Gamecocks upset No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Georgia with Corso and Co. in town
It’s 10 a.m. Do you know where your children are? More likely than not, the answer is “on the Horseshoe,” assuming that question is asked tomorrow, that is.
ESPN’s signature college football preview show, College GameDay, is returning to Columbia this weekend for the seventh time ahead of South Carolina’s tilt with Missouri.
For three hours, the GameDay crew highlights key matchups in college football and discusses the major story lines of the past week. Andt the end of it all, the gang makes their picks on the full slate of games with the help of a celebrity picker. Kenny Chesney will have the honor this time around.
The picking of South Carolina's game against Missouri will cap off the show, and analyst Lee Corso will put on the head of one of the participating schools’ mascots. The result will be either a raucous applause from the crowd or enough ‘boos’ to make 13 "Monsters Inc." sequels. There is no in-between.
In honor of GameDay choosing Columbia as the hotspot in this week of college football, here are some highlights of GameDay’s previous encounters with the Gamecocks:
Sept. 1, 2005 - South Carolina 24, Central Florida 15
After three years away from the college game, Steve Spurrier returned to the sidelines with the Gamecocks on a season-opening Thursday night. The Head Ball Coach left Florida to coach the Washington Redskins in the NFL after the 2001 season but spent just two years there before taking a year away from the game. In the first game of the Spurrier era at South Carolina, sophomore Blake Mitchell threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, helping lead the Gamecocks to a 24-3 lead in the third quarter. The Knights made a late run, but South Carolina held on for the first of nine-consecutive season-opening wins.
Oct. 9, 2010 - No. 19 South Carolina 35, No. 1 Alabama 21
Quarterback Stephen Garcia threw three touchdown passes, two to Alshon Jeffery, and Marcus Lattimore scored three touchdowns. The South Carolina defense held the country’s best tailback duo — Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson — to 64 yards combined. After a 21-3 Gamecock lead was cut to 28-21 early in the 4th quarter, Lattimore punched it in from two yards out, capping off a 74-yard drive that sealed the game. South Carolina won the SEC East for the first time that season, falling to eventual national champion Auburn in the conference title game.
Oct. 6, 2012 - No. 6 South Carolina 35, No. 5 Georgia 7
thanks to two Connor Shaw touchdown passes and a punt return touchdown by Ace Sanders. The defense held Georgia's star quarterback, Aaron Murray, to 109 yards passing and an interception. South Carolina jumped to No. 3 in the next edition of the AP poll, only to lose a tight contest at LSU the following week.
The Horseshoe promises to provide an electric atmosphere starting Friday night, with plenty of clever signs, chants and crowd antics to go around.
This should be fun.