Beamer’s plea for USC fans to show out for Georgia game includes 5-star undertones
South Carolina fans might have wanted Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia to kick off at night — but Shane Beamer had a simple response to those wishes.
“Wake up earlier,” he said.
The Gamecocks will face the Bulldogs at noon Saturday, and the game will be televised on ESPN. The game time was set by the SEC and TV networks back in late May.
“I know there are a lot of people who wanted this game to be a night game. Frankly, no one cares,” Beamer said. “It’s a noon game. We set the standard for what Williams-Brice Stadium should be like against Georgia State. We’re not going to all the sudden be less than that on Saturday at noon because we’re disappointed it’s not a night game.”
South Carolina played an even earlier game against Arkansas last weekend, kicking off at 11 a.m. Central time.
Beamer cited how impressed he was with that atmosphere at Reynolds Razorback Stadium was, and he wants Gamecock fans to replicate that this Saturday.
“You can start preparing at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m., whatever time the (tailgating) lots open over there,” Beamer said. “But we need that place to be absolutely rocking.”
This week’s game, at $110 per ticket, is the most expensive game on USC’s home schedule. USC only recently made the contest against Georgia available for single-game purchase — as of Tuesday afternoon, roughly 2,500 face-value, upper-deck tickets were available through Ticketmaster.
Georgia hasn’t played South Carolina on the road for a full-capacity game since 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“An amazing atmosphere” helps recruiting a lot, Beamer said, as does playing well. A typical home game can attract upwards of 100 recruits and their families.
“If you follow recruiting at all here at Carolina, you know how important this weekend is from a recruiting standpoint,” Beamer said.
That comment was a subtle nod to the fact that South Carolina is hosting five-star edge rusher Nyckoles Harber for his official visit. USC has not yet landed a five-star high school recruit commitment under Beamer.
“There’s a long time until the 2023 class signs and a long time until the 2024 class signs,” Beamer said. “But I think we’re in a great position with a lot of them. We’ve worked really, really hard at it.”
Beamer expects the start of the game to be delayed a few minutes so ESPN can show the team coming out to “2001,” bringing attention to what college football looks like in Columbia.
He hopes for the afternoon game to have a better atmosphere than the Georgia State night kick.
*We’ve got an opportunity for our fanbase to show the entire country, on national television, what Williams-Brice Stadium and a gameday at South Carolina is like,” Beamer said.
“... Sure as hell we can make a noon start really intense and awesome.”
