South Carolina didn’t need long to find out what Jabree Coleman could do.
In the middle of the second quarter of the Gamecocks’ Week 1 win over Kent State, the Penn State transfer checked in for his first offensive snaps in college football. One carry later, he was in the end zone, racing 60 yards for a touchdown after slicing through the first two levels of the defense.
That was only the start. Coleman scored again late in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run, finishing his collegiate debut with a team-high 77 yards and two touchdowns on four carries.
“I was ecstatic, and it kind of felt surreal,” Coleman said in a press conference on Tuesday. “My first touch ever of college football, I go score.
It definitely boosted my confidence, and it just made me feel amazing. It made my family feel amazing.
Everybody was so happy, including me.”
Coleman said he came into the game determined to be ready the moment his chance arrived.
“My number got called, and I just wanted to be ready and make my rep matter because you never know when your number is going to get called again,” he added. “So, I just wanted to make sure I did everything I could do to help our team out.”
Once he got beyond the second level, Coleman said he knew the play was headed for a big finish.
“I would say once I passed the corner and DJ Black, our receiver, he had him blocked up really good, and I made it past that,” Coleman said. “After that, I just knew I had to go running.
I was going to score. I wanted it so bad.
Leading up to the game, I was telling everybody, I redshirted my freshman year at Penn State, so I didn't play. I was telling people, I didn't play football since 2024.
As soon as I get the ball, I'm going to make it count, I got to do everything I can.”
He also pointed straight to the work up front for making the opening score possible.
“I feel like those guys played amazing,” Coleman said. “After the play, I got back to my O-line and I told him thank you because it was wide open for me.
All throughout practice for the week leading up to it, we knew that their linebackers, they flew a little heavy with our tight ends on the split zones. So, I had had my eyes on the linebacker, and then he did that, and the O-line just opened it up after that.”
Coleman’s breakout came during a strong day for South Carolina’s ground game. Stan Drayton’s running back room piled up 278 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and Coleman believes the group has the depth to keep rolling.
“Our coaches, they push us to compete every day,” he said. “With our room, I'm not sure if y'all know, but I feel like we have five SEC caliber running backs.
We can all be number one backs. So just being around those guys, they pushed me to get better all throughout camp.
So, I just kept my head down and I kept working.”
In Other News...
Gamecocks Pass Rush Finally Gets A Very Different Week 2 Test
Kent States passing game last week offered a very different kind of challenge for a pass rush, with Dru DeShields getting the ball out in 2.4 seconds on 23 dropbacks. The Golden Flashes kept things compact, leaning on short passes with an average depth of target of 2.5 yards and only four throws that traveled more than nine yards downfield, the sort of script that can take a defenses sacks out of the equation.
Towson should ask more questions of South Carolina in Week 2, though, because Andrew Indorf has been willing to push the ball deeper and his profile comes with a much higher average depth of target. For a Gamecocks front trying to build on its early work, that creates a different kind of test: less about beating a rapid-fire release and more about staying disciplined when the ball starts traveling farther downfield. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Faces An Early Depth Test In First Night Game
South Carolina gets its first night game of the season Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium, and the matchup with Towson arrives with the Gamecocks carrying real momentum from a 57-0 rout of Kent State. They are favored again against a Towson team that is 0-2, but the bigger early-season question for Shane Beamers group is less about the opponent and more about how the roster holds up under another game.
The injury picture adds some intrigue to what should be a comfortable home date. Dylan Stewart and Jacarrius Peak are both doubtful to play, which puts a little more pressure on the depth chart as South Carolina looks to keep its start on track under the lights. Fans who want to follow along will need the streaming option, since the game is set for SEC Network Plus. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Has One Last Chance To Fix A Worry Before SEC Play
South Carolina gets one more nonconference tuneup against Towson before the real grind of Southeastern Conference play begins, and Shane Beamer is treating it like a final checkpoint rather than a breather. The Gamecocks came off a strong win over Kent State, but Beamer still pointed to a few areas that need cleaning up, even as the staff prepares for a Towson team that should bring a spirited defensive approach into the spotlight.
Pete Shinnicks group also knows what kind of stage this is, with a night game in an SEC atmosphere offering a different kind of test for the Tigers. Towson is looking to use the matchup to keep growing, while South Carolina is trying to make sure it leaves Saturday with fewer questions than it brought in. [Read more 🡒]