The 2026 season opened in sweltering fashion for South Carolina, and the Gamecocks wasted little time getting on the board.
Matthew Fuller capped a 6-play, 87-yard march with a 7-yard touchdown run, giving South Carolina a 7-0 lead over Kent State in the first quarter. Fuller had already sparked the drive with a 42-yard run before punching it in at the end.
Kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium came with a record-setting sting. The temperature was 95 degrees, topping the previous mark of 94 from the 2024 season opener against Old Dominion.
It’s Shane Beamer’s sixth season leading the Gamecocks, and South Carolina entered Saturday’s game against Kent State at 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network.
Before the game, former South Carolina punter Kai Kroeger helped lead the crowd in the Gamecock chant. Kroeger, now with the Houston Texans, was an all-SEC punter in 2024.
Beamer also revealed several starting lineup notes in his pregame interview with Todd Ellis. Freshman Darius Gray got the nod at left tackle, with the rest of the offensive line listed as Nolan Hay, Carter Miller, Emmanuel Kojo Poku and Dayne Arnett. Fuller started at running back, while the receivers were Nyck Harbor, DJ Black and Mazeo Bennett.
On defense, Anthony Addison started at one defensive end spot in place of Dylan Stewart, with Caleb Herring at the other edge position. David Bucey opened at safety, though Beamer said he expected J’Zavien Currence to play early. Max Kelley was the starting kicker.
South Carolina entered the game as a heavy favorite. The Gamecocks opened as 33.5-point favorites, and the line had moved to 35.5 by Saturday, according to Vegas Insider.
For the opener, South Carolina went with white helmets, garnet jerseys and white pants.
In Other News...
Beamer Reflects On What South Carolina Lost With Joe Rice
Joe Rices death at 72 marked the loss of one of South Carolina athletics most influential supporters, and the university made sure his presence was felt before a home football game with a moment of silence. A prominent lawyer and longtime donor to the University of South Carolina, Rice left a wide imprint on the school, not just through his backing of the athletic department but also through a major commitment to the law school that later carried his name.
Shane Beamer spoke about Rices contributions and the legacy he leaves behind, a reminder that some figures matter to a program far beyond the sidelines and scoreboards. For South Carolina, Rice represented the kind of sustained support that helps shape an athletic department over time, and his absence will be felt in a way that goes well beyond one afternoon in Williams-Brice Stadium. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Showed Shane Beamer Something Bigger Than The Final Score
South Carolinas season opener against Kent State came with more than the usual August nerves, because the heat in Columbia was brutal from the start. The Gamecocks still handled business on the scoreboard, rolling to a 57-0 win, but the setting mattered almost as much as the result. The athletic department spent the day working to keep players and fans hydrated, and Shane Beamer had every reason to like what he saw from a team that had to manage a difficult environment before it could even settle into the game.
What stood out most was how cleanly South Carolina got through it. Extreme heat can turn an opener into a survival test, especially for a roster still trying to establish its early-season rhythm, but the Gamecocks came out with a dominant performance and no visible fallout from the conditions. For a coach preaching toughness and resilience, it was the kind of first step that goes beyond the final score, because it showed how the team responded when the weather was almost as much of an opponent as Kent State. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Fans Finally Get Their First Look At The New Offense
South Carolina fans will not have to wait long for their first real glimpse of the new offense in 2026. The Gamecocks are set to open the season at Williams-Brice Stadium, and the early nonconference matchup should provide the first chance to see how the attack looks when it finally gets on the field in front of the home crowd.
Kent State will come to Columbia on Sept. 5, with the game set for a national audience on SEC Network and the broadcast crew of Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb on the call. It is the kind of season opener that gives South Carolina an immediate measuring stick, and with more dates and TV details already in place across the schedule, attention is only going to build once that first snap arrives. [Read more 🡒]