As some of you may know, I amd a huge fan of the University of South Carolina, mainly because I grew up around my dad, who went there and always watched the games.
As others may know, the school's football season was ATROCIOUS this year. Many were calling for everyone involved to be fired.
Recap
We opened the season with high hopes and high expectations, following a very hot 2024 season where the school was in the playoff discussion. With a season opener in Atlanta against Virginia Tech, we hit the ground running with an exciting win. That was followed up with a solid win over SC State. Elsewhere in the SEC though, Vanderbilt was cooking up a historic season for their program, and we knew they would be the first real test. This was where we lost our first game this season. From there, the feelings of the fanbase were teetering on the edge. Next was a close loss to Mizzou, then a dominant win over Kentucky.
At this point, we weren't sure what the season held for us. We could just as easily win out as we could lose out. We had a visit to LSU, that didn't go well. Then a visit from Oklahoma, once again, not a good one. Another loss to Alabama (though closer than expected) followed. At this point, we were 3-5, and bowl eligibility was seeming far out of reach. Ole miss was a rough, but expected loss, but the one point loss to TAMU was the nail in the coffin. We weren't making a bowl game, and our last win would be against Coastal Carolina. In a last ditch effort to save face, we couldn't even beat the worst Clemson team in years.
What Went Wrong?
In my personal, not at all professional opinion, there are several factors that lead to this saddening season. One of the biggest and most spoken about issues was our offense. The offensive line was mediocre at best, and couldn't assist the run game even slightly. The only time we got off good runs was when LaNorris Sellers kept the ball and booked it. Speaking of Sellers, that brings me to another issue. While I support Sellers, and all of our players for that matter, I feel that our QB1 regressed this year. Sellers had much more pressure on him this year, and it showed. While he had flashes of 2024, he seemed to lack confidence in his receivers, and often held the ball far to long, scrambling 10-15 yards further back than he would have been if he took the sack. My hope for his sake is that all this talk of the Heisman and 1st overall pick got in his head, because I have seen him do better.
Defense had some issues in a few games, but it was expected given the personnel we lost to the draft and graduation. While they got several big turnovers across most of the games, the offense struggled to make them count. It was a far cry from the team we saw last year.
"I'm sick as heck about this feeling right now. I'm responsible. I'm going to get it fixed so we're never feeling this feeling again." -Head Coach Shane Beamer
Can It Be Fixed?
Yes. It can.
We are in a new era of college football, where teams can change wildly from season to season. There will be dominant teams, but the title is up for anyone to grab. With that being said, what many people think our next step should be is firing Shane Beamer. I disagree. What do we gain from firing him? A coaching vacancy and another rebuild. Beamer has proven he can recruit beyond what we have ever been used to here. He has won some MASSIVE games in his tenure so far. As much as it sucks to admit it, South Carolina is a mid-tier program at best. It's going to be a long process to get us to the top, and with a guy like Beamer, who has shown and expressed his love for the school and the state, we should stick by his side. He has already made some very good changes to his staff, and with another high-ranking recruiting class coming in, it's hard to believe we won't be better next year.
We just need to be patient, and our time will come soon enough.