Shane Beamer says Josh Heupel is 'looking forward' to playing South Carolina
The long awaited rematch between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Vols is finally here. Tennessee will get their chance for revenge on Saturday night in Knoxville, less than a year after falling 63-38 to the Gamecocks in Columbia. And South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer thinks Vols head coach Josh Heupel is eager […]
The long awaited rematch between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Vols is finally here.
Tennessee will get their chance for revenge on Saturday night in Knoxville, less than a year after falling 63-38 to the Gamecocks in Columbia.
And South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer thinks Vols head coach Josh Heupel is eager for the showdown after watching the Gamecocks' pass defense struggle this weekend against Mississippi State.
South Carolina beat Mississippi State 37-30, but the Bulldogs totaled 487 passing yards against the Gamecocks' defense (Mississippi State had 519 yards of total offense compared to South Carolina's 432 total yards of offense).
After the game, Beamer suggested that Heupel is excited for the opportunity to exploit the Gamecocks' pass defense.
"That is a good team that we just beat," said Beamer on Saturday night. "There is a lot to correct and build upon. It wasn't clean by any stretch of the imagination. We made some really good plays in all three phases. This is a tough stretch. I don't know of anybody in the country that has played a tougher schedule than we have this season."
"I know we have a big challenge on the road next week," continued Beamer. "I am sure Coach Heupel, they played earlier today, I am sure he is sitting at home watching this game on television and looking forward to next week based on the way we played pass defense tonight. We have to play a lot better."
"To get a win at home going into another week of going on the road in a hostile environment Saturday night in Knoxville, we needed this one," added Beamer.
It certainly won't be an easy task for the Vols against South Carolina. The Gamecocks showed last season that they know how to attack Tennessee's defense. And even if the Vols offense is clicking against South Carolina, Tennessee will still need to figure out a way to stop quarterback Spencer Rattler, who lit up the Vols last season for 438 passing yards and six passing touchdowns.
Tennessee will benefit from the game being at home, but otherwise, they'll have their hands full against a South Carolina squad that's more than capable of winning in Knoxville.
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