On anniversary of 9/11, a look back at how South Carolina football helped a nation heal 23 years ago

The South Carolina football team took the field on September 20, 2001 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville for what was a top-20 matchup.

At first glance, that might not mean much, but the meeting between the former cross-divisional rivals was the first major football game played in the United States following the horrible terrorist attacks of September 11th.

Now, on the 23rd anniversary of that tragic day, a look back at the game that helped a nation heal is warranted.

The final score of that contest was 16-14 in favor of Lou Holtz's Gamecocks, but the impact that football game had on the greatest country in the world was much larger than the results on the field.

In a nation that is dealing with a strong sense of political divide today (it is an election year, after all), there was unity inside Davis Wade Stadium on September 20, 2001.

Despite the understandable delays for security purposes, every corner of the stadium was filled. Folks arrived early, and for the most part, there was no complaining or fighting as the long lines slowly filed through the gates.

Fans decked out in garnet and black were joined by those in maroon and white with personal-sized American flags, and, frankly, by the time everyone reached their seats, there probably was as much red, white, and blue in the crowd as there was garnet, black, or maroon. In the minutes leading up to kickoff, players from the two teams presented Old Glory alongside military personnel. Nearly 50,000 people from all walks of life chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A," and then cried together as Brooke Sherrill (daughter of then-MSU coach Jackie Sherrill) sang the Star-Spangled Banner.

Some have even claimed that President George W. Bush had coordinated with the SEC office for the Thursday night showdown to be the country's return to sports "normalcy" because of the expected patriotic response from the two fanbases involved. If that's true, the decision was a good one as the Gamecocks and Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi represented their country well that night.

You can watch the pregame below.

It had barely been a week since around 3000 people had been killed on domestic soil, but the days between September 11th and September 20th felt like an eternity. A war was starting, and nothing felt right in America.

But when a group of young men with "Carolina" and "Miss. State" across their chests got together to play ball, it was just the tiniest glimpse of normalcy that signaled to a mourning nation that healing was possible. It was a sign that no outside force could irrevocably damage the American resolve, that despite the many differences that exist in this country, the people of the United States of America could come together in patriotic unity for the land that they love.

As the 2024 version of the United States endured a presidential debate on Tuesday night and will be bombarded over the coming months with all the many reasons why its citizens should be further divided instead of why the world's largest melting pot is full of different persons but one people, a look back is appropriate. If those who live in this country could act a little more like those in attendance at this particular Mississippi State vs. South Carolina football game, maybe we all would be better off.

On Wednesday, an MSU Films documentary entitled 9/20 will commemorate the game and will spotlight the lead-up to that night. It will air on the SEC Network (and will be available on the ESPN app) at 8:00 PM ET.