COLUMBIA - South Carolina didn’t need fireworks to make its point in a 57-0 season-opening wipeout of Kent State. The Gamecocks’ offense was efficient, controlled and exactly what Shane Beamer said it could be, with Kendal Briles rolling out the plan he’s been building since January.
There was plenty of preseason talk about tempo, but the opener showed that doesn’t have to mean constant chaos. South Carolina mixed in huddles, then sped up when it wanted to, and the result was a clean operation that never gave Kent State much room to breathe.
“We knew how we wanted to play this game, and you guys probably saw us huddling on the first drive and were like, ’What the heck? We’ve been hearing about all this up-tempo offense and all that,’ and we got some tempo after that,” USC coach Shane Beamer said. “But that was the main thing, just very efficient, clean and just how we operated the right way.”
Beamer had already hinted this summer that the Gamecocks would use tempo as a tool, not a rule. He put it plainly in preseason, then doubled down with a joke that made the point even clearer.
“Sometimes there’s this thing that way back in the day, teams used this thing called the huddle. And sometimes we might actually hit a huddle,” he said jokingly. “So it’s not like we’re out here, we just go 15,000 miles an hour and as fast as we can.”
Against Kent State, South Carolina huddled multiple times, and it made sense. The game was out of reach, and on the hottest day in Williams-Brice Stadium history, there was no reason to rush just for the sake of it.
That part of the performance brought more curiosity than criticism. The real question is whether that mix can become a dependable part of what the Gamecocks do, or whether it was mainly a one-game wrinkle.
Beamer left that open-ended.
“I’d say it’s certainly put your foot on the gas with the ability to take your foot off the gas when you need to,” he said. “Just the headphones are so poised and quiet.
There’s sometimes Kendal’s calling, and I’d have to ask, ‘Are y’all on?’ Because it was just so quiet at times.
In a good way.”
The other pieces of the offense were easy to spot, too. Run-pass options showed up often, and Briles seemed intent on getting the ball to Nyck Harbor in different ways instead of simply sending him deep over and over.
“We were going to have to get the ball on the perimeter, we had a size advantage out there, and we needed to be able to make plays on the perimeter. I don’t think we started very well.
We had that play over there on their sideline where I think DJ Black lost his block or on the first drop or second drop,” Beamer said. “But (Mazeo Bennett) came to me, and he’s like, ’We got you, we’re going to get that right.’
And they did.”
The RPO package worked well enough to stand out, but Beamer made clear that the success of those plays still comes back to the same thing: blocking on the edge. And that remains the hinge point for LaNorris Sellers as well, since his decisions on those plays depend on whether South Carolina can consistently win outside.
“We show that we can be a downhill team running the ball, but we’ve also got to be able to, when teams load the box, we’ve got to be able to kick the ball out there and make plays on the perimeter,” Beamer said.
In Other News...
South Carolina Freshmans Arrest Just Created An Early Roster Problem
A freshman tight end already had to navigate the usual first-year learning curve, and now Caden Ramsey is dealing with something far more serious. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer confirmed Ramsey has been suspended after Ramsey was arrested on a charge of racing on a public road, an incident that quickly turned a promising start into an early roster issue for the Gamecocks.
According to the arrest report, Ramsey was observed driving at 113 mph, a detail that puts the focus squarely on conduct rather than football. His attorney said the citation is pending and added that Ramsey was not under the influence or in possession of a firearm, but South Carolina still has to sort out a situation that leaves one of its young tight ends unavailable while the case works through its next steps. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Now Has An O-Line Decision Fans Didn't Expect
South Carolinas offensive line has already been asked to absorb an early-season test, and the response has been encouraging. With Jacarrius Peak working back from a knee injury and expected to return by Week 3, freshman Darius Gray stepped into the left tackle spot and handled the job well enough to create a real conversation about what comes next for the unit.
Shane Beamer has pointed to the groups versatility and depth as a strength, and that flexibility could matter once Peak is back in the mix. The Gamecocks now have to decide whether to keep Gray where hes thrived, shift pieces around to fit Peak in, or make another adjustment altogether, which is a good problem to have but still one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Has Another Discipline Issue Shane Beamer Had To Address
South Carolina had to deal with another off-field issue this week after freshman tight end Caden Ramsey was arrested on a charge of racing on a public road. Ramsey was booked in the Berkeley County Detention Center and later granted a personal recognizance bond, while coach Shane Beamer suspended him from the football team as the program again tried to get control of the narrative around discipline.
It is the third known arrest involving a South Carolina football player in 2026, a troubling pattern for a team that has already spent too much time answering questions it would rather avoid. Ramseys situation now leaves the Gamecocks waiting on the next steps from both the legal side and the football side, with Beamer once again having to address a matter that extends well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]