South Carolina Gamecocks College Football Pregame Quote, 10/15/2024

SHANE BEAMER: “I know I mentioned it in the teleconference on Sunday night, but just one time. Want to send our prayers to the North Carolina football team and the family of Tylee Craft on that tragic loss. Puts things so much in perspective. Did not know him but obviously hits close to home with him being from Sumter and high school teammate of O’Donnell Fortune and Nathan Harris-Waynick. Praying for that family and praying for the Tar Heel community and hurt for them, as well.”

On Brent Venables’ ability to decipher other teams signals and how they combat that

“I think sometimes that can be overrated in a lot of ways. There is no question that it happens. I am not necessarily saying with them but it happens across college football every single Saturday, so it is something that we are always aware of. We go fast at times. We huddle at times. We don’t huddle at times. I think what they do a really good job of is seeing the formation that you are in and being able to call defenses based off seeing what you are in. We have to do a good job of trying to keep them off balance. Their defensive coordinator was at Jacksonville State last year. Now, he is the defensive coordinator out in Norman, as well. That is something for us offensively and defensively every single Saturday that we are always aware of.”

On if there is a chance Jakai Moore comes back this year

“I would say that is doubtful at this point. We will see what the future holds. At this point, I would say doubtful.”

On how close he feels the team is to finishing off games

“I think we are extremely close. Two losses to top 10 teams by a total of five points. I think I am saying that right. We had plenty of opportunities in both of those games to win it. The thing we have to do a great job of is finishing. There are a lot of things that are disappointing about those games. Probably the biggest thing for me is just, in both of those games, we led going into the fourth quarter. I know LSU scored on the very first play of the fourth quarter and I think they were on the three-yard line so maybe there is an asterisk next to that one. If I am not mistaken, those are the first two times in my time as the head coach that we have ever lost a game that we led going into the fourth quarter and it has happened twice now. We have to finish. How do we finish? We play cleaner football. We can look back at Saturday in Tuscaloosa and there are so many opportunities in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams that we had opportunities to finish that game and not even let it get to a final drive. A lot of those things are self-inflicted whether it be penalties, turnovers, you name it. I am big fan of Mike Tomlin, and somebody sent me his clip of halftime of, I think it was the Cowboys game a couple of weeks ago in the postgame interview where they asked him, ‘What do you have do in the second half?’  He said something along the lines of, we have to quit kicking our own butt before we worry about kicking somebody else’s. We have had a lot of that this year. We have to continue to be better and grow and learn and get better each week. I see a lot of signs of that. I think we are extremely close. We also know that the margin for error in this league especially is extremely small.”

On the emotions of returning to Norman

“I would be lying if I said there weren’t going to be emotions. The hotel that we will be staying in is the hotel that I lived in for the first three weeks until I found a temporary place to live. Actually, I probably lived in there for more than that. No, it got too expensive, so I had to find a cheaper hotel to live in. That is what it was. I stayed in there for a week. Embassy Suites, their rate was a little bit higher than the I think the Courtyard Marriott is where I moved into after that for a month or so. We are staying in that hotel. The first time my family and I ever went to Norman when I had taken the job is the hotel we are staying in. I am so appreciative of my time there. I am thankful to Lincoln Riley giving me an opportunity. Thankful for the great players that I was around. Made so many friends that we still keep in touch with for sure. Joe Castiglione, the athletic director, was so good to me during my time there and really poured into me as an assistant coach that had goals of becoming a head coach. I can’t thank him enough for how he poured into me during my three years there. Joe Harroz, the president, is just awesome. I still get text messages from those guys and phone calls and whatnot. Just really, really good people and friends for life that we made out there. There will be a lot of memories. Norman is a small college town. It is flat so pretty much every hotel room, I will be able to look out the window and see things in Norman that bring back memories. Once the game starts, it is about that. I think the biggest thing for me is the appreciation and gratitude I have for my time out there and the people that I was around.”

On how they ramp up ball security preparation for Oklahoma

“One, they are seventh and I think we are 12th in the country in takeaways. It is going to be a battle of, we have to get some takeaways ourselves because I think turnovers in a game like this are huge. We saw that last week in Tuscaloosa. For us, we always emphasize it every week in practice. We do multiple things about it. You don’t really change what you are doing but you certainly just continue to coach it and the details of how we want to get the ball out and how we want to protect the football, as well. Not just on offense and defense, but special teams. We knocked the ball out on kickoff the other day against Alabama. Going into that game, Alabama’s kickoff returners had fumbled the ball three times on returns so we challenged our guys to go get number four. We knocked it out and we just weren’t able to quite recover it. I think it is emphasizing it, like we are doing. I think on Saturday, it is going to be about just straining and finishing plays. That is the thing that jumps off the tape when you watch Oklahoma’s defense is just how hard they play. They are flying around and so many of their sacks, so many of their turnovers have come on just unbelievable effort where a guy gets blocked twice and just refuses to stay blocked and he gets off two blocks that they are basically double teaming him and he sacks the Auburn quarterback or Tulane quarterback or whoever it might be. We have to play with great effort and great technique in all three phases.”

On what stands out to him about his time at Oklahoma that prepared him to be a head coach

“I think the biggest thing for me was, one, it was a really cool three years being around a program with such storied tradition. Right outside their stadium, across the field from the press box that you guys will be in is where they have, I guess they are up to seven or eight Heisman Trophy statues. That is eye opening. You just see all the conference championships that they have won. Just a level of respect for the tradition. That was really cool. Two, being around so many legendary coaches. Barry Switzer lives three blocks from the stadium, and you would see him around. Just being able to see him around the football program. Coach Bob Stoops was great to me during my time there. When I took this job, some of the advice that he gave me when I was coaching there about becoming a head coach for the first time. That made me better. Just being around Lincoln Riley was really helpful for me because that was his, very much like when I was with Kirby at Georgia. When I was with Lincoln, that was his first really true year of being as the head football coach. He got hired in June and coached that season. Then, he hired me right after that season. Really, his first offseason as a head coach, I was with him. Just being able to see how he did things as a first time head coach was really beneficial for me. Then, just being able to be exposed to a different style of offense and a different part of the country and different conference. There was a lot of new. A big reason I took that job was to get out of my comfort zone, if you will. Not that I was comfortable, but being exposed to a lot of new. The old expression is true. You have to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow. Making that move personally and professionally got me out of my comfort zone and really help me grow as a head coach.”

On LaNorris Sellers’ performance against Alabama

“I thought it was a heck of a performance. To be able to go on the road in that stadium. Joe DeCamillis and I were talking about it last week. Go back and look at the quarterbacks that have won in that stadium. There are very few. Johnny Manziel, Joe Burrow, Quinn Ewers, I am not even sure. There are not many after that if there are any. LaNorris was right on the verge of being able to add his name to legendary quarterbacks that have won in that stadium. Cam Newton, as well. He was right there. It says a lot about him. It says a lot about the people around him. The way that Mike Shula and Dowell Loggains have coached him. The way that the receivers, running backs and tight ends continue to get better around him. You give credit to LaNorris. The kind of kid he is, young man. The competitor he is. His poise. I think probably the biggest thing is the experience. You think about it, started Old Dominion. Got knocked out of the Kentucky game so he missed time in the Kentucky game. He got knocked out of the LSU game. He didn’t play the whole second half. He missed the Akron game. He came back against Ole Miss and then obviously Alabama. He is still young and haven’t played a ton of football this season. I think it was just a natural progression of just him continuing to get experience and being comfortable and making plays without a doubt.”

On Michael Hawkins Jr. and what stands out about him and the injuries Oklahoma is dealing with

“It can be a challenge. Jackson Arnold, the previous quarterback, did a lot of really good things this year. You watch his tape, and he made some big time throws and is a good athlete. You watch with Michael, the new quarterback, he is able to make throws. Obviously, he brings an athletic element to the position being able to run, as well. It is challenge when you face a running quarterback that can improvise and get out of the pocket and make plays. They have lost some of their bigger receivers, size wise. This group that they have, though, is still talented. They are twitchy. They are athletic. They can make people miss. They are really athletic at tight end and can run. They rely on those two guys a lot. They present a lot of problems. One, personnel wise and the uncertainty of some things. Two, it is Oklahoma. They haven’t lacked for really good recruiting classes, and I don’t think anybody has said that Oklahoma has ever not been talented. Yes, they have had some injuries. But they are an extremely talented and well coached football team in all three phases.”

On the improvements Kyle Kennard made in the offseason

“I think it starts with Kyle and his work ethic and focus and maturity and understanding that he has an opportunity during his one year here at South Carolina to really make something happen and change his life in a lot of ways from a football standpoint, financial standpoint, as well. It is his commitment to that. I think sometimes a change of scenery is good. Nothing against Georgia Tech and he has had nothing but positive things to say about his time in Atlanta. I think sometimes a fresh start is good for people. We had some guys that left our program after last season. I don’t think it was because they were unhappy. One guy just said I have been here, and I just need a fresh start. I don’t necessarily agree but I get it. The way we play defense here. The coaching from Sterling Lucas is fantastic and the coaching he is giving him. The positions that coach White has put him in from a schematic standpoint has done nothing but accelerate his development.  It starts with Kyle and I think you give credit to everyone in our program starting with Kyle but strength and conditioning, nutrition, training room, Derrick Moore in player development, on and on.”

On what he hopes the young players take away from the atmosphere in Tuscaloosa

“You went from a hostile environment and one of the great storied programs of college football and one of the great stadiums in college football last week in Tuscaloosa to now, we get to do that again this week, as well. We talked about it this morning in our team meeting because none of our guys have been there other than Davis Beville who transferred from there. Just the tradition and what the stadium is like and all the great traditions that they have there. The Sooner Schooner and the RUF/NEKS in the end zone that shoot their shotguns and everything. It is just a really cool place. Last Saturday, never once, and I am not knocking Alabama. Never once did I feel like our team was effected by the crowd noise and the environment. I never felt like there was a time where our guys looked up and were like, ‘Oh my God.’ If they did, they did a great job of disguising it. I would hope that Saturday would be the same thing.  We know it will be another hostile environment. They sell out every home game every year. Saturday will be no different. I think just the experience of, OK, we have been to Kentucky and won. We went to a stadium Saturday that was a lot more people than we went up against in Kentucky in Lexington. Just the size of the stadium. We did OK from handling the crowd for the most part. I think just going back to Jordan’s question with LaNorris, it is the same thing with the whole team in regards to just the experience of being on the road and being able to handle road environments, as well.”

‌On striking a balance of telling the team about playing close with Alabama but also losing a tight game isn’t to be celebrated

“Just that. You can learn from every loss, and you can learn from every win. I am sure people get mad at me because we have had losses and I find the positives in them instead of going in there and going scorched earth on people after losses. There is a time and place for that. Don’t get me wrong. You build on the positives and the progress you made. This group is an older, mature group where I don’t have to tell them that. They hurt. They are disappointed. They are not into moral victories. Give LSU and Alabama both credit. A lot of our guys realize that we could easily be sitting here 5-1 right now if we just finish games better. There is great hurt and disappointment that we haven’t been able to do that. No one is happy about being 3-3. That is what I told our players. Last week, everyone thought we stunk. This week, it is a bunch of pats on the back about how hard you played and man, you almost had them and what a response and all that. Last week, we didn’t listen to it. This week, we don’t need to be listening to it. We need to do everything in our power to find a way to win a game this Saturday, as well.”

On what makes the defensive line good at containing quarterbacks

“It starts with, you go from the back to the front. Certainly, the coverage in the secondary. Milroe got us on one last week on that first drive where he scrambled out of the pocket and hit number seven over there on our sideline for a big play. That was a coverage where we should have latched onto people in our zones. He got us on that one. For the most part, we did a good job. That is one key is, staying latched on to people when he does scramble so our defensive line and linebackers can pursue and get to him. To me, it starts with our DBs doing a great job. I think it is just the effort that we play with up front. When I say up front, I mean the four d-linemen and the linebackers that are back there. The effort they played with. Running people down and just playing with relentless effort. The effort that I was talking about that Oklahoma plays with, I would hope that the people says the same about us, as well. I think you go back and watch the very first play of the year against Old Dominion. The quarterback rolls out of the pocket and D-Knight tracks him down from inside the box and makes a sack, if I am not mistaken, over there on their sideline. Just extra effort like that and refusing to stay blocked. Let’s be real. We are good up front. We have multiple defensive ends that can rush the passer and are a handful. We have tackles on the inside that are not your big space eaters. We move and try to be very disruptive with our tackles inside with the movement that we do up front. That can be hard for teams, as well. A lot of the stuff we were doing on Saturday was, maybe here is an end coming screaming off the backside if it is a zone read but now he pulls it but here is one our defensive tackles looping around to be there to tackle the quarterback if he does pull it type stuff. Just trying to be very strategic about how we play mobile quarterbacks like that and trying to keep them off balance but also, be aggressive.”

On Alex Herrera and how they strike a balance between what they have seen in practice and what has happened in games

“You stay the course. We constantly compete. We have other guys in practice that are competing with Alex just like all of our positions are competing. But I also don’t want to lose sight of the kicks that he has made this season, as well. He has made a lot of big kicks, as well. It is always a pressure kick if you miss it. He has made some big kicks that nobody talks about. I see the positive. We can all be better. He will be the first to tell you that, as well. In regards to how we perform, we can all be better, himself included. To me, it is looking at the total body of work and realizing that he has done a lot of really good things for us this season with some of the kicks that he has made.”

‚ÄåOn penalties and cleaning up the turnover issues and if it is a matter of time for that to happen

“I would hope it is something that can get cleaned up. We had six. But I am still disappointed because three of those were pre-snap. Alabama’s defense got up there and yelled, ‘move’ like a lot of teams to and we jumped. We had another pre-snap penalty where we were going to send the tight end in motion and the receiver started to go in motion before the tight end went in motion. That was a pre-snap penalty. Then, we got flagged. Don’t get me started. We got flagged for delay of game on defense. That, to me, was a pre-snap penalty. We have to get those cleaned up. I can live with some of the penalties. It is the pre-snap ones that are maddening. We have to continue to emphasize that and be better. You are not going to win games in the SEC on the road, at home, if you are turning the ball over four times. I don’t want to overreact, either. The two that are extremely disappointing are the fact that we have had two fumbled exchanges between quarterbacks and running backs two weeks in a row. That is something that you better get fixed in the next three or four days because this group we are about to play is really disruptive. It costed us against LSU and it costed us against Alabama. That is something that we try to be really even better at coaching today in practice when we had that seven minute period where all we work is quarterback and running back exchanges. Then also, one of the turnovers was a fourth down play where they knocked the ball out of Josh’s hands when we were short of the first down, anyway. One of the turnovers was the interception at the end of the game. Too many, don’t get me wrong. You also look at it and say, OK, turnovers are going to happen. We are really opportunistic defensively. We have to continue to be. We also have to make sure that we don’t hurt ourselves more than necessary offensively, for sure.”