Game on at USC — and so are classes

Gameday is not an excuse to miss classes at the University of South Carolina.

The Gamecocks open their football season Thursday against the University of North Carolina in Charlotte at 6 p.m., an early enough kickoff to raise hopes among some students that professors would cancel afternoon classes to allow time to travel north on Interstate 77.

Those requests were tackled Jadeveon Clowney-style.

USC has no plans — again — to adjust academic schedules for athletic ones. The Gamecocks are playing on a Thursday for the 12th time since 2005.

English professor Paula Feldman said some students asked at the end of a class Tuesday if she would hold her British literature class Thursday, which ends at 12:55 p.m.

“I said, ‘Yes, of course. Why not?’ ” said Feldman, who has taught at USC for 41 years. “I was stupefied. Serious students don’t expect that.”

Students in her class are allowed three unexcused absences. But Feldman plans on holding a quiz Thursday.

Those heading to Bank of America Stadium will get a zero, a score that no USC student wants in the classroom — or against the Tar Heels.

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 6:25 PM.