Offensive Transfers Play Big Role In Charlotte Win
When South Carolina brought in their 2022 transfer portal class, three of those transfers on the offensive side of the ball were wide receiver Corey Rucker, running back Christian Beal-Smith, and tight end Nate Adkins. An issue, however, with all three has been the injury bug they've been suffering from, as heading into the Charlotte game, Christian Beal-Smith and Nate Adkins had sparsely played while Corey Rucker had yet to play a single snap.
Leaving the contest against Charlotte, however, Gamecock nation now has a clear idea regarding the impact all three of these transfers could make in this offense, as Beal-Smith and Rucker both registered a touchdown each. At the same time, Adkins played a vital role in the running game as a blocker.
Shane Beamer spoke about how he felt about Beal-Smith and Rucker getting a chance to score in front of the home crowd and what they had been through to perform on Saturday, and it's clear the response was infectious from the team.
"Happy for them. They've really been working hard, you know you hate it for them, two guys that had really good seasons at their previous school, and then they come in here, and they haven't been healthy. So I know it's been frustrating for them, but they've been great teammates while they've been out and not able to play, and I think that shows with the way that their teammates [reacted and] how excited they were for them when they scored those touchdowns. There was a lot of energy and excitement down the sidelines for those guys, and it's because of the kind of people they are and the way that they've worked and handled their business during the time they've been out."
Coach Beamer was later asked about Adkins and his role in the run game, specifically about his fit in the game plan against the 49ers. Beamer complimented Adkin's all-around ability that he brings to the offense.
"He's a physical presence; we knew that when we brought him in. I mean, Nate's got some toughness and some nastiness to him, and that was something that we needed at that position just to give us another body, and he's got really good hands, he runs good routes, he's got a good feel for the passing game… Nate's another one who was banged up there for a while and probably wasn't one-hundred percent healthy until maybe last week, but he continues to just execute, do his job and do it well."
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