----
I've sat through 33 Clemson and South Carolina games in my life now, and through that, I think I've seen a wide array of game scripts. I've seen controversial endings, like Rod Gardener's push-off, known as The Catch by those with Oranger allegiances. I've seen dominant defenses, like the 2013 Gamecocks, who willed a backup, Dylan Thompson to an unlikely road win. And now, after tonight, I've seen what can only be described as a microcosm of the Gamecocks' 2023 season. One side played an exceptional game, with the defense only giving up 9 points, while the other had their worst showing of the season, with their greatest weaknesses on full display for the majority of the 60-minute showing.
There are plenty of ways that blame can be sliced, including some potential criticism of situational play calling when it became apparent Spencer Rattler wasn't going to have any time to dissect a salty Clemson secondary, even in the best of circumstances, but at the end of the day it's obvious that this OL group has some strides to make this offseason if the offensive vision is ever going to be realized for Dowell Loggains and this Gamecock offense.
There's talent in the room, and soon to come with three 4-stars in the 2024 class, but it's been obvious all season that the current iteration of the OLine simply can't hold up against above-average defensive fronts, which the Tigers' continually proved they were tonight.
The transfer portal will likely create its own complications and possibilities in about a week as the Gamecocks look to finish out one of their best recruiting classes of the last decade when you look at the pure star average of the 2024 group.
The real question over this off-season is how Beamer and the staff are able to spin this first backward step of their tenure at the helm. Prior to this, the narrative has more or less been able to sell itself, and they deserve all that credit, but now they'll take the criticism, too. If you're a fan, I do think there are signs of hope still to come, but the majority of that story will be written this off-season. The approach will depend on the staff holding on to every major contributor they can in the portal, landing the plane on the 2024 class, and continuing to develop the young talent that gained valuable experience this season but still needs to grow.
I do think it's quite possible that this is a low point of an otherwise bright run for Beamer at the University of South Carolina, and I'll actually be the biggest fan of that outcome, but my job as a journalist isn't to root for anything at all, and I'd be remiss to paint a picture that didn't include the absolutely essential off-season that Beamer is about to face, one that will likely make or break what he's been trying to build here, fair or not.
Rapid Reaction: Gamecocks Defense Looks Elite, Offense Falters vs. Tigers
By: Caleb Alexander - Gamecook ScoopI've sat through 33 Clemson and South Carolina games in my life now, and through that, I think I've seen a wide array of game scripts. I've seen controversial endings, like Rod Gardener's push-off, known as The Catch by those with Oranger allegiances. I've seen dominant defenses, like the 2013 Gamecocks, who willed a backup, Dylan Thompson to an unlikely road win. And now, after tonight, I've seen what can only be described as a microcosm of the Gamecocks' 2023 season. One side played an exceptional game, with the defense only giving up 9 points, while the other had their worst showing of the season, with their greatest weaknesses on full display for the majority of the 60-minute showing.
O-Line Struggles Come Full Circle
It's hard to tell the story of this season and the way the 2023 version of this game played out without mentioning the OL struggles. After the past 3 weeks where the OL finally found a chance to gel without any major injuries, some of the depth and youth issues came back to the front and center tonight, after the Gamecocks had nine straight drives end in punts or 4th down stops after scoring their lone TD of the night in the 1st quarter.There are plenty of ways that blame can be sliced, including some potential criticism of situational play calling when it became apparent Spencer Rattler wasn't going to have any time to dissect a salty Clemson secondary, even in the best of circumstances, but at the end of the day it's obvious that this OL group has some strides to make this offseason if the offensive vision is ever going to be realized for Dowell Loggains and this Gamecock offense.
There's talent in the room, and soon to come with three 4-stars in the 2024 class, but it's been obvious all season that the current iteration of the OLine simply can't hold up against above-average defensive fronts, which the Tigers' continually proved they were tonight.
Making Plays That Count
This rivalry has been full of defining moments, and now future highlight reels might need to include Khalil Barnes' 42-yard fumble return for a TD which kicked off the action in the 2023 contest. Following an opening script that put Clemson on their heels following an opening drive completion to Xavier Legette, Rattler looked at his steady WR again on a short swing pass just :15 seconds into the game, which proved fatal for the Gamecocks following a drop and return from Barnes that gave the Tigers and early lead that they'd never relent. While the Gamecocks' defense held their own for the majority of this matchup, the touchdown scored by the Tigers' defense proved insurmountable as the Clemson offense ran just enough clock, and Clemson Kicker Jonathan Weitz made 3 FGs from beyond his season-long mark of 41 yards (50, 49, and 42 tonight) to seal off the game with a 9 point deficit that might as well have been 100 with how suffocating the Tigers played defensively tonight.5-7: A Trampoline or Cliff?
A year ago at this time, the Gamecocks were riding high off back-to-back wins over top 10 opponents to finish their regular season with an unexpected 8-4 record and springboarding the program to places that had the entire country on notice that the Shane Beamer era was just beginning in Columbia, SC. A year later, the Gamecocks find themselves missing out on a bowl for the first time in Beamer's tenure and likely saying farewell to one of the most efficient quarterbacks in program history.The transfer portal will likely create its own complications and possibilities in about a week as the Gamecocks look to finish out one of their best recruiting classes of the last decade when you look at the pure star average of the 2024 group.
The real question over this off-season is how Beamer and the staff are able to spin this first backward step of their tenure at the helm. Prior to this, the narrative has more or less been able to sell itself, and they deserve all that credit, but now they'll take the criticism, too. If you're a fan, I do think there are signs of hope still to come, but the majority of that story will be written this off-season. The approach will depend on the staff holding on to every major contributor they can in the portal, landing the plane on the 2024 class, and continuing to develop the young talent that gained valuable experience this season but still needs to grow.
I do think it's quite possible that this is a low point of an otherwise bright run for Beamer at the University of South Carolina, and I'll actually be the biggest fan of that outcome, but my job as a journalist isn't to root for anything at all, and I'd be remiss to paint a picture that didn't include the absolutely essential off-season that Beamer is about to face, one that will likely make or break what he's been trying to build here, fair or not.
