Everything Shane Beamer said about Coastal Carolina win during Sunday teleconference

One day after South Carolina’s 51-7 win over Coastal Carolina, head coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media during his Sunday night teleconference. Here’s everything he had to say.

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Opening statement

“What I said last night is what I thought after watching the tape this morning. Just really, really proud of our players. It would have been very easy to just show up last night, go through the motions, not play inspired, not play physical, not play competitive, not play with energy. And none of that happened.

“Really, really proud of the mindset that we played with offensively. We scored touchdowns on the first possessions of both halves. That was really important. We won the toss, took the ball, went down the field, scored. And then, in the third quarter, the first time we got the ball, resulted in a touchdown drive. We had 13 explosives. Last week against A&M, I want to say we had 14. So, that’s 27 explosive plays in two games. Plus, we didn’t turn the ball over. That’s a recipe for success in the game of football.

“Disappointed with the number of penalties we had offensively. Frankly, they were all on the offensive line, some pre-snap and some during the play. That reared its ugly head again, and we have to certainly get fixed before Saturday.

“Defensively, just played great — stopped the run, put them in negative yardage situations, affected the quarterback. Got a shutout defensively; the seven points were because of the punt, as you guys know.

“I thought, offensively and defensively both, we dominated on the perimeter. We wanted to get the ball in space and make them tackle our receivers and tight ends out in space. And then, a big part of their game plan is to get the ball out in space to their really talented receivers. They’ve got some good receivers, and we did a great job of tackling, defeating blocks. Jared Brown, unbelievable on that first play of the game, the block that he made. And that was the theme all night with the way that our guys competed.

“Thought that first play of the game was a great statement about our team and culture. You got Jared Brown, a senior wide receiver, the crack block that he makes right there, the physicality that he plays with. Jayden Sellers catching the ball, running after the catch. And then, so cool to see Jawarn Howell on that play. He’s the running back, as far away from Jayden Sellers when he caught it as anybody on the field. And then, he’s, whatever it was, 75 yards downfield, blocking for him on the one-yard line — not just blocking, but showing discipline to not hit the DB in the back. I mean, just a really cool play that I will always remember as long as I’m in coaching because it says so much about our team.

“I thought we played complementary football. Outside of some of the mishaps we had on special teams, played well in all three phases in regards to taking care of one another. I thought the end of the half was a great example of that. They’re in a two-minute drive. They try a double pass, or reverse pass — whatever you want to call it, jet-sweep pass, which they ran twice last week against Georgia Southern.

“We played with great discipline on it, where there was no way for that guy to go with the ball. They were trying to hit an explosive trick play on us. We played with great discipline. We got a sack; they lost 15 yards. I used a timeout to potentially try and get the ball back. We held them to a field goal, which they missed. Got the ball back for our offense. Then, we hit an explosive play down there. We have been able to save our timeout. So, we were able to call a timeout right there after the explosive pass to (Donovan) Murph, which was a heck of a throw by LaNorris (Sellers). And then, William Joyce coming out there for a 47-yard field goal. Just a great example of complementary football and a lot to build on from last week.

“Our player of the game (on) special teams was William Joyce. Our players of the game on defense were Jalon Kilgore, Bryan Thomas and Shawn Murphy. Offensive players of the game were LaNorris Sellers (he did a great job in the run game and the pass game), Jayden Sellers (as you guys saw), and then Donovan Murph. He did a nice job. Some critical catches. Got his first touchdown catch. But then, what he did on the perimeter, he really did a nice job blocking throughout the night. A couple those longer runs, or yardage after catches were made, were Donovan Murph out there blocking.

“And then, on scout offense, Jimmy Francis and Ryan Brubaker. Scout defense was Christian Ingram. And scout special teams was my man Reno (Roehm), who came out here in January. We kept him in the walk-on tryout in January or February. Just a walk-on that has done everything right, that got out there and had a chance to cover a kickoff the other night, and does a great job in practice.

“So, really fun night. Our guys earned it, deserved it. Our fans deserved it. Once again, as I said last night, appreciate them and the environment that they created yesterday, from Gamecock Walk to throughout the game. It was awesome. And then, we need them to do it again this Saturday, one more time in Williams-Brice (Stadium), before we turn the page to 2026.

“It’ll be a big challenge. Know the opponent and what they’re about. Dabo (Swinney) continues to do a great job there. They got a great team. They’re playing their best football of the season right now, coming in here on a winning streak. And it’s a special rivalry that I’m blessed to be a part of, and excited for year five of being a part of this thing as a head coach.”

Is there an update on Nyck Harbor and Dylan Stewart?

“They should be good. We’re going out to practice here in about 20 minutes, and both those guys will be at practice. We expect them to be full go on Saturday.”

It feels like that your season and Clemson’s season have somewhat mirrored each other this year. Have you at all talked to Dabo? Did you talk during the bye week, or have you guys talked throughout this year?

“I would agree with you on (the latter) one, just kind of keeping up with them. I mean, you can’t help it when they’re in your state, and you hear about them all the time. I’ve got a lot of friends on that staff, Dabo included. So, you keep up with those guys.

“I know we’ve traded some text messages throughout the season. We don’t call each other on Sundays and wallow in misery when we both had tough losses, but we have traded some text messages. I know Kathleen (Swinney), his awesome wife, and Emily (Beamer), have been in contact and have talked throughout the season, for sure. And then, Dabo and I, I think the last one was during the during our bye week. I think it was the day before they played Florida State, maybe.”

What are some of the specifics you’ve seen from Clemson when you’ve had a chance to watch them on TV or on tape?

“I was watching tape on Clemson this morning at 10 a.m. I was in the building at 7:30 and watched the Coastal game from yesterday in all three phases and made my notes on that. And then, immediately turned on the Clemson tape and got to work. So, been watching them all day.

“Saw them on crossover tape when we got ready to play LSU. So, we were obviously watching the LSU-Clemson game. I saw them on tape then. Have seen them on television in College Station. I watched their game against Louisville a couple weeks ago on Friday night from the hotel room when we got done with meetings. So, I’ve seen them on TV a little bit.

“It’s the normal, regular Clemson. They’ve got really good players. They’re extremely skilled in the secondary and at receiver. They got receivers that can run. They have size. Offensive linemen, those guys have been there for forever, it seems. That’s a veteran offensive line. Cade (Klubnik)‘s done a great job and gotten better as the year has gone on as a quarterback — the athleticism, can make all the throws.

“And then, defensively, they’ve got an SEC defensive line every year. I mean, they’ve got ‘freakazoids’ up front. The defensive line position this year is no different. If you guys look at those draft projections, I’m pretty sure you’re going to see multiple Clemson D-linemen that are picked to go in the top 10 in a lot of these things. And that’s not fake news; that’s real talk. The two linebackers are really good football players and very productive. And then, good on special teams. Kicker’s kicking lights out.

“So, impressed with them. I know they’ve had some injuries, they’ve had some tough losses, they’ve had some heartbreaking things, but they’ve been in every game. They are a few plays away from where they want to be. They’re a team that’s playing with confidence and playing good football here down the stretch.”

Luke Doty had his Senior Day yesterday, and he’s been around forever. It’s been a strange season for him because he was playing a lot, but then, because he was QB2, he had to take a step back. But how has he been throughout this year? And how have you seen him grow throughout your tenure with him?

“I love Luke Doty. I love all these players, but Luke Doty is extra special to me and always will be. A guy, like I said, that was part of this program when I got hired here as the head coach, has stayed here all five seasons with me. His role has changed every year, whether it be starting quarterback my first season, to backup quarterback, to wide receiver, to special teams, back to quarterback. He’s just a high-energy guy that has the respect of everyone in this program. Extremely unselfish. I think he’s done a great job of work helping LaNorris throughout this season. He’s a great teammate. He’s very much a leader on this football team and does everything that we ask.

“I mean, he’s in the team meeting every day, front row, taking notes on everything that I say. When he’s in Joe (DeCamillis)‘ special teams meetings, he’s dialed in, taking notes on everything that’s said. When I go to the quarterback meetings, he’s extremely engaged. So, he’s a special player, special person, that will be extremely successful in whatever he does as he leaves Carolina and moves on.”

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Is it a bit of an unusual feeling to prepare to face a starting quarterback for a third time in this day and age in college football? And what’s it been like watching Cade Klubnik evolve as you try to evolve the ways you try to stop him?

“Yeah, it probably is, just because of the transfer portal and the way rosters change and things like that. Very rarely do you see a guy that many times. I’m going through my head, trying to think. My first year at Georgia, they started, what’s his name? JT Curtis, I think, was the quarterback in ’21. And then, Stetson (Bennett) took over after that. And, who else? Tennessee has been a different guy, I guess, each time. So, I don’t know. Yeah, I guess it is rare.

“As far as Cade, he’s come a long way. I think I’ve told you guys before, he’s from Austin, Texas. When I was an assistant coach at Oklahoma, Austin, Texas, was my recruiting area. So, I went in West Lake High School when Cade was a freshman in high school. I remember Todd Dodge, the head coach, telling me, ‘Look, we’re playing three quarterbacks, but this freshman I got, he’s going to be special. And you see exactly what Coach Dodge said was talking about that day that I was at Westlake High School in Austin.

“Cade came up to a Oklahoma home game when I was coaching there. And then, to see him go to Clemson and just continue to get better each and every year, from when he got thrown into the fire in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee a couple years ago, to playing against us the last couple of seasons… He’s a great young man. He’s a competitor. You can tell he’s got a great feel for the offense and what they’re doing. Love watching him play, and have a lot of respect for him, as a person and a player.”

Was it important to get Air (Noland) and Cutter (Woods) some reps at the end of the game? And what did you take away from what you were able to see from them?

“Yes, wanted to get all four of those quarterbacks in. Hate that we didn’t get Jimmy Francis in. But, yes, we discussed that we wanted to get Luke in there and get him a series — because he deserved it. It was senior day, and he’s done so much for South Carolina football, and he’s a really good football player, really good quarterback for us. We got Cutter in the game against Oklahoma, so we wanted to get him more work. And then, we hadn’t been able to get Air in a game this season, so we wanted to get Air in there, too.

“I thought all those guys did some good things and did some not-so-good things. Cutter did a nice job managing the offense. We had the ball where he got hit and then picked up the fumble. Would love for him to have stepped up in the pocket a little bit more because I think he’s getting ready to throw a touchdown pass to Brian Rowe on that play. But really like what Cutter’s about.

“It was good to see Air get in there. Air and Cutter both are working as scout team quarterbacks during the week. They really do a great job of going over there and competing against our defense and taking pride in that. They rotate reps. I’ve seen both those guys get better as the season has gone on.

“Air did a nice job in there. Caught a lot of RPOs in there with him. And I was kidding with him today. There was a called RPO, but some of those Air made the decision before the ball was snapped. He wasn’t handing it off; he was throwing it. And Bradley Dunn, I think, is mad because Air pulled a couple that we probably could have given to Brad for some explosive runs. But Air did a good job coming in there and distributing the ball.”

It seemed like Shawn Murphy was throwing himself around out there. During the week, did you feel like he was primed for a game like that? And how much can a performance like that potentially be a jumping off point for a step forward into his last game — and then, maybe going to next year?

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say during the week; I think he’s been a really good player for us all year. We really like our linebacker group, with Fred (Johnson) and (Justin Okoronkwo) and Shawn. And then, Jaron Willis is the fourth guy in there who got in there last night. We had a little personnel package we had Jaron in the game, too — our little three-down package. So, we like all four of those linebackers. They all did a really nice job.

“Really proud of Shawn. I think he’s another testament to what happens when guys come into this program. Shawn was a five-star coming out of high school that went to Alabama. It didn’t quite work out for him there. He went to Florida State, didn’t quite pan out for him there. When he came here, we had some coaches tell us, ‘He’ll be nothing but a backup for you.’ He has come here and is playing his best ball — very much like a Demetrius Knight or whoever that we’ve brought into this program that gets in here, into our culture and our weight program and develops. And Shawn’s an example, in 2025, of that, along with some other guys on our team that transferred him.

“He’s a high-energy guy, extremely smart, extremely unselfish, and played great last night. I mean, what was it, 12 tackles? I think, eight solo? And was flying all over the field. So, he continues to gain in confidence.

“That’s a really good linebacker group that we have right now, and it’s exciting that they can all be back in 2026.”

Going back to what you said about watching the Clemson tape, do you always watch tape for the next opponent on Sundays?

“Most of the day, yes, is spent on the next opponent. I usually get into the office about 7 (a.m.), 7:30, on Sunday mornings. The first meeting I have is at 11 a.m. I always meet with the offensive staff. And then, from 11 a.m. throughout the rest of the day, I’m with players meetings, practice — things like that. Watching everything with Coastal took me two or three hours. So, I was able to start watching Clemson this morning before the 11 a.m. offensive meeting. After the special teams meetings, and between the offense and defense meetings, I was able to watch a little bit more. So, I’d say that’s pretty normal for me, being able to start work on the next opponent.

“Then, we’ll go to practice, like I said, here in a few minutes. When practice is over, we’ll finish that. We’ll be out on the field for about 45 minutes or an hour, and then it’s full speed ahead on Clemson as a staff tonight and all day tomorrow before we see the players again on Tuesday.”

Last night, you got a bunch of freshmen in the game, but two who came in early were Kendall Daniels and Damarcus Leach. What have you seen from them in the secondary as they continue to improve?

“Yeah, they’re going to be two really good players. Damarcus is a guy that we’re really high on. He’s got length, athleticism. When we recruited him out of high school, we saw the skill set in camp and knew he was very raw as a DB but had all the tools that we’re looking for. And he has shown that during during his time. Damarcus has really worked hard to become a good defensive back.

“Same thing with Kendall. Kendall is playing safety for us right now. (David) Bucey, (Jalon) Kilgore, Peyton (Williams) and DQ (Smith) are our top four right now, but we’ve been trying to get Kendall in the game. I’m sure you guys noticed, when we play our dime package with the max number of DBs on the field, Kendall’s been coming in there and playing in that dime package — starting with, I think, the Ole Miss game. But he’s a good young player.

“We’ve had some really great defensive backs that have come through here. And those two are certainly primed to be the next two really good ones, in our opinion.”

It seems like we’re hearing a lot, especially with these coaching openings across the country, that their schools are trying to navigate how they can best position themselves to take advantage of the over-the-cap dollars, when it comes to the new revenue sharing stuff. How much behind the scenes have you and Jeremiah (Donati) worked with that? Have you guys reached out to businesses to try and get those relationships going? How well do you think South Carolina is positioned for those kinds of things moving forward?

“Yeah, I think it’s one of those that you hear people talk about, ‘Okay, there’s this rev share cap.’ And then, you see all these headlines about all these coaches that are getting hired, and they’re going to have X number of dollars available to them to go put together their roster. And you say to yourself, ‘Huh, that’s interesting because thought there was a cap.’ So, I think those are all questions that we’re looking at.

“Jeremiah and Jeff Crane both have been awesome. We’ve had awesome discussions, the three of us, the last couple weeks, specifically in regards to not just rev share, but how do we best situate the South Carolina football program to have success in 2026? Which we’re going to, but we also need to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that we’re all on a level playing field, which we realize we have to do.”

Jawarn Howell has fought his way onto the field, practicing well. Were there certain specific things that he did in practice that finally got him over the hump? And also, as a coach, is there a sense of satisfaction with a guy who hasn’t been part of a rotation, sticks with it, doesn’t pout because he’s not getting carries or snaps, and ends up fighting his way into a better position?

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say there’s one specific thing. I think it’s just consistency. There’s so much that goes into the running back position. There’s running the ball, there’s pass protection, there’s route running, there’s running after the catch — all that. Special teams is a big aspect of it. Jawarn, I think has really matured on and off the field and is being very consistent from a special teams standpoint in practice — and also an offensive standpoint. So, I think, really, it’s just the consistency and making plays. It was very evident we needed to continue to find ways to get him in the game.

“And yes, it’s extremely rewarding. I mean, I think it’s really cool there’s a guy that has every reason to sit around and pout and have a bad attitude because he wasn’t playing as much as he wanted, but he just continued to work. And then, he gets an opportunity, and there he is on the first play of the game last night — like I said, 75 yards downfield, doing everything in his power to get Jayden in the end zone.

“That’s what it’s all about. To me, that’s what being a team is about. Showed that play in the team meeting today about how that is just a testament to what these young men in this program are about and what this team is about right now.”

Who is your money on for the big post-Egg Bowl announcement?

“You mean when Lane (Kiffin)‘s gonna put three hats on the table and pick? I don’t know. You guys probably know more than I do. I know, with a wife that’s a Mississippi State grad, she’s more focused on the Egg Bowl and who wins that game — as I will be. But, you know, fascinating situation. He’s obviously done a great job at Ole Miss, and that game has a lot of meaning this year.”

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