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FAIREY CHEVROLET Drive to Game 11: Everything you need to know ahead of South Carolina-Coastal Carolina

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South Carolina lost its fifth game in a row on Saturday, a 31-30 collapse against Texas A&M in which the Gamecocks led 30-3 at halftime. Now, there are two games left on the schedule. Shane Beamer’s team is 3-7 overall and 1-7 in Southeastern Conference play.

Both games down the stretch come against Palmetto State opponents, and Beamer said this week that his team’s focus is now on winning a “state playoff” against Coastal Carolina and Clemson. Both games will be at home at Williams-Brice Stadium, starting with a date with the Chanticleers.

Gamecock fans will make the short drive over to George Rogers Boulevard for the penultimate game of the season.

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Here’s what you need to know heading into game 11. (GamecockCentral will release a Coastal Carolina preview later in the week.)

The resumes

  • After being ranked in the top 10 earlier this season, South Carolina is not even in the “also receiving votes” portion of the polls heading into this week; that has been true for nearly two months now. Coastal Carolina has not been ranked this season, but unlike the Gamecocks, they have reached bowl eligibility.
  • South Carolina’s standing in the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) improved dramatically, despite the painful loss. USC jumped 11 spots to No. 29 overall. The Gamecocks also shifted up in offensive efficiency to No. 92 nationally. Defensively, they ascended to No. 20 in the country. Special teams remains in the top 10, slotting in at No. 5 in college football. Coastal (No. 111 in the FPI) enters the weekend ranked No. 114 on offense, No. 79 on defense, and No. 19 on special teams.
  • Last season, South Carolina went 9-4 and 5-3 in the SEC. Coastal Carolina went 6-7 and 3-5 in the Sun Belt. So far this year, the Gamecocks are 3-7 (1-7), while the Chanticleers are 6-4 (5-2).
  • The Gamecocks put quarterback LaNorris Sellers, EDGE Dylan Stewart, and DB Jalon Kilgore on the preseason All-SEC squad. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Nick Del Grande, wide receiver Jameson Tucker, and linebacker Shane Bruce earned preseason All-Sun Belt nods.

Recent news

  • In game 10, South Carolina lost to Texas A&M, 31-30, in a historic comeback/collapse.
  • Coastal lost to Georgia Southern, 45-40, last week.
  • Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer let go of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley following the LSU loss. Tight ends coach Shawn Elliott has shifted over to lead the position room, taking over a role he held for seven years under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp. Former analyst Ben Burress has since taken over as the team’s tight ends coach.
  • Following the Ole Miss loss, Beamer also fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Mike Furrey has been the Gamecocks’ interim playcaller. Tight ends coach/run game coordinator/interim offensive line coach Shawn Elliott has had an increased role in the weekly game planning. The same is true of the rest of the offensive staff, per Beamer. Assistant quarterbacks coach Davis Koetter and Furrey have increased their work with the QBs.

Updates from the coaches

  • South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media earlier this week.
    • During Beamer’s press conference, he shared a few things:
      • Beamer gave some positive injury updates on Nyck Harbor, Brandon Cisse, and Jalewis Solomon.
      • He said that, while he is disappointed in the 2025 recond, South Carolina remains “not far away” from being where it needs to be. He also said that this time next year, the Gamecocks will be in the College Football Playoff hunt.
      • You can see everything that Beamer said here.
  • The Gamecock coordinators spoke to the media on Wednesday.
  • Coastal Carolina head coach Tim Beck also spoke to the media this week. You can see everything he said here.
  • Defensive line coach Travian Robertson, who was involved in a serious car accident this preseason, has recently gotten more involved with team activities. While he remains in a reduced role, defensive assistant Jordan Dove and assistant strength coach Jamil Walker have stepped into bigger roles. Robertson had his final surgery recently and is back on the practice field this week.
  • South Carolina had a new offensive coordinator this season, as Mike Shula, who was an analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, took over for Dowell Loggains, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State. The Gamecocks have changed that again, as Mike Furrey is the interim playcaller following Shula’s dismissal. Similarly, Coastal Carolina has a new offensive coordinator, Drew Hollingshead, who came over from Western Kentucky. Defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson is also new, joining the Chants after a year at Louisiana Tech.

Notes on game 11

  • Despite close proximity, South Carolina and Coastal Carolina will meet for the third time ever on Saturday.
  • The Gamecocks have never lost to the Chanticleers on the gridiron.
  • Coastal Carolina likely will be without starting quarterback Samari Collier. However, multiple quarterbacks have played this season for the Chanticleers, potentially mitigating the loss. Tad Hudson and MJ Morris have taken the other QB snaps this season. Morris was the starter early in the season, but Hudson played last weekend against Georgia Southern after Collier’s injury.
  • The two in-state programs have not met since 2018 when South Carolina won, 49-15, in the season opener.
  • This is the Gamecocks’ first game since September not playing against a top-15 opponent.
  • Saturday afternoon will also be South Carolina’s Senior Day. The Gamecocks will honor 23 seniors during a pre-game ceremony. Those names include Oscar Adaway III, Nick Barrett, Jared Brown, Colin Bryant, Demon Clowney, Andrew Colasurdo, Jordan Dingle, Luke Doty, Bradley Dunn, Rahsul Faison, Monkell Goodwine, Jatius Geer, Nathan Harris-Waynick, William Joyce, Buddy Mack III, Chase McCracken, Rodney Newsom Jr., Cole Rasmussen, Eriq Rice, Larry Scott, DQ Smith, Chase Sweigart, and Bryan Thomas Jr.

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History

  • South Carolina has never lost to Coastal Carolina. The Gamecocks won in 2013, 70-10, when Coastal was still an FCS program. Then, USC won again in 2018, 49-15. Those two victories came under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp, respectively. Shane Beamer will get his first crack at the boys from Conway on Saturday.
  • The Gamecocks are 2-0 in this series.
  • South Carolina has never lost to a team with a rooster mascot. To go with their 2-0 record against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, the Gamecocks are 1-0 against the fellow Gamecocks of Jacksonville State. USC, JSU, and CCU are three of four schools with rooster mascots in Division-I college football; the Delaware Blue Hens are also roosters (yes, even though they are hens), but Carolina has never played Delaware.

Injuries

  • Early in the week, head coach Shane Beamer provided some injury updates.
    • Beamer shared that Nyck Harbor, who spent the night in College Station after a trip to the hospital, was doing “better.” He didn’t provide an additional update. Harbor battled multiple injuries on Saturday, including a hamstring, another leg issue, and a torso ailment that stemmed from an awkward landing after a leaping grab in the fourth quarter. The 6-5 pass-catcher’s status remains up in the air at this time.
    • He said that Brandon Cisse, who left the A&M game with an undisclosed injury, was “full-go” at practice.
    • Jalewis Solomon, who missed the last game, was “trending in the right direction,” but Beamer revealed on Thursday that he would be out again this weekend.
  • There will be no SEC-mandated availability report for the rest of the season. Both the Coastal Carolina contest and the Clemson game are out-of-conference matchups.
  • EDGE players George Wilson, Kobby Sakyi-Prah, and Jaylen Brown have long-term injuries, and so do defensive back Zahbari Sandy, offensive lineman Cason Henry, and defensive lineman Caleb Williams.

Depth chart movement for the Gamecocks

  • South Carolina has not posted a new depth chart in the last two weeks. You can see the entire depth chart from two weeks ago here.
    • Most of the depth chart movement this season has come after the Gamecocks have already altered the rotation. That happened with the latest update before the Ole Miss contest. Below are some of the shifts to the depth chart between the Alabama matchup and the Ole Miss game.
      • At wide receiver, Jayden Sellers was a co-starter in the slot, though he missed the game with an injury. He joined Mazeo Bennett and Brian Rowe as co-starters. Nyck Harbor remained a starter outside. At the other receiver spot, there was another three-man group of co-starters: Vandrevius Jacobs, Donovan Murph, and Jared Brown.
      • On the offensive line, Tree Babalade was officially the starter at right tackle following Cason Henry’s injury announcement, though he had played the previous several weeks. Damola Ajidahun was his backup. Though he hasn’t played at all in over a month, Nolan Hay was a co-starter at center with Boaz Stanley.
      • There were no changes to the defensive depth chart.
    • Against Texas A&M, there were several notable changes to the personnel usage.
      • Shed Sarratt started at right tackle over Tree Babalade, who didn’t play at all.
      • Running backs Jawarn Howell and Matt Fuller started together in a two-back set. Neither player led the position in snaps, though, as Rahsul Faison held that honor.
      • The rest of the starting groups and rotational players appeared to be relatively status quo.

How to watch/listen

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Television/Streaming

The Gamecocks and Chanticleers will play on SEC Network this weekend while the ESPN app makes the contest available via streaming, as well. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m.

The SEC Network crew will include Dave Neal (play-by-play), Fozzy Whitaker (analyst), and Morgan Uber (sideline reporter).

Radio

Nationally, Sirius XM will have the game available on channel 106 or 190.

Locally, Todd Ellis (play-by-play), Tommy Suggs (analyst), and Chet Tucker (sideline reporter) will be on the call on 107.5 The Game.

Fans can also stream the radio broadcast on the 107.5 The Game app.

Local radio affiliates include:

Aiken/Augusta, GA WYBO-FM 92.9
Allendale WDOG-FM 93.5
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-AM 1350
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-FM 96.1
Camden WCAM-AM 1590
Charleston WTMZ-FM 98.9
Chesterfield WVSZ-FM 107.3
Columbia WNKT-FM 107.5
Florence WFRK-FM 95.3
Gaffney WZZQ-AM 1500
Gaffney WZZQ-FM 104.3
Greenville WROO-FM 104.9
Greenwood WCZZ-AM 1090
Marion, N.C. WBRM-AM 1250
Marion, N.C. WBRM-FM 103.9
Myrtle Beach WSEA-FM 100.3
Newberry WKDK-AM 1240
Rock Hill/Lancaster WRHM-FM 107.1
Spartanburg WSPG-AM 1400
Spartanburg WSPG-FM 98.3
Sumter WIBZ-FM 95.5
Union WBCU-AM 1460
Union WBCU-FM 103.5

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