How Shane Beamer reacted to South Carolina blowing 27-point lead, losing to Texas A&M

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South Carolina football looked to have an impressive victory over No. 3 Texas A&M within its grasp heading into halftime on Nov. 15 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

But the wheels fell off for the Gamecocks (3-7, 1-7 SEC) in the second half, allowing the Aggies (10-0, 7-0) to pull off a comeback from 27 points down for a 31-30 win.

Coach Shane Beamer credited Texas A&M as a championship-caliber team for its ability to come back for the victory, but he said he thought the Gamecocks should have been up more at halftime.

“This was the third SEC game — Alabama, Missouri and A&M — that we led going into the fourth quarter,” Beamer said. “It makes me want to puke.”

What Shane Beamer said about South Carolina’s final drive

Despite giving up a huge lead in the second half, Beamer said his team was in a good spot after getting the ball back with 3:10 left and a timeout needing a field goal to win.

“If I told you guys on Tuesday, when we started this week, that we had the ball with three minutes left in the game and a chance to go kick a field goal to win it on the road against the No. 3 team in the nation,” Beamer said. “We would’ve all signed up for that.”

But with two sacks and a final LaNorris Sellers scramble that came up well short on fourth down, the Gamecocks were through. Sellers is the most sacked quarterback in the nation at 37, but Beamer thought the protection was solid on the final drive.

What Shane Beamer said after South Carolina missed bowl game

South Carolina was eliminated from bowl eligibility with its seventh loss of the season. Beamer said he’ll turn the team’s attention to finishing the season the right way.

Beamer said he’s had conversations with players about the future and coming back next season. With the transfer portal and NFL draft decisions, Beamer said talking with players throughout the season is part of the job.

What Shane Beamer said about Mike Furrey’s offensive playcalling

Mike Furrey, South Carolina’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, had his first game as the offensive play-caller after the Gamecocks fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula on Nov. 2.

Furrey dialed up the right plays in the first half as the Gamecocks had two offensive touchdowns and three field goals.

Although South Carolina was shut out in the second half, Beamer said he didn’t think the play-calling was too conservative.

“We talked about it,” Beamer said. “Keep our foot on the gas pedal, that was the whole mentality.”

With two weeks to prepare for the Aggies, Beamer said Furrey and the offense put together a solid game plan. Between the play-calling and the execution on the field, it led to a big first-half lead.

“I know the rest of the country was surprised with what was going on in the first half,” Beamer said. “We weren’t.”

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Shane Beamer reacts to South Carolina losing 27-point lead vs Texas A&M

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