That play was always the plan.

Despite going with what the Gamecocks were using to get them there in the run game, Shane Beamer heard the play call—a sweep and pop pass from Jordan Burch to Nick Muse—and opted to run with it.

What happened next defined the first half for South Carolina in a double-digit loss to Tennessee Saturday: the defensive lineman under threw Nick Muse and the ball was interception, prompting a 14-0 run for Tennessee over the next two minutes of game time.

“That was a play we had been working all week. Jordan had thrown that ball in high school and it’s something we’d been working all along this week. He’s made some great throws on it. I didn’t really see the angle on the sideline. Yesterday we ran it in our walk-through in our indoor and he threw a beautiful ball in the back corner of the end zone where he led nick and Nick caught it as he’s going out of bounds,” Beamer said.

“I think it may have been a little under thrown and the guy made a nice play. We talked about it as an offensive staff that the first time we got out there inside the five we were going to get to that call. We told Jordan to run it and make them tackle you if you don’t like the pass. He was trying to make a play; we were trying to make a play. If it works? Great. If it doesn’t you get criticized. I understand that part. We talked about it before the game and liked that play and felt good about it."

Also see: Instant analysis from Saturday's loss

The play had been rehearsed all week in practice and the Gamecock offensive staff, Beamer said, planned all week to use it the first time the offense was inside the five-yard line.

Burch, who hadn’t played an offensive snap all season before today, would gather the toss and ease up to throw to Muse, something that worked all week in practice.

It didn’t Saturday, turning what would have likely been a 14-7 game into a 28-0 game in just nine plays; Tennessee scored in five, then on three plays after South Carolina fumbled the first snap of the ensuing drive after the Vols’ third touchdown of the half.

“We practiced it a couple times throughout the week and felt good about it, which is why we ran it down there,” Luke Doty said. “It’s something we felt good about through the week. Going out there, we have to have better execution at it, have to have a better ball. Just have to execute better. That’s the thing with that.”

Prior to the Burch interception, the Gamecocks were having sustained success on the drive running the ball—seven rushes for 50 yards on that possession alone—averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

Of those, two went for at least 10 yards and only one was a negative play.

Beamer, when asked again if there was a way to overrule the call, said he’d be the only person who could and liked what he had seen and looking back would have run the ball.

Also see: Recapping everything Shane Beamer said postgame

“The mechanism is me as the head coach to overrule a call when I hear it on the headphones. I liked the call. Worst-case scenario you have a 270-pound guy who runs probably a 4.5 40 running the ball that they have to tackle. It didn’t work,” he said.

“Hindsight being 20-20 sure you keep running the ball and hammer it in in that situation. There is a mechanism, and it’s me. Like I said, we all have to play and coach better and that starts with me.”

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