COLUMBIA - Kendal Briles didn’t come to South Carolina promising fireworks. He came to win. But six games into his first season calling plays for the Gamecocks, the offense is doing exactly what people around the program hoped it would do - and then some.
South Carolina’s numbers are hard to ignore. The Gamecocks rank seventh in the nation in rushing, 65th in passing, 14th in total offense and tied for 26th in scoring. They’re averaging 37.7 points and 474.7 yards per game, marks that would stand as program highs over the 35 years South Carolina has been in the SEC if they hold up.
That production has helped answer the biggest question hanging over Briles’ hire: was he the man to finally give Shane Beamer’s program a steady, dangerous offense? After six games, the answer looks pretty clear.
“You bet it was the right hire.”
Beamer said the offense has brought a different kind of belief to the team, and not just because the points are piling up.
“Just the confidence and the swagger that the whole team has in the offense, because of him. And we have some really good offensive coaches and a system that we believe in that we were going to have success with,” Beamer said. “But then to be able to see it happen in SEC games and putting up points like we are right now, certainly really pleased with where we are.”
The Gamecocks are coming off their best performance yet, a 38-19 win at then-No. 16 Florida.
That game was the cleanest sign so far that quarterback LaNorris Sellers and his receivers are starting to find their rhythm after a few uneven weeks. Through the first three SEC games, the offense had felt more like a sputtering old car than a high-powered machine.
In Gainesville, it finally looked like the engine had turned over.
For South Carolina, that matters because this is the kind of offense the program has been chasing for years. Briles has brought a punishing run game, a quarterback who can make plays, and a calm, steady presence that hasn’t always been easy to find.
And he hasn’t acted like a coordinator operating on an island. Beamer praised the way Briles fits into the larger operation, calling him “a total team guy.”
“He’s a total team guy. That’s what I love about him.
He’s not one of those offensive coordinators that is in his offensive world and only worried about scoring points and whatever,” Beamer said. “He’ll pop his head in my office at just the right time, whether it be to convey a message to me or ask a question or whatever.
I think I mentioned the offensive staff dynamic is better than it’s ever been.”
That connectivity shows up in the weekly routine. Beamer said he meets with Briles and defensive coordinator Clayton White every Monday night to map out the next opponent and the key areas for winning the game. Tuesdays are for third downs and red zone work.
There’s one detail Beamer offered that says plenty about the way things are running now: the meetings are scheduled for 8, and these days Briles and White are already there waiting.
“Because they enjoy being around each other, they enjoy learning from one another, and they enjoy talking about just football and life,” Beamer said.
Briles, as expected, has kept his focus on the next snap rather than the praise. He’ll talk through what worked and what didn’t, and he’s been willing to explain the details when he meets with reporters four days after games. But he’s not interested in turning the job into a personal showcase.
He said it plainly over the summer:
“I don’t allow myself to really think about that,” Briles said over the summer. “I want to do the best job I can for our head football coach.
I was hired here for a reason and I know what the reason is. And so I don’t think it needs to be overly discussed.
“And it doesn’t matter, offense, defense, questions, whatever it is. It’s our team.
We got to go win. And that’s how you’re able to have success and have fun.”
That mindset fits the results. South Carolina hasn’t solved everything, and the numbers don’t hide the fact that the record is still 3-3, 1-3 in the SEC.
The defense explains part of that. So do dropped passes and the early-season inconsistency in the quarterback-receiver connection.
Still, after six games, the offense Briles was hired to build has shown up in a real way.
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