We are climbing higher and higher up the ladder of the greatest wins of the Beamer. We'll gotten past the FCS wins and all but one Group of Five win.

This was the first SEC road test for Mississippi State since the tragic passing of Mike Leach the previous December. Zach Arnett had served the defensive coordinator the prior year under Leach and took over the Pirate. Arnett attempted abandon Leach's Air Raid attack, the result were Arnett losing his job 11 games into 2023.

2023 was also not a year to remember for the Gamecocks. It's the only season under Shane Beamer that the Gamecocks fell short of preseason expectations. The win over Mississippi State was one of Spencer Rattler's finest games in Williams-Brice. Rattler torched the Bulldog secondary to tune of 18-for-20 for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Mario Anderson took over running back duties and responded with 88 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Legette added to his NFL Draft highlights with 189 yards receiving and two touchdowns, including a 76 yard TD reception to start the scoring.

Bulldog QB Will Rogers threw for a career best 487 yards on 30-of-48 passing with a touchdown and an interception. Lideatrick Griffin set a school record with 256 yards receiving on seven catches, including a 65-yard touchdown.

The first road victory of the Beamer era came on a hot, humid day in Greenville, North Carolina. The Gamecocks went into Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium as three-point favorites, Vegas hit that one on the head, but it looked like ECU was going to pick up their first ever home win over an SEC opponent. The Pirates landed a haymaker on the first play of the game with a 75-yard trick play that went for six. The Gamecocks could get nothing going in the first half. The Pirates, already up 14-0, were looking to add to their lead late in the second quarter when Damani Staley intercepted a screen pass and took back 63 yards to cut the Pirate lead in half, 14-7, before the break. South Carolina had five punts and three turnovers on offensive in the first half.

Each team would trade punts until the final minute and a half of the third quarter when Zeb Noland hit fan-favorite Dakereon Joyner on a 13-yard touchdown. ECU responded with a seven-minute drive that ended with a go-ahead field goal with 8:46 remaining. Then Beamer Ball 2.0 made another appearance as Juju McDowell returned the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to set up a game-tying field goal with 6:46 remaining. The Gamecock had the superior kicker in Parker White and felt good about this game coming down to field goals. The Gamecock defense held the Pirates to a three and out on their ensuing possession. McDowell rushed for 45 yards on the final Gamecock possession setting Parker White up for the game-winning 36-yard field goal. South Carolina never led this game under the clock hit triple zeroes in the fourth quarter.

“I just told the team in there I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a football team than that group right there,” Shane Beamer said, adding: “Having said that, we’ve got to get a whole lot better.”

And they did Coach.

South Carolina became bowl eligible for the second year in a row under Shane Beamer. Beamer joined his predecessors Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp as the only Gamecock coaches to go bowling in their first two seasons.

“I think it’s a huge accomplishment, I really do,” Beamer said of his team’s bowl eligibility. “For this team to have two wins two years ago and now we just got bowl eligible with three games to go for the second year in a row is a testament to the leadership that we have in this room and the resiliency.”

For Spencer Rattler, it was a preview of what he was capable of doing. The Arizona native finished 18-26 for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Dak Joyner also completed one pass for 68 yards and a score. Antwane Wells Jr., caught four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The Gamecock defense wasn't perfect, but they created four turnovers. The special teams were of course solid again with Kal Kroger punting five times for an average of 53.6 yards, twice pinning Vandy inside their own 20.

This was only the second SEC road win of Beamer's tenure earning a higher place on our list than the win over Group 5 of East Carolina, especially considering this Vanderbilt team would beat Kentucky and Florida in the following two weeks.

The shinning moment of the 2023 season. South Carolin was 4-6 and the odds were long that they'd see the postseason, but you wouldn't have known if you were in Williams-Brice on this night. The building was electric thanks to presence of Finnish DJ Darude. Darude is of course of the creator of Sandstorm, the unofficial anthem of Gamecock athletics. “You got us over the hump,” Beamer told Darude as the DJ stuck his tongue out and screamed “Yes!”

The Gamecocks offense was virtually non-existent, outside of Xavier Legette's two touchdown catches and 94 yards receiving. The Gamecock defense would turn Kentucky over three times including a Nick Emmanwori interception in the end zone. The Gamecocks came out firing jumping to a 10-0 lead. Kentucky would control the middle portion of the game, taking the lead halfway through the third quarter. South Carolina would answer with 7:44 left in the contest after Legette's second touchdown catch. Kentucky's final three drives ended with a punt, a Tonka Hemingway fumble recovery and a turnover on downs. The Gamecocks had turned the table on Kentucky winning their second in-a-row in the series after previously losing 7-of-8 to Cats.

Clayton White's defense smothered the upstart Commodores. A Vanderbilt team led by outspoken signal caller Diego Pavia that had shocked Alabama and lost to Texas by a field goal. Vandy was held to just 274 total yards as Pavia was hit early and forced out of the pocket often. The Gamecocks offense did just enough with Rocket Sanders leading the way. Sanders rushed for two scores and 126 yards on just 15 carries. Rocket was also the leading receiver with 52 yards and a touchdown.

The Gamecocks were officially on a roll. They'd manhandled Oklahoma in Norman and crushed Texas A&M in Columbia. There was no letdown in Nashville. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea called the loss a “three-phase ass kicking" by a more physical team.The Gamecocks had won their third SEC road game for the first time since 2011, adding to wins at Kentucky and Oklahoma

Shane Beamer's first season was already a success. The Gamecock's Vegas win/loss total was 3.5, they had won six games including victories over Florida and Auburn. The Gamecocks had started three different quarterbacks and had struggled to get going offensively against competent defenses. On the other side, UNC's Sam Howell already had a foot out the door for the NFL Draft. He would end up being picked in the 5th round by the Commanders. North Carolina was a -12.5 point favorite.

For all the flaws of former Offensive Coordinator Marcus Satterfield, his team's always looked well prepared coming off a bye week or an extended break. North Carolina's defense was not a good one, but the Gamecock offense looked creative and utilized their skill players better than they had all season. This was Can't Stop Cinco, Dak Joyner's, break out game. Joyner was a perfect 9-9 passing for 160 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 64 yards on ten carries. 2020 All-SEC performer Kevin Harris looked like the back that led the SEC in rushing the prior season, rumbling for 182 yards and a touchdown. Former Gamecock tight end Jaheim Bell had five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. All together, Carolina outgained UNC 543-333 and held nearly a 2:1 time of possession advantage.

Carolina jumped out to an 18-0 first quarter lead and never looked back as the Tar Heels couldn't get within eight points the remainder of the game. Shane Beamer received the ceremonial Mayo bath after the win.