Shane Beamer names big offseason priority after his worst South Carolina season ends vs Clemson

COLUMBIA — Shane Beamer met the South Carolina football team at the 50-yard line before the fourth quarter started on like he always does on Nov. 29 vs rival Clemson.

"Here we are, there's 15 minutes and you guys can leave your legacy here with how we go play in these last 15 minutes," Beamer said he told his team, down six to Clemson at the time.

It was a chance to temporarily erase the pain of the season, an opportunity to win in back-to-back seasons against the Tigers (7-5) with momentum of a sold-out home stadium on their side. But the Gamecocks (4-8) crumbled and lost 28-14.

"Extremely disappointing finish to an extremely disappointing season," said Beamer, who just completed Year 5 with his worst record yet.

Beamer will coach in 2026, athletic director Jeremiah Donati confirmed to The Greenville News on Nov. 26.

South Carolina still trailed 20-14 when quarterback LaNorris Sellers took the field with 3:20 to play. Gamecocks fans were hoping for déjà vu from 2024 when Sellers ran in a 20-yard game-winning touchdown on third-and-18.

But that was last year, and this season, Sellers' track record on-game winning drives wasn't as promising. That didn't change as he threw a pick six on his first pass, sealing the victory for Clemson.

"It didn't happen," Beamer said. "Turnovers, lack of execution, poor coaching, all of it ... we can't turn the ball over in the fourth quarter and have to perform better than we did. But something certainly that we'll look at in regards to next season."

South Carolina had four turnovers in the loss - two interceptions and two fumbles.

The Tigers dominated in rushing yards (147-47), time of possession (38-21) and third down conversion rate (7-of-17 to 1-of-11). But the Gamecocks were not only in the game, they had multiple chances to capitalize.

Just like all season, they couldn't get out of their own way.

With the game tied 7-7 with 5:48 left until halftime, edge rusher Bryan Thomas Jr made a great play to punch the ball out of quarterback Cade Klubnik's hand. But Klubnik recovered his own fumble and managed to run in 3 yards for a touchdown to go up 14-7.

After Vandrevius Jacobs made one of the best catches of the season for a 74-yard touchdown to make it 14-14, South Carolina's defense made a stop on third down to force a punt. Mo Brown tried to block the punt but was called for roughing the kicker, and Clemson went on to kick a field goal.

"It's kind of a synopsis of our season," Beamer said of the play. "It happened just the way we wanted it to ... but this is a game of inches and clearly we were an inch off of blocking the punt and changing the game."

Jalon Kilgore picked off Klubnik in the end zone in the first quarter but the offense went three-and-out, the latest example of big plays from the defense that didn't turn into any points.

In the 29-20 loss to Missouri, 29-22 loss to Alabama and 31-30 loss to Texas A&M, the Gamecocks led in the fourth quarter. Sellers fumbled with 1:51 left and the game tied 22-22 against the Crimson Tide and couldn't convert on go-ahead drives against Missouri and Texas A&M.

In the losses to LSU, Ole Miss and Clemson, it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

"We've had opportunities to win a lot of football games," Beamer said. "If they don't score, we're sitting here 7-5 if you just finish those games (Missouri and Alabama specifically) and it'll be a focal point this offseason ... to be hell of a lot better in the fourth quarter."

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football's fourth-quarter issues back in Clemson loss