The South Carolina Gamecocks are getting closer than ever to opening their 2026 season against Kent State. One of head coach Shane Beamer's biggest hires this offseason was adding veteran offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to his staff.
The longtime coordinator spent the last three seasons at TCU, and the Horned Frogs opened their season against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. It looked as if TCU sure did miss their old offensive coordinator in Briles, as the offense stalled out completely, losing 15-10 to Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels.
Offensively, the Horned Frogs looked out of sorts in the last three quarters. Although TCU scored a field goal and touchdown in the first quarter, the Horned Frogs' second quarter featured a turnover on downs, a punt and a safety thanks to a botched snap on a punt attempt. TCU trailed 12-10 at halftime.
Things didn't exactly improve in the second half. TCU missed on all three of its fourth-down attempts, and the offense also had a fumble and punt. Defensively, the Horned Frogs were able to hold UNC to just a field goal in the third quarter.
TCU's offense even had a chance to take the lead late. Despite the offense getting down to UNC's 10-yardline with four minutes left, TCU quarterback Jaden Craig whiffed on fourth down. It looked like he was going to run for the first down on a keeper, but he passed the ball at the last minute, sailing it over his teammate instead:
TCU CANNOT CONVERT ON FOURTH DOWN! pic.twitter.com/FhwYWnUNBu
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) August 29, 2026
The Horned Frogs were left off the scoreboard entirely in the second half. On the day, TCU finished with just 281 total yards of offense, outgained by UNC's 322. The Horned Frogs also went just 7-of-16 on third down, and an abysmal 1-for-5 on fourth down.
TCU even won the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 33:02, but coming away with just 10 points to show for it. The Horned Frogs also had 11 penalties for 89 yards on the day.
This offseason, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes hired former UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammies to replace Briles when he left for Columbia. With Briles as his offensive coordinator, quarterback Josh Hoover had three great seasons in Fort Worth. Hoover is now at Indiana, where he'll help the Hoosiers repeat for a national championship this season.
The expectatons for Briles running an offense with returning quarterback LaNorris Sellers are already quite high. South Carolina getting a first-hand look at just how valuable he is as an offensive coordinator should excite Gamecocks fans for 2026 even more.
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