South Carolina leaves Georgia with loss, but there are silver linings to build on

Shane Beamer is right. There are no such things as “moral victories” in football.

But Spencer Rattler is right, too. The Gamecocks should be proud.

“Like I was telling the group in the locker room, we should have our heads high,” the quarterback said after his team fell 24-14 to No. 1 Georgia in Athens on Saturday afternoon. “We’re not happy about a loss, but to have that be a one-score game until the last six minutes, I mean, that’s impressive.”

South Carolina (1-2, 0-1 SEC) opened the week as a 26.5-point underdog to the top dog of college football. Last year, the Gamecocks lost 48-7 to the Bulldogs at home in Williams-Brice Stadium. That thrashing prompted a reporter to ask Beamer if he sensed any give-up in the locker room.

“Hell no,” Beamer said — or, really, exclaimed. “What kind of question is that? We’re 1-2. We’re 1-2, we’ve got a bunch of fighters in that room. And ‘give up’? That’s not a part of this football program. Get out of here.”

Well, one year later and South Carolina is 1-2 again to start a season. And there are still a bunch of fighters in the locker room. With all their injuries, youth and top-ranked adversaries, the Gamecocks are still fighting. It’s a “hard-nosed group,” as defensive lineman T.J. Sanders said.

And that’s something to be proud of.

If that’s not enough to convince you, there’s also measurable growth from Week 1 in Charlotte against UNC to Saturday against Georgia — against one of the top defenses in the country: There were far fewer sacks (nine for 65 yards against the Tar Heels; three for 15 against the Bulldogs), and more tackles for loss for the defense (one for five yards against UNC, five for 20 against UGA).

Sure, South Carolina gave up a lot of points in Saturday’s third quarter (14) and ultimately lost the game, but it also held Georgia to just three points in the first half.

Sure, quarterback Spencer Rattler had a tough time toward the end (going six-for-24 with two interceptions and two sacks in the second half). Still, his first two quarters were every bit as spotless as his first two games: 16-of-18 for 152 yards and a touchdown. That’s largely without two starting receivers in Juice Wells and Ahmarean Brown.

There’s room to improve (hello, run game), and the Gamecocks know that. But it’s important to know that not all is lost just because South Carolina lost.

“There’s a lot of disappointment because we we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. We didn’t get it done,” Beamer said. “But there’s also a lot of confidence, too, knowing as we continue to get better. We feel good about this football team.”

USC’s remaining schedule is on what can be considered a downhill slope. Sure, 1-2 is not the start the program or its fans were hoping for. But the Gamecocks have made it past their toughest opponent, with nine games and one ranked challenger (Tennessee) left on the schedule.

Breathe in, breathe out. This is a good thing.

2023 football schedule

Sept. 2 – North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17

Sept. 9 – South Carolina 47, Furman 21

Sept. 16 – Georgia 24, South Carolina 14

Sept. 23 – vs Mississippi State – 7:30 p.m., SEC Network

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