Folks, South Carolina football is officially back after a long offseason. As the Gamecocks kicked off against Kent State, South Carolina fans got their first look at offensive coordinator Kendal Briles' new scheme. But in the first half, sixth-year head coach Shane Beamer and Briles made sure Gamecock fans knew that Beamer Ball trickery was making a triumphant return after a 4-8 offseason.
After South Carolina's second touchdown of the day—a LaNorris Sellers touchdown toss to receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr.—the Gamecock offense dialed up some trickery on a two-point conversion attempt. On the play, long snapper Kyler Farrow lined up off the side of the line of scrimmage, and tossed it backwards to tight end Maurice Brown. He found a wide open Brady Hunt on a jump pass, who hauled it in to complete the trickeration:
Backwards pass on the snap ➡️ Jump pass on the two-point conversion
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 5, 2026
South Carolina is hoopin'! pic.twitter.com/l9zZ26zPjP
The successful try gave the Gamecocks a 15-0 lead, and it was a 29-0 South Carolina lead at halftime. Of course, South Carolina opened against Kent State, and the Gamecocks were favored by over 30 points in this one. But it's nice to see Briles and Beamer so comfortable running these types of plays early in the season, and of course even better to see the Gamecocks execute it perfectly.
For Beamer, it's also fun to see him get back to his roots, and honoring his father Frank Beamer. The longtime Virginia Tech head coach became known for running sneaky, unexpected trick plays on special teams, and the younger Beamer has also been known to do the same.
"What I learned from my dad was the importance of special teams," Shane Beamer said back in 2023 of his approach. We do [put emphasis on special teams at South Carolina] in meeting time and time on the field."
Hopefully this won't be the last time we see South Carolina pull out some trickery like this. With both games looming against Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgia, Beamer Ball could be useful in close games.
Kudos to both Briles and Beamer for teaming up on the playcall, and for the South Carolina players for pulling it off against a Kent State defense that didn't see it coming.
South Carolina hosting several big-time recruits vs. Kent State, headlined by 5-star Joshua Dobson
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