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The South Carolina Gamecocks host the LSU Tigers on Saturday in an SEC matchup that will be centerstage. With College GameDay on hand, a national spotlight will be on Columbia, SC.
Some believe the Gamecocks could have extra help in bringing down the Tigers – and it comes in the form of Lincoln Riley!
A narrative has followed Riley dating back to his departure from Oklahoma. Many called him a “coward” for not wanting to coach in the SEC.
This, of course, came after the Sooners made intentions known that they’d be moving away from the Big 12 starting in 2024.
Fans doubled down on that outlook when Riley spurned a presumed opportunity to take the LSU job in order to coach at USC.
Noise reached a peak when reports claimed that he’d been looking for a way to cancel a season opening matchup against the Tigers this year.
Those wishes weren’t met, which turned out to be a good thing for the Trojans, who beat LSU in Week 1. Now, some believe he’ll try to get back at the school a second time!
Lincoln Riley and Shane Beamer are close.
The duo coached together at Oklahoma where Beamer was an assistant coach. From all accounts, they remain tight, with the South Carolina coach referring to Riley as a mentor during his time in Norman.
Could the relationship provide the Gamecocks with some extra intel on Saturday?
You know who’s going to have the coach intel advantage coming into this week’s matchup between South Carolina & LSU?
Shane Beamer. He’s tight with his former boss Lincoln Riley who’s the head coach at Southern Cal’ and faced the Tigers in week one. Also, former Gamecock linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams is a Defensive GA under Riley.
Not saying Carolina will win because of this, but it’s huge as far as game prep goes.
-Andrew Lyon / X: @ALyon_SC
There are obvious links between the South Carolina and Southern Cal staffs despite the schools residing on opposite sides of the country. It’s certainly plausible that the two head coaches could chat about what Riley saw in his Week 1 win.
Will it lead to victory? That seems like a stretch. Still, Lincoln Riley has as much motive as anyone to see the Tigers fall!
It will be interesting to see how the game plays out on Saturday. The Gamecocks are looking to stay unbeaten after a 2-0 start. LSU will look to win its SEC opener to get back on the right side of .500.