After going on a heater of a lifetime late last season, it looks like the shoe is on the other football for Shane Beamer and his South Carolina Gamecocks. Not only did his team fall to 2-4 (1-3) on the season after losing to Florida on Saturday, but Beamer done broke his dang foot in the process. He channeled his inner Jack Daniel, kicked something he should not have and paid a great price for it.
While Daniel left us not long after mangling his foot on a safe out of frustration somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains, Beamer will probably stay with us, thanks to advances in medical science and having a breakout campaign in year two in South Carolina only a season ago. Regardless, South Carolina needs to start winning games if the Gamecocks want to achieve bowl eligibility in December.
Beamer got out ahead of this during his press conference on Tuesday before the Missouri game.
"I broke my foot on Saturday, so I'd rather just get it out there and say it. And not have y'all speculating and then after the game on Saturday at Missouri you ask. I called coach [Ray] Tanner, told him, made sure he was OK with it and he died laughing when I told him. So I guess there's not a lot of empathy from him. It was after the game, and certainly that was a gut-wrenching, emotional loss, and I was frustrated and kicked something that I shouldn't have kicked."
Clearly, adrenaline is a helluva drug, but nothing comes between a coach and his love of his players.
"I thought I was OK, but the adrenaline of the game wore off, and before anybody starts the narrative like, 'The head football coach is frustrated and lost his poise,' and all that. No, I care. I care about these kids, and I was really upset on Saturday night because I didn't do enough to help them get over the hump and win the football game."
No, Beamer is not going to have surgery because he is one tough son of a gun with a busted-up foot.
"Don't think I'm going to have to have surgery, but there is a broken bone in my foot. It hurts like you know what. I've gotta show toughness and fight through it."
We don't need no pain medication up in here, as South Carolina losing games is bad enough for him.
"The problem with not being on any kind of pain medication… we'll be like faking punts from the 2-yard line on fourth and 30 because I'll be loopy if I'm on pain medicine. So we've gotta make sure that I fight through with no pain medicine and I'm focused and can make calls. But nah, I'm good. We've got a great medical team here. Like I told the players, don't condone it. Not saying that it's OK to kick things after a game. Feel bad as a dad. My kids saw me and they were like, 'What the heck?' So lesson learned. Stupid on my part."
Yeah, stupid on your part, bruh...
Shane Beamer shows more toughness with a broken foot than his team
After beating Tennessee and Clemson, and nearly clipping Notre Dame down in Duval, South Carolina was a sexy pick to finish in second place in the SEC East to Georgia this season. Beamer was doing extraordinary things in Columbia that only his mentor, the Head Ball Coach himself, could have ever done. Flash forward to today, Beamer is 2-4 after losing the Steve Spurrier Bowl with a broken foot.
Truthfully, the sooner South Carolina pivots off Spencer Rattler, the better. He has not gotten all that much better, if at all, since his first season as the Oklahoma starter during the 2020 COVID season. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks could be running out of time to get to 6-6. They have got the Battle of Columbia at Mizzou next week and at College Station vs. Texas A&M after that. This team may be 2-6.
From there, South Carolina should beat Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt at home before setting up a critical two-game stretch at Williams-Brice vs. Kentucky and arch rival Clemson. Not saying none of the Gamecocks' remaining six games are unwinnable, but it is hard seeing this team doing any better than 7-5, much less 6-6. The Gamecocks have played a brutal schedule thus far, but it is what it is.
By the time Beamer takes off his walking boot, South Carolina will either be bowling or stuck at home.