Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2023 27 GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH CAROLINA BY TYLER HORKA T here won't be a gigantic tub of mayonnaise that smashes South C a ro l i n a h ea d coa c h S h a n e Beamer in the head at the end of the bowl season tunnel this year. But in that tunnel awaits Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and by most people's standards, that's a more desirable sight than an outrageously large jar of mayo anyway, even if it comes with a formidable offensive line and three tailbacks who have combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing in 2022. This is not the Duke's Mayo Bowl ver- sus North Carolina. This is the TaxS- layer Gator Bowl versus Notre Dame. It's the first time both teams in the Ga- tor Bowl have been ranked in 16 years. Beamer had his dose of mayo. Now he gets his dose of green, blue and gold. And he can't wait. "I haven't seen all the bowl matchups or know who's playing who, but I know this one is going to be right at the top as far as excitement about the games," Beamer said. "Two nationally ranked teams that have had great moments throughout the season. … All eyes are going to be on us." That's not 100 percent accurate. There are two games that will overlap with the Gator Bowl's 3:30 p.m. ET time slot: the 2 p.m. Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl pitting Pitt versus UCLA and the 4:30 p.m. Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl between Ohio and Wyoming. Given the choice between the three, which is America siding with? Rhetori- cal question. The Gator Bowl is a meeting of two head coaches with three combined years of head coaching experience. One of them, Beamer, is a household name in college football because of his father Frank, a re- tired legend who racked up double-digit wins at Virginia Tech 13 times in 29 years. Virginia Tech has won 10 or more games in a single season just one other time in the entire history of the program. Beamer is billed as one of the best up- and-coming head coaches in the sport. Freeman is, too, because of his knack for recruiting and his undeniable ability to relate to today's generation of play- ers. He doesn't have a legacy like that of Beamer. But he has the potential to write his own. Several prognosticators are betting on him to do so. So, while on paper both teams are 8-4 and have had their fair share of struggles in 2022, logic indicates that this could be a battle between two head coaches who will have their hands all over the landscape of the game for decades to come. True college football connois- seurs should have a field day with that. "We're competitors," Freeman said. "We want that. We want a chance to play a great opponent to see how good this football program is." GAINING GROUND South Carolina was dealt a tough hand as soon as it sat down at the 2022 table. It didn't do itself many favors, either. The Gamecocks were outgained by Georgia State 311 to 306 in total yards in its season opener and redshirt junior Spen- cer Rattler, a transfer from Oklahoma, threw 2 interceptions. South Carolina still managed to win 35-14 thanks in large part to its special teams — which tallied a pair of touchdowns on blocked punts — but those in Columbia, S.C., worried the way the Gamecocks played would not fly against their next two opponents: No. 16 Arkansas and No. 1 Georgia. Their reasons for fear were warranted. The Razorbacks defeated South Caro- lina 44-30 and the Bulldogs ran right through Beamer's boys 48-7. Through three games in his new threads, Rattler Facts & Figures NO. 21 NOTRE DAME VS. NO. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA Date: Dec. 30, 2022 Site: TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.) Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: ESPN Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG radio affiliates. Series Facts: This is the fifth ever meeting between Notre Dame and South Carolina. The Fighting Irish lead the series 3-1. The Gamecocks won the last matchup 36-32 in South Bend on Oct. 20, 1984. Head coaches: South Carolina — Shane Beamer (15-10, second season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (8-5, first season). Noting South Carolina: Beamer is 3-4 as a head coach against Associated Press Top 25 opponents … Only one South Carolina game has finished with a margin of a touchdown or less in 2022; the Game- cocks beat Texas A&M 30-24 Oct. 22, and the Aggies kicked a field goal with 10 seconds left … South Carolina is 7-0 in 2022 when scoring first and 12-1 in the Beamer era when the Gamecocks strike before the opponent … As of Dec. 12, South Carolina had six players enter the transfer portal since the end of the regular season: senior tight end Austin Stogner (committed to Oklahoma), redshirt sophomore cornerback Joey Hunter, junior tight end Jaheim Bell (Florida State), redshirt senior safety Tyrese Ross, redshirt freshman offense tackle Jordan Davis and redshirt sophomore running back MarShawn Lloyd … The Gamecocks have the No. 42 passing offense in the country at 257.8 yards per game and are one of 27 teams in the FBS to hold opponents to less than 200 yards passing per game. Reason To Crow The Gamecocks and Fighting Irish get together for the first matchup of ranked teams in the Gator Bowl since 2006 Redshirt junior quarterback Spencer Rattler played his best football at the end of the season, when he tossed 8 touchdown passes while lead- ing South Carolina to back-to-back victories over top-10 teams — Tennessee (63-38) and Clemson (31-30) — for the first time in program history. PHOTO COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA