South Carolina’s ‘2001’ entrance just got more electric

The South Carolina football team will be adding another dimension in 2017 to its famous pregame entrance at Williams-Brice Stadium.

New this season will be four units that each produce flames in excess of 20 feet, the school announced Tuesday night. Eight Co2 jets will generate plumes of “smoke” between 20 to 25 feet long, replacing the need to create that effect with fire extinguishers.

The Gamecocks debuted the feature in a Williams-Brice practice held Tuesday exclusively for students and faculty.

The flames will be fired as the team enters the field to the traditional “2001: A Space Odyssey” theme.

“We believe this will be the most explosive team entrance in college football,” Eric Nichols, South Carolina senior associate AD for marketing and branding, said in a statement.

For safety reasons, the school says some on-field adjustments will be made for those individuals who are on the field during the team entrance, including VIPs, recruits, media, the band and cheerleaders.

The school already announced it would add a live DJ to enhance the gameday atmosphere.

South Carolina’s home opener is game No. 3 on the schedule, a 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 contest against Kentucky.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 8:53 PM with the headline "South Carolina’s ‘2001’ entrance just got more electric."