South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks played their first 12:00 game of the season this past Saturday against Texas A&M, but it will not be the final nooner of the year.
Last week, it was revealed that Carolina will welcome the “other Gamecocks” from Jacksonville State to Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday for a noon kickoff. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and the ESPN app.
On Monday, the SEC announced that South Carolina football will face off with the Vanderbilt Commodores next weekend at 12:00, as well. The Gamecocks-Commodores battle will be broadcast on the SECNetwork and ESPN app.
South Carolina football fans hope that their favorite team will be looking for their second straight win as they continue fighting for bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt likely will be on an 8-game losing streak that dates back to early September.
As much as South Carolina has struggled this season, they are better than Vandy by a wide margin. That fact, added to the historical dominance the Gamecocks have over the Commodores (South Carolina football carries a 14-game win streak over Vanderbilt coming into this game), is indicative of Gamecock fans heading home with a victory over their SEC East rivals once again.
Two wins over Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt will not salvage the Gamecocks’ season, but USC’s bowl hopes hinge on those games going the way of South Carolina. For Carolina to win four in a row to reach bowl eligibility, Shane Beamer’s team has to win two in a row first.
The last time Vanderbilt traveled to Williams-Brice Stadium, an off-the-bench, last-minute drive from graduate coach-turned-player Zeb Noland was the only thing that kept the Gamecocks in the win column.
The Carolina Faithful hope for a less stressful game next weekend, but with the season going the way it has gone, the Gamecocks will take a win any way they can get it.