Paul Finebaum says South Carolina football is ‘rolling’ into Shane Beamer’s third year

When the “SEC Nation” crew came to Columbia for South Carolina football vs. No. 5 Tennessee in November, network host Paul Finebaum searched deep within himself for something positive to say about quarterback Spencer Rattler.

In an interview with 107.5 FM The Game that aired Monday, Finebaum said he and former SEC signal-callers Tim Tebow and Jordan Rogers on that TV broadcast were “tiptoeing around the fact that [Rattler] had really had a crummy year.” They scraped their brains for positive words like “resiliency” to appease the throng of Gamecock fans standing there behind them and their TV set.

But then Rattler stunned the Volunteers and the rest of the college football world.

He entered that game with 1,968 yards passing to go with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He threw 438 yards and six touchdowns and led USC to a 63-38 trouncing of a Tennessee squad poised for its first-ever playoff berth. The next weekend, the Gamecocks downed Clemson 31-30 in another impressive showing. Rattler on that day threw for 360 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Gamecocks snapped a seven-game losing streak against the rival Tigers.

“I’ve never really quite seen a story or a program reverse gears in the span of eight days,” Finebaum said in the Monday interview.

South Carolina finished coach Shane Beamer’s second season 8-5 overall after a Gator Bowl loss to Notre Dame.

When asked what success would look like for South Carolina this year, sans a final record, Finebaum sounded enthused over the direction of the program under Beamer. He did suggest USC would finish behind Georgia and Tennessee in the SEC East in 2023, but would battle Kentucky and Florida for third place in the division.

“I don’t think there’s a person listening who doubts right now that Shane Beamer has this program rolling from a recruiting standpoint, from a momentum standpoint,” Finebaum said. “And that’s as important as a final season record. Because he did something that nobody had done in so long.

“Beating Clemson at the end of the year, Shane Beamer can dine on that one for a long time.”

Finebaum also mused over the psychology of Gamecock fans. They’re different from those who root for Clemson, Alabama or Georgia, he said, because they relish in the process of attaining success. They value “the arc,” which marries well with Beamer’s current resume.

Beamer and Rattler will be at 2023 SEC Media Days in Nashville next week when they appear July 20 along with defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway and punter Kai Kroeger.

South Carolina 2023 schedule

• Sept. 2 – North Carolina (at Charlotte) – 7:30 pm, ABC

• Sept. 9 – vs Furman – 7:30 p.m., SEC Network

• Sept. 16 – at Georgia – 3:30 pm, CBS

• Sept. 23 – vs Mississippi State – TBA

• Sept. 30 – at Tennessee – TBA

• Oct. 14 – vs Florida – TBA

• Oct. 21 – at Missouri – TBA

• Oct. 28 – at Texas A&M – TBA

• Nov. 4 – Jacksonville State – TBA

• Nov. 11 – vs Vanderbilt – TBA
  
  

• Nov. 18 – vs Kentucky – TBA

• Nov. 25 – vs Clemson – TBA