Shane Beamer criticizes South Carolina student section for ’empty seats’ in Kentucky win

Coach Shane Beamer and South Carolina pulled off a big 17-14 upset over Kentucky to keep their bowl eligibility hopes alive going into Rivalry Week against Clemson.

Spencer Rattler’s game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter capped off an electric night at Williams-Brice Stadium, in which the creator of song “Sandstorm” was in attendance to take part in the iconic South Carolina tradition.

Beamer said after the game that the stadium was the loudest he has heard it since he became the Gamecocks’ coach, and that the crowd was so loud his staff even struggled to hear plays through their headsets — something he had never experienced, even on the road.

“There was a time in the first quarter where I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is the loudest I’ve heard this stadium since I’ve been the head football coach here,’” Beamer said. “It was hard to hear on the headphones tonight. Normally you’re the home team and you can hear well, it was harder to hear on our headphones tonight as coaches because of the crowd noise. I’m not telling them to be quiet, keep being loud and we’ll be fine.”

But despite the competitive game and the atmosphere, many in the South Carolina student section left in the second half. In the fourth quarter, there were noticeable gaps in the stands even as the Gamecocks drove down the field and took the lead.

Beamer challenged those students to show up for the final game against Clemson and be loud through all four quarters.

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“Plenty of people will nitpick me for this game, and rightfully so,” Beamer said. “If I can nitpick a little bit: Cockpit, we love you! But, if you’re gonna come, please stay for the whole game. I love you guys, that end zone was amazing, but we don’t need empty seats in a four-quarter dog fight like that in our student section. We need every single one of you that are here next weekend after Thanksgiving break, that are here for the Clemson game. It’s going to be probably a fourth quarter dogfight next week as well.

“We have the best student section in the country, Cockpit, and I sent out a tweet yesterday at X or whatever it’s called now challenging you, and we need you to be great next week. We’re going to be better as a football team, and we need you to be better with keeping this place rocking through four quarters.”