Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the football team plays Kentucky at home. I give out my six pack of picks and a week recap from around Carolina Athletics. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:55] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode 410 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host Tim Cox where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And let's all take a collective just woo saw.
[00:01:15] I mean it has been, it has been a tumultuous couple of weeks. I mean it really has. And it's just so funny how these things change. I mean, a month ago we had the opening game and it felt like we were on top of the world.
[00:01:32] And then slowly but surely it felt like losing our grip on that. And then here we are desperately clinging on to some hope of a late season push. But there has been plenty of banter and rhetoric and talks about do we have the right guy and head coach? What does that look like? What does he have to do to hang on to his job? What happens if he doesn't? Who do you get?
[00:01:57] It's been tumultuous and I was certainly piling on last episode and I stand by everything that I said because right now the results are not there.
[00:02:09] And I said it either in that episode ranting or on social media. You know, like we like the man that is Shane Beamer, but we just don't like the results right now. And there's time and it is possible for him to turn this thing around.
[00:02:26] But time is a ticking and I'm going to get into the Kentucky game preview here in just a second. But it certainly feels like this is a make or break sort of watershed moment for the program and for the Shane Beamer era. But before I jump into that, let's do a quick week in review here. Only a couple of small things to go over. Only two quick results. The men's golf team finished sixth in the Brian Bros. Collegiate. That sounds like a good time. The Brian Bros. Collegiate and then the equestrian team on Thursday took on SMU and beat them at home 10 to 9. Your number two ranked equestrian team by the way, coming off a fantastic year last year. So shout out to the equestrian team, shout out to the men's golf team and there's a lot of action that we will be previewing and recapping rather come next episode over the weekend. But that's it. Let's jump into it here. The Gamecocks are welcoming Kentucky at home this Saturday. Weather forecast seems really iffy again. Hopefully no lightning. 4:15 is your scheduled kickoff.
[00:03:38] Gamecocks are going into this matchup as a three point favorite, which a lot of people have found surprising.
[00:03:46] South Carolina is reeling right now. Two straight losses. The Dylan Stewart suspension, which last episode, funny timing with my recording, I literally published it. And then I got the news that Dylan was suspended.
[00:04:01] To talk about that quickly. Yeah, I mean, you know, you can't perform that way and you can't behave that way rather and expect just to get away with it. Shane Beamer had his hands tied. You absolutely have to do it. And it does send a message that no matter how much you're getting paid or how good you are, no one is above certain levels of accountability.
[00:04:22] I also stand by what I said when I thought Stewie was the only way, only one who kind of gave a damn. That game, I think it was, came from a place of passion. But you absolutely can't be punching other players to tie it all back in.
[00:04:35] The Gamecocks are reeling going into this matchup against the 24 ranked Kentucky team who went toe to toe with Alabama for a half and then beat A and M in College Station. I think this is a couple of things. It's still a young season for Kentucky.
[00:04:52] While A and M was a very impressive win, I think A and M has a lot of issues and I think what you saw in the second half against Alabama is more in line with A, Alabama and B, maybe more in line with Kentucky. This game is also at Williams. Bryce, I know that has felt not maybe to mean as much in this last season or so, but it does mean something. It is tough to go on the road for these players and these college kids to change their routine. So that's the Willie B bump, minus 3. Absolutely love the Gamecocks favorite here. But yeah, The Wildcats are 3 and 1 in their new era, welcoming a new head coach who brings that offensive mind to. To the team here. But to me, the story isn't necessarily what the Gamecocks are getting in the Wildcats.
[00:05:44] This story is Shane Beamer's last stand. Effectively.
[00:05:51] If he gets a win against Kentucky, he buys himself a couple more weeks of the job and a couple more weeks of goodwill. Because you have this game, then you have Florida and then you have the buy.
[00:06:04] So he needs to win this game.
[00:06:08] He's. I don't want to say he's coaching for his job, right? But this is his last stand. If you lose this game, the season looks incredibly bleak.
[00:06:17] You could have guys maybe not buying in as much as they were.
[00:06:21] The hot seat is going to ratchet up. And depending on how the team looks in that scenario, if it's a big if, things don't go our way on Saturday, I certainly think it could be possible that Beamer's out of a job by the Florida game. However, on the flip side, if you come out and you put on a good performance and you win in front of the home crowd, okay, you're back in the win column, you're off the schneide, you have your SEC win sneakily, you have a ranked win and then you're going into Florida, which will be a challenge, but you're at least have a little bit momentum behind you and then you have the back half of the year here.
[00:07:04] So again, it kind of goes back to this theme of there is still a lot of football to be played and what we've seen so far in SEC games has not been good.
[00:07:15] And sitting here feeling more optimistic at the end of a week than after a loss. It's funny how it goes.
[00:07:24] Some of those, some of the problems we've seen have been self inflicted.
[00:07:28] And so if this team can play a clean, smart football game for four quarters, I think you give yourself a chance, you know, I mean you got more than a chance. You know, you're, you're, you're favorited at home. Kentucky probably looks better than a lot of us thought they were going to look off the bat. They still had some talent, they still have some dudes, but their, their coach seems like a really smart guy, but they're far from perfect.
[00:07:54] You know, they're going to try and run the ball, they're going to try to own the line of scrimmage. South Carolina's front has to be stout against that.
[00:08:03] And again, like, does the team rally behind themselves? Do they rally behind their head coach when there's a lot of doubters out there?
[00:08:14] Does Shane Beamer rally the guys?
[00:08:16] Does he prepare differently?
[00:08:21] I sure as hell hope if we have a halftime lead that his message is certainly different than what it has been. And you know, I want nothing but the best for this program. I want nothing but the best for this team.
[00:08:37] You know, I, like many folks, want, want slash, wanted Shane Beamer to be successful here. And I'm not going to go into a matchup hoping for anything but a win.
[00:08:48] And maybe this is the spark and maybe there it was two bad weeks and maybe things click this week against your SEC opponent and you can turn it on. It's an if.
[00:08:59] But let's see what we can do here.
[00:09:02] Word on the street is they had a great week of practice, but. All right, let's jump into my Crows to the game here. Starting with the offense here. First Crow is create explosive plays. So if it's felt like the deep shots haven't come easy this year, it's because they haven't. I had to look this up, hand up, but the Gamecocks have only completed four passes of over 20 yards this season. That's crazy to me.
[00:09:30] That is crazy to me. Like, I can. You can picture the deep shots last year. You know, harbor streaking down the field, and that's Lenoris strength. So I think it's twofold. One, I think that defenses are playing softer coverages against South Carolina. Kendall Brown talked about this a little bit in his press conference. They're doing that to keep the ball in front of them, mainly for Lenores, because when guys play man coverage and they turn their backs, the lanes open up and he can take off. So they're doing it to contain Lenores.
[00:10:06] Also, they've seen the tape. They've seen Nick harbor streaking down the sideline. They know how fast he is. They don't want to give that up. To go over the top, you have to find ways to remain aggressive in that. We have seen these pictures on social media and whatnot of guys open down the field and Lenores just not even seeing them.
[00:10:27] So he has to know where to go with his reads when these plays are called. And he has to be willing to stay aggressive and throw the ball downfield, create explosive plays.
[00:10:36] Number two, Crow to the game. On offense, Matt Fuller needs to touch the ball 20 times or, excuse me, 20 rushing attempts. Because between screens and checkdowns, he'll going to get some more than that. He needs 20 rushing attempts. This Gamecock's rushing attack is night and day of what we saw last season. This is a strength of the team right now. And Matt Fuller has solidified himself as RB1. He averaged nearly 6 yards per carry against Alabama. And Kentucky's defense against the run is not very good. I think they're towards the bottom of the SEC against the pass. They're not too shabby.
[00:11:18] We've heard Beamer and Briles talk at length about the importance of running the football. You have to lean on it. You have to lean on it now.
[00:11:27] So I know that may seem like two different, you know, sides here. Between create the explosive plays and leaning on Fuller, you know, you're not going to chuck the ball downfield 25, 30 times. You need to stay aggressive and take your shots and hit them when you do.
[00:11:44] But you need to continue to lean on your RB1 who has shown he can really do it all for you.
[00:11:51] And then number three, don't be afraid of change.
[00:11:56] South Carolina needs a win, full stop, period.
[00:12:01] And whether it is fair or not, Lenora Sellers has taken plenty of blame for this current losing streak.
[00:12:09] And you have to do whatever it takes to get back into the win column.
[00:12:16] So if this coaching staff sees Lenores missing his reads or if he is shaky or if he's turned the ball over, you have to give Cutter Woods a look. You just have to.
[00:12:28] Even if Cutter woods goes in for a series or two, right? Just a quick yank Lenore out, take him to sideline. Hey, catch your breath.
[00:12:39] Cutter's gonna lead us for a little bit here and then you're going back in.
[00:12:43] It could serve as a, as a reset for the team as and for Sellers, really. And it could serve as fuel for the team.
[00:12:52] And who knows, like, maybe you put Cutter in and he does well, you know, I mean, there's a lot of people calling for him. The old adage of the backup quarterback, you know, the most popular guy on campus. He's very popular right now.
[00:13:08] He is the backup.
[00:13:10] We don't know what he would look like in extended game action.
[00:13:14] Well recruited player.
[00:13:16] Every report says he's, he's got the stuff to, to be a good quarterback. I believe it.
[00:13:23] But we don't know until we know, right? So. But the point is this coaching staff can't give any more leash to these guys. And I don't know if the Stewart suspension is an indication of like, hey, going to start cracking down on guys who aren't living up to our standard just because Loris is making all this money, just because Lenoris has all these, you know, this hype around him.
[00:13:53] He is not immune to any of this.
[00:13:56] So this coaching staff can't be afraid to make a change. And, and it's not just Lenoris too. I talked about it in previous episodes, like, put in whoever is effective.
[00:14:06] You know, I don't think these guys are. The coaches are beholden to the depth chart and things like that, but maybe at times they get a little stuck in it, stuck in their rotations.
[00:14:17] So don't be afraid to change.
[00:14:19] Don't be afraid to mix things up.
[00:14:21] Do whatever you have to do to get a win here.
[00:14:25] Now on the defensive side here, my first crow is B sound up front.
[00:14:31] Kentucky is bringing that fresh approach with their new head coach. He's offensive minded, but it's funny because there are some usual themes to this Kentucky team that we're used to. The Wildcats are a physical, big offensive line, tough. These, these adjectives that you were used to hearing under Mark Stoops. And they really want to establish a run game. Clayton White talked about that. They got a couple of different big bodied running backs. They run a lot of 12 personnel, 11 personnel, like they're going to try and run the football.
[00:15:06] So the Gamecocks front seven has to be ready for a fight.
[00:15:11] And at times we've seen gap control be an issue.
[00:15:15] You have to maintain your gap. You have to be gap disciplined. You can't open up lanes for these guys.
[00:15:21] And you know, the linebacking core.
[00:15:24] I think they've looked okay so far. I had higher hopes for them.
[00:15:29] They need to be locked in for this game. You know, there's going to be a lot put on them.
[00:15:34] So they, this whole front seven needs to be ready to go. I don't know if Gabe Brownlow. Dindy is going to be healthy. He's questionable right now. You need him back.
[00:15:41] I would love to see a guy like Noah Clark gets, you know, continue to get reps. Good young player.
[00:15:48] But you're going to absolutely have to be ready for the Cats to try and establish the run on you.
[00:15:54] And then number two, don't be afraid of change.
[00:15:57] You like that? Recycling, recycling that.
[00:16:01] So not for, not for players though, okay? I'm talking about formations.
[00:16:07] So through two SEC games, Clayton White's defense has allowed 40 or more points each time. And the turnovers haven't come like they used to in the past. Like, this defense just looks different.
[00:16:19] They look a little out of sorts.
[00:16:21] And then like, also, like, not to sound dramatic, right, but Towson had, Towson had that wide receiver who kind of was having his way with our defense. So there have been some question marks raised about this defense. And it got me thinking.
[00:16:40] Remember what we saw in the opening play. If I want to say of the Akron game, It was the 3, 3, 5.
[00:16:49] And in that 2023 season, Clayton White shifted to the 3, 3, 5. That was largely because we couldn't establish the pass rush like we wanted. You know, we have some dudes in that group, Julian Walker, Anthony Addison, who can get after the quarterback.
[00:17:07] But nonetheless, like, maybe you go that route, you know, maybe you put some more speed on the field, some more athletes, guys who can drop back would probably afford itself to maybe some more zone coverage. But nonetheless, don't be afraid to change.
[00:17:24] I like that.
[00:17:26] So, yeah, overall for the game. Here it is.
[00:17:30] It kind of. It feels like the Alamo, right?
[00:17:33] Like everyone's just retreated to this game. Fans, coaches, players alike. It's like, all right, see what we can do against Kentucky now. It's funny because Kentucky was the last SEC win Beamer had. That was last year, over a year ago at this point.
[00:17:52] And Kentucky was one of those programs that under mush champ, kind of supplanted South Carolina. They had their way with us, which was historically just not how things tended to go. And Beamer reversed that trend. Beamer has done well against Kentucky. I don't have the stats up here in front of me, but it feels like a three or four game win streak. So they come at a right time, but it's a different coach team. They're going to present different challenges.
[00:18:20] And I think what we see this team do Saturday will tell you. I think it's going to tell you everything you need to know.
[00:18:28] If this team comes out and plays inspired and plays well and they execute, you know, even if it's like, if there's a couple of plays here and there that are ugly, that's. That's bound to happen. But if they go out there and it's four good quarters, I think they've responded to the moment, coaches have responded to the moment, and I don't know what the rest of the season would hold, but that's a good sign of guys continuing to be bought in. If this team comes out flat, that's a horrendous sign. If this team comes out and repeats some of the mistakes that we've seen, where you're not executing in the red zone, you're shooting yourself in the foot.
[00:19:03] Or if they do have that lead at the half and they relinquish it, that means that nobody has changed anything. And that would also be a really, really bad sign.
[00:19:13] Again, I'm hoping this team responds well.
[00:19:16] They have every reason to, right? Like they got the doubters, you know, they got the chip on their shoulder, you know, they want to win as much as anybody.
[00:19:27] So let's go out there.
[00:19:29] 415 kick weather be damned. Let's go get a dub.
[00:19:33] Let's go.
[00:19:35] All right, let me give you all my six pack of picks and then I will get y' all out of here in the ACC.
[00:19:41] Give me Miami minus 16 versus Clemson because fudge Clemson, Big 12, West Virginia plus 3 versus Iowa State, Big 10, Ohio State versus Iowa. Under 45 and a half. That just feels like that old school Big Ten game. And then in the SEC. I have two here.
[00:20:02] Give me Alabama versus Mississippi State over 60 and a half. That's going to be a very interesting game to watch. And then Florida minus five and a half versus Mizzou. And then Conference USA Group of five Liberty at Delaware. Give me Delaware plus six and a half.
[00:20:24] My wife went there. Why not? But with that, y', all, this wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox Gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Cox Talking Gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All. Go Cox.
