going forward, so we’ll say our prayers tonight, and hopefully we’ll get some good news, but right now it doesn’t look good. Cam should be fine, had an upper body injury that I hope would not be long-term at all."

You Might Also Like:

• South Carolina vs. Arkansas: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

• South Carolina's Efforts Signify New Direction

• Beamer Provides Injury Update After Arkansas

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.