South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer leaning on the words of Jesus amid tough start to 2025 season

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer isn’t happy with the way things have gone for this team one-third of the way through the 2025 regular season. At 2-2 overall, USC has lost both SEC games it has played so far. As the Gamecock boss put it, “It’s not good enough. No one’s happy about being 2-2.”

Coming into the year, Carolina had College Football Playoff expectations. Though not out of the question, that goal appears far away thanks to two early-season losses.

However, according to Beamer, the slow start isn’t as demoralizing for him or his program as some outsiders might think.

Quoting Jesus’ words from the back half of John 16:33, during his time with the media this week, Beamer offered a biblical perspective to his feelings. “I know not every person in here is a person of faith,” he said, “but John 16:33 says, ‘There are going to be trials and tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'”

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Beamer was quick to acknowledge that losing a couple football games is far from the greatest struggle possible in life. “The trials and tribulations that we’re going through right now are nothing compared to what that verse is about or what other people are going through,” he said.

The fifth-year head coach was right.

Beamer mentioned Shawn Clark’s family as an example of a group facing a greater trial. Clark, a UCF assistant and former head coach at Appalachian State, passed away this week.

Beamer also referenced the verse’s context. In John 16, Jesus spoke about His upcoming crucifixion and resurrection (the means by which He overcame the world) and the future struggles His disciples would face by following Him. Eventually, the majority of them were persecuted and killed, giving credence to Beamer’s idea that the trials and tribulations from the verse are greater than the ones experienced by his team right now.

Still, Beamer wasn’t wrong when he stated, “We’re certainly dealing with some trials right now.” Carolina currently ranks at or near the bottom in the SEC in virtually all offensive categories. After a strong start against Virginia Tech and SC State, the defense has struggled recently. Injuries have been a part of the USC conversation, too.

Despite those difficulties, Beamer says that the Gamecocks are “full of good cheer.”

Beamer, who has described himself as a man of faith, has revealed in previous interviews that his faith in God keeps him grounded and grants him a sense of perspective about his position in life.

“I’m extremely blessed and grateful to get to do what I get to do with who I get to do it with, these players and coaches, each and every day,” he explained to the media this week.

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Being of good cheer has allowed South Carolina to continue striving toward their goals, even with the early-season setbacks. “[We] had a good day Sunday,” Beamer said. He added that the Gamecocks remain focused on “building on the positives from the other night” against Missouri.

In the road trip to CoMo, USC had its best day passing this season. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for over 300 yards, two TDs, and zero interceptions. Plus, wide receivers Vandrevius Jacobs and Brian Rowe turned in career-best performances. The oft-optimistic Beamer was quick to point out those notes from Saturday. He also gave credit to the defense, as they limited Missouri to field goals in the red zone multiple times. Kicker William Joyce earned a shotout, too, for making all of his kicks. Special teams, he added, was close to making a few more things happen but missed some opportunities.

Even so, Beamer knows it is important for his team to remember the bad taste in their mouths from back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that we’re happy about the way that we performed the last two weeks.” Beamer bluntly clarified, “It doesn’t mean that we’re full of good cheer because we got outrushed 295 to minus-something the other night in Missouri.”

Beamer expressed that he felt his team “played like garbage” at times against the Tigers. He knows, though, that his players and coaching staff aren’t satisfied with garbage. “That’s what excites me,” he said. “We got to go back to work with a great group of people that work their rear ends off.”

This week of practice has reinforced the coach’s view that everyone wearing garnet and black will continue working to fix the on-field issues. “This week has been no different. [I] love being around our players, love being around our coaches,” he said.

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Even with all of the bad from the last two weekends, Beamer believes his South Carolina squad’s hard work has positioned them well. He thinks, with continued improvements, the Gamecocks are close to finding sustainable good.

“The fact that we played like garbage in so many ways, but we were leading going into the fourth quarter, just imagine, if we can get all this other stuff fixed–which everything is fixable–how good this football team can be,” he said.

Bouncing back has generally been a strong point during Beamer’s tenure in Columbia. The Gamecocks haven’t lost a home game following a loss since 2023.

Beamer also called on the South Carolina fanbase to join his team as they work to right the ship.

“There are a lot of people outside this building that aren’t happy with me and aren’t happy with our 2-2 record. And I don’t blame them,” he said. “But you get to come back into Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night and be a part of the greatest environment in all of college football.”

Based on a Tuesday announcement from USC that the Kentucky game this weekend is sold out, it seems as if the Gamecock faithful have already begun answering that call.

South Carolina and Kentucky will kick off at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday night in Columbia. SEC Network will carry the television broadcast. Meanwhile, the ESPN app streams the on-field action.

A win on Saturday night certainly will help with those feelings of good cheer. The Gamecocks enter this weekend as a 6.5-point favorite.

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