South Carolina vs. SC State: Kickoff time, TV channel, injury report, odds
South Carolina returns home to Columbia this weekend for its home opener at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks will face off against in-state, FCS foe South Carolina State in front of what will be a sold-out crowd for their first home game in 2025.
USC comes into the game off a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday that moved the Gamecocks up to No. 10 in The Associated Press Top 25.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
South Carolina vs S.C. State, TV info
- Who: No. 10 South Carolina vs S.C. State
- When: 7 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
- TV: Streaming only via SEC Network Plus and ESPN+
- Broadcast crew: Kevin Fitzgerald, Charles Arbuckle and Ashley Stroehlein
- Local radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area. See affiliates here. (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
- Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 146 or 201
- Series history: South Carolina leads 3-0 (last game played in 2022).
South Carolina vs. SC State betting odds
There are no major sportsbooks with a betting line for South Carolina vs S.C. State, per VegasInsider.com. However, the Gamecocks have a 99% chance of winning the game, according to ESPN’s Analytics. That’s par for the course considering this is a matchup between an SEC school ranked No. 10 in the country and an FCS school.
Injury updates
There’s no official injury report and won’t be until South Carolina plays a conference game. Still, we know defensive back Judge Collier and edge rusher Jatius Geer are out this week, but are expected to return next week, Shane Beamer said on his weekly radio show. Beamer also said offensive lineman Shedrick Sarratt, who missed last week, will play against S.C. State
Weather forecast for Columbia
The weather has been fall-like all week in Columbia, but the temperature will heat up come gameday. Temperatures will be in the low 90s for tailgating and upper 80s at kickoff, according to the National Weather Service, and then be closer to 80 by game’s end. It’s forecat to be sunny during the day and turning cloudy into the evening.
Top storylines for the game
Who comes in after LaNorris Sellers? South Carolina likely won’t need its starting quarterback for the entirety of Saturday’s game, so fans should get a look at Sellers’ backups at some point. Luke Doty is listed as QB2 on the Gamecocks’ two-deep depth chart, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume Air Noland and Cutter Woods could also get some playing time. It will be interesting to see how Doty, Noland and/or Woods perform if they get the chance.
Top 10 Gamecocks: South Carolina jumped from No. 13 to No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25. It’s the highest South Carolina has been ranked since it was No. 9 in the 2014 preseason poll. This will be USC’s first time playing a home game as a top-10 team since the then-no. 10 Gamecocks beat Clemson on Nov. 30, 2013.
South Carolina and S.C. State players to watch
South Carolina LB Fred “JayR” Johnson: The sophomore linebacker put on a great performance in South Carolina’s season opener. He totaled 10 tackles and brought in an interception to keep Virginia Tech out of the end zone. Johnson earned SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
South Carolina DB Vicari Swain: Swain stepped up in several ways against Virginia Tech. He played in the secondary when Judge Collier went down and also made, arguably, the play of the game on special teams. Swain recorded an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of South Carolina’s win. It was the Gamecocks’ first punt return for a score since 2013.
S.C. State QB William Atkins IV: Atkins totaled 175 passing yards in the Bulldogs’ season-opening win against Wofford. Atkins was 17 for 33 through the air for a 51.5% completion percentage. S.C. State runs two quarterbacks at a time, so Atkins will be supplemented by Ryan Stubblefield in the game.
S.C. State DB Jarod Washington: The senior defensive back was named to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team this summer. Washington totaled 28 tackles last season and logged two interceptions and 10 pass deflections. Washington recorded two tackles and a pass deflection in S.C. State’s season opener.
South Carolina football 2025 schedule
Early = Noon to 1 p.m. ET start; Afternoon: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. start; Flex: Games flexed between the Afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m.) and Night (6-8 p.m.) windows.
- Aug. 31: South Carolina beats Virginia Tech 24-11
- Sept. 6 vs. South Carolina State - 7 p.m. (ESPN+/SEC Network Plus)
- Sept. 13 vs. Vanderbilt - 7 or 7:45 p.m. (ESPN or SEC Network)
- Sept. 20 at Missouri - TBD/Flex
- Sept. 27 vs. Kentucky - TBD/Flex
- Oct. 11 at No. 9 Louisiana State - TBD/Flex
- Oct. 18 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma - TBD/Early
- Oct. 25 vs. No. 8 Alabama - TBD/Flex
- Nov. 1 at No. 21 Ole Miss - TBD/Flex
- Nov. 15 at No. 19 Texas A&M - TBD/Early
- Nov. 22 vs. Coastal Carolina - TBD/Afternoon
- Nov. 29 vs. No. 4 Clemson - Noon (ABC or ESPN)
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
