South Carolina moving football game day vs SC State because of hurricane

Lou Bezjak
Sam Wolfe/Special To The State

South Carolina will move its football game against S.C. State to Thursday night ahead of this weekend’s possible impacts from Hurricane Ian, the school announced Tuesday morning.

The game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The storm is projected to make landfall early Thursday morning on the west coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center, with latest forecasts for effects on South Carolina into Friday and Saturday.

The State previously reported earlier on Tuesday morning that the game was expected to be moved.

“Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a news release. “I appreciate the cooperation of South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough, the South Carolina State administration and the Southeastern Conference officials who worked closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to accommodate this change in the schedule.”

All tickets issued for Saturday’s game will be honored on Thursday, per USC.

The school also announced it is postponing the reunion of the 2010-2013 football teams that was slotted for this weekend to a later date.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer told reporters on Sunday night during his weekly teleconference he had yet to have any kind of discussions about possibly shifting the contest due to impending rain.

“I didn’t know until this morning 100% for sure (the game would be moved),” Beamer told reporters during his regular press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “We knew before we hit the practice field at 9:45 a.m. today. It’s a quick turnaround. You can’t do everything.”

Beamer noted that he and his staff had communication with the Miami Dolphins, who play their own Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals this week.

“We told our players this morning it’s a lot like the NFL players that play on Sundays and then turn right back around and play on Thursday,” Beamer said.

South Carolina has moved games due to weather in recent years. The 2016 USC-Georgia game was shifted to a Sunday due to Hurricane Matthew. The 2015 South Carolina-LSU contest was also moved from Columbia to Baton Rouge following flooding in the area.

The 2018 game between South Carolina and Marshall was canceled due to weather. It was replaced at the end of the season by a game between USC and Akron.

USC heads into the contest at 2-2 after downing Charlotte 56-20 on Saturday. South Carolina has yet to win a Southeastern Conference game this fall, dropping its first two league contests to No. 1 Georgia and No. 20 Arkansas.

FCS foe S.C. State is 1-2 on the season.

It will be the Gamecocks and Bulldogs’ third meeting all time. The two schools’ campuses are 45 minutes apart.

How to watch USC vs SC State football game

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium — Columbia, SC

TV: SEC Network

South Carolina 2022 football schedule

Advertisement