When the game ended at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, the noise from the crowd was still ringing in Shane Beamer’s ears. “It was hard to hear throughout the game,” Beamer said. “What an environment. I want to start by thanking our fans. They were incredible.” Then came the brutal honesty. “Obviously, a gut-wrenching loss,” Beamer said after South Carolina fell 29–22 to No. 4 Alabama. “Got to finish. Got an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter at home. We didn’t finish, and they did. We’re going to be sick when we watch this tape.”
For 57 minutes, Beamer’s squad had Alabama right where they wanted them, ahead 22-14 late in the fourth quarter, the crowd ready to explode, students ready to storm, the Tide grasping for rhythm. “We’ve got to finish in the fourth quarter,” Beamer said flatly. “We didn’t.” When the game was tied 22-all, Beamer said he told offensive coordinator Mike Shula, “We’ve got the best player in the stadium. Let him go win it.”
“And we just weren’t able to do that,” he added…