Rattler Interaction Underscores Beamer's Character
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer had every reason to celebrate Saturday night. He won his first SEC road game, defeated a ranked opponent for the first time, and potentially salvaged the Gamecocks' season.
Furthermore, there was a personal agenda here. Beamer noted that the Gamecocks were at rock bottom two years prior when South Carolina visited Lexington. They announced their hiring of Beamer during the game, marking a new era. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops took a personal shot at Beamer during SEC Media Day, adding fuel to the fire and creating a great story.
Yet, Beamer deflected all the praise and took the opportunity to pull his quarterback into the frame. Quarterback Spencer Rattler has dealt with emotional turbulence the past year, battling back into the forefront of college football after he was benched at Oklahoma.
Beamer praised Rattler for his poise and confidence, noting that the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma concluded several hours prior. The significance? Rattler was benched in that very game one year ago.
"I told him that Oklahoma played Texas today; it was in that game one year ago that he lost his starting job, and it led him right here to South Carolina. You can call it fate, karma, whatever; that's pretty freaking cool that one year later, the same day that OU plays Texas, he comes up here and leads us to this."
That particular moment between the faces of South Carolina underscores why Beamer is so beloved. He had every reason to make the moment about himself but passed the praise to a player.
Players respond well to Beamer; many have expressed that they will go to the end of the line for him. This interaction gave fans a microcosm of why Beamer is so good at developing the perfect culture for this program, one that players respond to and respect.
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