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Kirby Smart shares preparation for South Carolina’s special teams
By Mark Kern
Published:
The Georgia Bulldogs will be opening SEC play at home on Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
One of the big challenges when playing South Carolina is Beamer Ball. Named after the former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, it’s a name given because of the ability to make plays in special teams.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is the son of Frank, and has shown during his time as the Gamecocks coach they aren’t afraid to take risks on special teams.
In the opener against North Carolina, South Carolina kicked and recovered an onside kick to begin the 2nd half.
In his Monday press conference, Kirby Smart talked about the challenge of preparing for Beamer Ball.
“Yeah, they were tops in the conference last year in the little composite thing that we do in terms of looking at all of them and ranking all of the special teams units,” Smart said. “They were 1 in the SEC and they do a really really good job of. I know he is very hands on with that, he is passionate about it. It creates an identity for his players and you can see the way they play on special teams.”
This is a tough matchup for the Gamecocks, and one way to try and win a game where you’re the underdog is to make plays in special teams. Don’t be surprised if South Carolina takes some risks in special teams.
