‘Spectacular,’ ‘WHAT A STATEMENT’ — South Carolina Fans React as Shane Beamer’s Side Stop SEC Slide

South Carolina went into the Swamp and beat No. 16 Florida 38-19 on Saturday, snapping an eight-game SEC losing streak behind five touchdowns from quarterback LaNorris Sellers.

It was the first SEC win this season for coach Shane Beamer’s team, which had lost three straight, the last a 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky in which it led 17-0.

The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) also won in Gainesville for the first time since 2014, and they head into an open week.

Shane Beamer Faced Fan Pressure Going Into the Florida Game

Beamer said a week ago, after the Kentucky loss, that the goal was to find a way to win in Gainesville and carry that into the open week. Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gave South Carolina a 30.4% chance to win at Florida, as of Oct. 10, 2026.

A 2-3 start had put Beamer under pressure from his own fan base, and he addressed it at his news conference Tuesday. “It’s week to week in this league, and I know that. And right now, two and three is not good enough, and I own it.”

He said the noise could swing either way. “You know, the same people in the student section that were there against Mississippi State, they were chanting ‘Fire Beamer’ at the end of the game. They were, seven days earlier, screaming and chanting ‘Beamer Ball’ at the end of the game when we beat Towson.”

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This time, it was the second chant. “South Carolina band and fans chanting Beamer Ball as the Gamecocks left the field in Gainesville,” Andy Staples, who covers college football for On3, wrote on X.

South Carolina fans had started the chant with just under five minutes left, after Sellers’ fourth touchdown pass made it 38-13, and many Florida fans had headed for the exits. Needless to say, Gamecocks fans were much happier on Saturday afternoon than they were following the narrow Kentucky defeat.

LaNorris Sellers Accounts for Five Touchdowns in Florida Win

The game turned in the quarter Beamer had flagged Tuesday. “We have not been good in the third quarter, offensively and defensively, in the three SEC games.” He said the staff would change some things around halftime.

A lightning delay stretched halftime with South Carolina up 17-10, and kicker Patrick Durkin’s 48-yard field goal pulled Florida within 17-13 early in the third quarter. The Gamecocks answered as Sellers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Murph and scored on a 1-yard run, winning the quarter 14-3. According to On3, those were South Carolina’s first third-quarter points in SEC play this season.

Sellers accounted for all five South Carolina touchdowns. He also threw scoring passes of 15 yards to Nyck Harbor, 12 to Mazeo Bennett Jr., and 21 to Lex Cyrus, and the Gamecocks completed 23 of 35 passes for 279 yards without an interception.

Beamer had said earlier in the week that Sellers played better against Kentucky than against Alabama. Sellers’ PFN Impact grade of 79.5 through Week 5 ranks tied for 51st of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, in the top half.

SEC Country on X described Sellers’ performance as “spectacular.”

Florida turned the ball over three times, South Carolina not at all. Defensive back Vicari Swain intercepted Florida quarterback Aaron Philo with the score tied 10-10 late in the second quarter, setting up Sellers’ 12-yard scoring pass to Bennett, and Justin Okoronkwo picked off a pass in the fourth.

Edge rusher Dylan Stewart, who sat out the Kentucky game, finished with five tackles and a sack and forced a fumble that Shawn Murphy recovered early in the fourth quarter.

For one fan who had wanted a coaching change, the performance was reason to reconsider. “I did want change, but hope we can win more games and Beamer stay. He can recruit and they showed up today.”

Asked after the Kentucky loss whether he had the administration’s support, Beamer said its officials had told him they had been supportive all along.

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Not every fan was won over. “We’re still not making the playoffs, we’re still not going to the SEC championship, we’re still not being invited to the Auto Zone Bowl,” another fan wrote. “Fire Shane Beamer.”

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gave South Carolina under a 0.1% chance to make the playoff even with a win at Florida, as of Oct. 10, 2026.

Looking Ahead in Week 8 to Tennessee

South Carolina is off in Week 7 before hosting Tennessee in a Week 8 game on Oct. 24 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Volunteers were ranked No. 15 entering their game at Arkansas on Saturday.

Beamer pointed Tuesday to his 2024 team, which was 3-3 before finishing 9-3. He also repeated a line from his father, who coached at Virginia Tech for 29 years, that he had shared with his players.

“Things are never as good as they seem, and things are never as bad as they seem. They’re somewhere in the middle.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.