ESPN pushes back USC-Georgia kickoff time slightly. Here’s why
The start of the broadcast for Saturday’s South Carolina vs. Georgia football game will get some special treatment that favors the home team, according to head coach Shane Beamer.
Kickoff for the game will be 12:12 p.m. on ESPN, Beamer said Thursday on his call-in show. The game broadcast is scheduled to begin at noon.
ESPN is pushing the official start time back a little to highlight pre-game festivities inside and out of Williams-Brice Stadium, including the Gamecocks running out to “2001,” Beamer said.
“It needs to be rocking and I know it will be,” Beamer said. “Normally that 12 noon ESPN game follows ‘College GameDay.’ Lee Corso puts his headgear on. Then it goes right to the 12 o’clock kickoff. ESPN pushed the kickoff 12 minutes because they want to show the atmosphere and environment in Williams-Brice Stadium.
“That is a credit to our fanbase and the way they make Williams-Brice special. They are going to spend 12 extra minutes to show ‘2001’ and show scenes from the Gamecock Walk when our team arrives. We need to do our part to make it worth their while.
“Very rarely does ESPN want to push the start back. I don’t know if they ever have done that, but they are doing it for us. It is a testament to our fanbase and what the environment is like at Williams-Brice.”
The school announced Thursday that the game is sold out. Both USC home games this season have been announced sellouts.
USC injury report
Beamer on Thursday also talked about his team’s injuries and who might miss Saturday’s game. It was announced Monday that defenders Mo Kaba and Jordan Strachan would miss the rest of the season with ACL injuries.
On Tuesday, he said defensive backs Cam Smith, David Spaulding and RJ Roderick along with defensive lineman Alex Huntley and receiver Corey Rucker all were questionable.
Not much has changed, according to Beamer.
“How much time do you got?” Beamer joked about detailing the team’s injury report. “...Still up in the air on a lot of these guys. We’ll see what happens in the next couple days.”
If those players can’t go, Beamer said it will open the door for younger guys to play, especially on defense.
“We’ve got a good plan,” Beamer said. “Obviously, we’ve got to be flexible and creative defensively if we have guys out. With Mo out, it means younger guys like Debo Williams, Stone Blanton, Bam Scott, Donovan Westmoreland and Darryl Ware have to continue to get better.
“With Strachan out, it’s an opportunity for Gilber Edmond. It sure affects our depth and we have to bring the freshmen along to develop our depth on defense. But we’ve got a good plan.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 6:44 PM.
