South Carolina vs. Notre Dame in Gator Bowl kickoff time, pep rally, weather, odds

Jeremiah Holloway
David Rosenblum/Special to The State

South Carolina football is back in Jacksonville.

The Gamecocks will take on Notre Dame on Friday in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Both squads are 8-4 and finished the regular season with eight wins, and both had a role in disrupting Clemson’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Like many in the college football world, both teams will have to lean on their depth, with players choosing to enter the transfer portal or opt out of the postseason to prepare for the NFL Draft.

This is South Carolina’s first appearance in the Gator Bowl since 1987 (a 30-13 loss to LSU). Notre Dame last played in the Gator Bowl in 2003.

What channel is the South Carolina game on?

Who: No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4) vs. No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4)

When: 3:30 p.m. Friday

Where: TIAA Bank Field (67,164) in Jacksonville, Fla.

TV: ESPN

Stream: via ESPN app/ESPN.com

On-air announce crew: Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analyst; Jamar Nesbit, sideline) … See all the radio affiliates around South Carolina here.

Satellite radio: SiriusXM 136 or 190

Series history: Notre Dame leads 3-1

Pep rally in Jacksonville

A gameday pep rally will be held at 2:30 p.m. Friday inside Daily’s Place Amphitheatre at TIAA Bank Field.

USC history in Gator Bowl

  • Jan. 1, 1946: Wake Forest 26, USC 14

  • Dec. 29, 1980: Pittsburgh 37, USC 9

  • Dec. 28, 1984: Oklahoma State 21, USC 14

  • Dec. 31, 1987: LSU 30, USC 13

Top storylines for the game

  • Gamecocks lose key defenders: South Carolina will be without Zacch Pickens, Cam Smith and Darius Rush for the bowl game as they look to enter the NFL Draft. It’s lost others on that side of the ball, too, but will look to some of its younger players to fill in the gaps.

  • Notre Dame without offensive stars: Notre Dame starting quarterback Drew Pyne entered the transfer portal and won’t play in the Gator Bowl, and tight end Michael Mayer is passing up on the game to enter the NFL Draft. The Fighting Irish’s offense will be led by Tyler Buchner, who played in two games this year before getting injured.

  • Back-to-back for Beamer?: USC head coach Shane Beamer would become the first coach in program history to win bowl games in his first two years as a head coach. He led the team to a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory against North Carolina last season.

  • First year for Freeman: Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is in his first full season as a head coach but will coach in his second bowl game. He was the interim coach for the Fighting Irish last year in the Fiesta Bowl after Brian Kelly left for LSU.

  • Fighting Irish aerial attack: Notre Dame will have to look to other pass-catchers on Friday with some of its key offensive players opting out. Pyne threw the ball at least 21 times in eight of his appearances this year, and as many as 34 times. Buchner threw 32 passes in his last game.

  • Gamecocks’ ground game: South Carolina will play without MarShawn Lloyd, who recorded 573 rushing yards before he entered the transfer portal. It also lost tight end Jaheim Bell, who picked up more rushing than passing yards. The team will likely use a “by-committee” approach in the backfield on Friday, led by Juju McDowell and Christian Beal-Smith.

Weather forecast for Jacksonville

Jacksonville is expected to hit a high of 74 degrees on Friday and remain mostly sunny during the day. Game temperatures will be in the low 70s and upper 60s. There is a 25% chance of showers during the game.

ESPN FPI game prediction

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives South Carolina an 32.5% chance to win over the Fighting Irish.

Point spread for USC Gamecocks vs. Notre Dame

South Carolina is a 2.5-point underdog in the Gator Bowl against the Fighting Irish, according to a consensus of sportsbooks on VegasInsider.com.

Players to watch

Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina: Rattler went on a tear for USC in November, helping vault the team to an eight-win season and Gator Bowl appearance. He completed 66.6% of his passes this year and threw 11 of his 16 touchdown passes in the last four games. This will be Rattler’s first bowl game since he played in the 2020 Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma.

Antwane Wells, WR, South Carolina: Wells finished second in the SEC with 898 receiving yards, adding six touchdowns to his totals. He transferred in from James Madison before this season and has been the Gamecocks’ best receiver throughout the year.

Audric Estimé, RB, Notre Dame: The leading rusher for the Fighting Irish, Estimé ended the year with 967 yards of offense and 12 total touchdowns. He rushed for 100 yards or more three times in the regular season. The Irish could lean on Estimé more often with the passing game compromised.

Tyler Buchner, QB, Notre Dame: Buchner has thrown just 50 passes this season but was announced as the team’s starting quarterback for the Gator Bowl. He was the starter in Notre Dame’s first two games of the season — both losses — and never re-entered the lineup after sustaining an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

South Carolina 2022 football schedule

USC depth chart

——OFFENSE——

  • QB: Spencer Rattler (Luke Doty)

  • RB: Juju McDowell —OR— Christian Beal-Smith

  • TE: Nate Adkins

  • WR1: Antwane Wells —OR— Xavier Legette

  • WR2: Ahmarean Brown —OR— Dakereon Joyner

  • WR3: Josh Vann —OR— Dakereon Joyner

  • LT: Jaylen Nichols (Jakai Moore)

  • LG: Jakai Moore (Vershon Lee OR Trai Jones)

  • OC: Eric Douglas (Hank Manos)

  • RG: Jovaughn Gwyn (Wyatt Campbell)

  • RT: Tyshawn Wannamaker (Cason Henry)

——DEFENSE——

  • DE1: Jordan Burch (Tyreek Johnson)

  • DE2: Bryan Thomas Jr. (Hot Rod Fitten)

  • DT1: MJ Webb OR T.J. Sanders

  • DT2: Tonka Hemingway (Alex Huntley)

  • MLB: Sherrod Greene (Stone Blanton)

  • WLB: Brad Johnson (Debo Williams)

  • NICK: DQ Smith OR Keenan Nelson Jr.

  • CB1: Marcellas Dial (Kajuan Banks)

  • CB2: O’Donnell Fortune (Emory Floyd)

  • SS: Nick Emmanwori (Peyton Williams)

  • FS: DQ Smith OR B.J. Gibson

——SPECIAL TEAMS——

  • PK: Mitch Jeter (Alex Herrera)

  • KO: Mitch Jeter (Alex Herrera)

  • P: Kai Kroeger (Alex Herrera)

  • LSN: Hunter Rogers (Matthew Bailey)

  • SSN: Hunter Rogers (Matthew Bailey)

  • H: Kai Kroeger (William Joyce)

  • KOR: Xavier Legette (Juju McDowell)

  • PR: Josh Vann OR Ahmarean Brown

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