Shane Beamer opened his postgame remarks with respect for the opponent. “Best of luck to Virginia Tech. Obviously I’ve got a lot of respect for that program. Brent Pry is doing a heck of a job. They’re a good team. They’re going to win a lot of football games this year.”
He admitted the night carried more weight than most. “It was certainly ugly at times. We made it harder on ourselves than we needed to at times…If we are who we say we are, we should get better as the game goes. It was really cool to see our guys do that; certainly really emotional to me. I’d be lying to you if I told you this one wasn’t extra special.”
The emotions peaked when Beamer saw his family. “I was doing pretty good with the emotions until I did my walk and I saw my parents at the end of it. That one certainly got me.” His father, Frank Beamer, was the legendary Virginia Tech coach who built the Hokies into a national power, and the family ties made this victory even more meaningful.
Goodnight, Gamecocks 🫡 pic.twitter.com/pI1sMZXehj
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) September 1, 2025
The turning point came on special teams when Vicari Swain, who had dropped an earlier punt, redeemed himself with an 80-yard return for a touchdown. Beamer called it pure Beamer Ball. “An old special teams coach told me like 20 years ago nothing good for the kicking team ever happens after a re-kick. We really feel like we had an advantage when they punt the football. So proud of Vicari Swain. He’s a weapon, and it was really neat for him to do that and how fitting that is playing Virginia Tech with their history, my dad’s history at special teams. What a play. We needed it too. We weren’t playing great on offense, and we needed a spark at this point.”
On quarterback LaNorris Sellers: “He’s a stud. He’ll be the first to tell you he missed some throws as well. But he’s just a super, super competitive guy. When you think we’re trying to run out the clock and there’s about three people getting ready to hit him, and he scrambles down the sideline and gets a first down…that was awesome to see. That’s who he is.”
Beamer closed with reflection. “Just proud of our players and how they played. I remember just the gratitude that I have for my time at Virginia Tech, growing up, playing there, coaching there. Just gratitude that 26 years ago I got into this profession, just hoping to get a job, and then here I am 26 years later to be coaching in the SEC at a special place like South Carolina. It’s pretty, pretty cool.”
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