COLUMBIA, S.C. — As Shane Beamer prepares to lead the Gamecocks into their season opener with Georgia State, he feels his second season-opening opponent will present a lot more challenges than Eastern Illinois. In his very first game as South Carolina's head coach, Beamer walked off the field after a dominating 46-0 win. But the coach expects the Panthers from Atlanta to have a lot more bite than the Panthers from the Prairie State of Illinois.
""No disrespect to Eastern Illinois, who we opened up with last year, but this isn’t Eastern Illinois," Beamer said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.
"We have made that very clear with our players this morning. This is a team that 17 of their 22 starters are juniors or seniors. They have played a lot of football together. They beat Tennessee not that long ago. They had a heck of an opportunity to beat Auburn last year at Auburn."
Beamer is no longer a rookie head coach with a seven-win season in 2021 serving as the launch of his career calling the shots. But season openers aren't any easier to prepare for because of the mystery surrounding that first contest of a season.
"I love game ones but game ones stink in a lot of ways too. Just the preparation because there is so much unknown. Not that game twos are easier than game ones but game one, because it is so new, there are so many unknowns because you have been practicing against yourself for so long." he said.
"Guys this is the first time that they will go out in an environment like that. We are playing a lot of new players, freshmen and transfers. Just the unknown. I feel like I have a better handle on things because it is my second time through. As far as the nerves, it is still sky high.”