Shane Beamer upended Kentucky football. Now, Mississippi State can land a knockout | Toppmeyer

Shane Beamer traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, ready to hold on the rim.

South Carolina’s soccer coach busted out the white-rimmed sun shades he packed for the journey and danced throughout a locker-room celebration of the Gamecocks’ 24-14 win at Kentucky whereas his gamers sang “Flip My Swag On.”

“That was a joyous, joyous locker room,” Beamer informed me Wednesday.

The locker-room scene was a remix of the preseason dance Beamer filmed carrying these sun shades whereas Soulja Boy’s 2008 hit tune performed. South Carolina launched that clip on social media to hype Beamer’s SEC media days look. That preceded this quote from Kentucky’s Mark Stoops:

“Dance round, placed on some silly sun shades, and you may change a local weather, however to vary a tradition, it is on the core,” Stoops informed the SEC Community in the summertime.

Stoops later denied his quote was a reference to South Carolina or Beamer, however when you imagine that, I’ve bought some oceanfront property in Tennessee I’d wish to promote you.

Consider this: A Kentucky season as soon as filled with nice expectations is on life assist after struggling an embarrassing loss to Beamer’s Gamecocks.

“Any person talked about to me at the start of the week, ‘Hey, take these sun shades for after the sport, if we have been to win.’ So, I assume early within the week, I felt like, if we’re lucky sufficient to win that sport, it’s one thing I could do,” Beamer stated. “Having stated that, let me say this, too: I’ve bought tons of respect for Coach Stoops and his program and the best way they do issues. I had an incredible dialog with Mark earlier than the sport about that incident from media days.

“As a head coach, although, you’re all the time searching for further motivation in your guys every week.”

Motivation, apparently, has been a difficulty for Kentucky.

“Challenged them each week about excessive vitality,” Stoops stated Monday, when requested a couple of lack of juice in opposition to the Gamecocks. “I assume I may discuss it till I’m blue within the face, however they higher do one thing about it.”

Stoops, too, higher do one thing about his group’s freefall.

After absorbing back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina, No. 17 Mississippi State will come to Lexington on Saturday with an opportunity to shovel filth on Kentucky’s season.

Whether or not he supposed to or not, Stoops’ chutzpa raised the bar of expectationsthis summer season after he scoffed at John Calipari’s truthful assertion that UK is a basketball faculty.

Stoops, to his credit score, achieved two 10-win seasons up to now 4 years, and the Wildcats entered this yr ranked within the AP’s preseason Prime 25 for the primary time since 1978, then climbed as excessive as No. 7 within the AP rankings earlier than spiraling.

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Quarterback Will Levis being sidelined with harm in opposition to South Carolina restricted the Wildcats, however Levis performed the earlier week, when UK mustered 19 factors in opposition to Ole Miss. Levis’ absence didn’t trigger Kentucky to fumble on its first play in opposition to South Carolina or contribute to continued particular groups gaffes.

The Wildcats’ struggles date to a slim win over Northern Illinois to complete September.

Stoops’ group couldn’t beat the person within the shades, and are available Sunday, after a sport in opposition to Mike Leach’s surging Bulldogs, will probably be time for basketball season in Lexington.

Alabama soccer’s further weapon? Derek Dooley

Tennessee serves as a breeding floor for Alabama teaching employees analysts.

First, fired Vols coach Butch Jones labored as an Alabama analyst – coach Nick Saban initially dubbed Jones “an intern” – for 3 seasons. Now, former Tennessee coach Derek Dooley is in his first season as an analyst on Saban’s employees.

By the best way, has anybody seen Jeremy Pruitt recently?

Dooley ranks among the many worst coaches in Tennessee historical past, fired amid his third season in 2012. Saban’s Crimson Tide went 3-0 in opposition to Dooley’s Vols, profitable by precisely 31 factors every time.

“They have been all the time troublesome to play in opposition to,” Saban stated Wednesday, with no trace of the sarcasm required to make such an evaluation.

Dooley has change into “a very good sounding board” for Saban.

Vols followers needs to be so fortunate.

In reality, the Vols might lastly have a coach, Josh Heupel, ready to match wits with Alabama’s mastermind in a conflict of undefeated groups on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

E mail of the week

Steve writes: Comprehend it’s an extended shot, but when anybody who has BAMA-Tennessee tix they wish to do away with, I wish to purchase them.

My response: I don’t have a line on tickets, however when you promote each kidneys and a liver, you would possibly be capable to rating some. Must be a enjoyable one. Hope you land some tickets. 

Three and out

1. Lane Kiffin stated he “most likely ought to have taken a knee” as a substitute of holding the pedal down in opposition to Vanderbilt final Saturday. Stroll-on Matt Jones plunged into the tip zone with 18 seconds remaining for a 24-point victory. The landing allowed Ole Miss to cowl the purpose unfold, though Kiffin did not point out that amongst his motivations for attempting to attain. No want for Kiffin to fret about unwritten guidelines of sportsmanship. His run-it-up strategy will make him extra endearing to Ole Miss followers, plus gamblers who had the Rebels to cowl the unfold. If an opponent does not desire a walk-on to attain a landing, then play some protection.

2. Brian Kelly’s assessment of life within the SEC: “Common goes to get you beat,” LSU’s first-year coach stated. Is dependent upon the opponent, I say. A median LSU efficiency was sufficient to beat lowly Auburn. A awful LSU efficiency resulted in Tennessee beating the doorways off the Tigers. Two common groups will meet Saturday within the Swamp.

3. Johnny Manziel caused a stir when he dubbed Jimbo Fisher’s play name “one of many worst calls I’ve ever seen in my life,” after Texas A&M’s incomplete move to the sideline from the 2-yard line on the ultimate play of Saturday’s 24-20 loss to Alabama. Whereas I do not applaud the play name, I feel Manziel’s critique misses the forest for the bushes: Fisher, a one-time quarterback guru, has not recruited or developed elite quarterbacks at Texas A&M. Had a quarterback of Manziel’s ilk been in uniform at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Aggies would have gained with ease, no matter play-calling.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Community. E mail him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and comply with him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

The “Topp Rope,” is his twice-weekly SEC soccer column publishing all through the USA TODAY Community. When you get pleasure from Blake’s protection, contemplate a digital subscription that may enable you entry to all of it. Additionally, take a look at his podcast, SEC Soccer Unfiltered, or entry unique columns through the SEC Unfiltered e-newsletter.