Game Day Guide: South Carolina vs. South Carolina State

After a season-opening victory over Virginia Tech, South Carolina returns home. The Gamecocks are back in Columbia with a buy game on the Week 2 slate.

The matchup is set for a night kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium with game time scheduled for 7 p.m.

South Carolina vs. South Carolina State

When: Sept. 6, 2025 – 7:00 ET
Where: Columbia, SC – Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)
Broadcast: SECN+/ESPN+ (Kevin Fitzgerald, Charles Arbuckle)
Local Radio: Gamecock Sports Network 107.5 (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM Channel 146 or 201
Odds: South Carolina -42.5
Weather: 85°, mostly cloudy, WNW 3 mph at kickoff

Resources from Gamecock Central: News | App | YouTube | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Commit List

South Carolina vs. South Carolina State Preview Content

• Redshirt Tracker: Seven true freshmen play in Week 1
• Carolina Confidential – Final thoughts on South Carolina vs. South Carolina State
• Injury report: Freshman OL to make South Carolina debut Saturday
• Analytics Corner: Gamecocks sitting pretty after Week 1
• The big picture: What did we learn from Week 1 that carries forward?
• Behind Enemy Lines: SC State PxP man breaks down Bulldogs ahead of South Carolina game
• The Verdict: Winning ugly is still winning
• Everything Clayton White said in his Wednesday press conference previewing South Carolina State
• Everything South Carolina State head coach Chennis Berry said previewing matchup with South Carolina
• Everything Shane Beamer said during his Tuesday press conference previewing South Carolina State

How to watch today’s game

Saturday’s action will be streamed via SECN+ and ESPN+.

GC LIVE: South Carolina vs. South Carolina State Preview with Chris Clark and Kevin Miller

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Quick Notes from South Carolina Athletics

THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR: South Carolina has the identical SEC slate they played a year ago with only the venue changing for each contest. Highlighting the SEC schedule is Oklahoma’s first ever visit to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks’ non-conference slate features three in-state opponents, all at home – South Carolina State on Sept. 6, Coastal Carolina on Nov. 22, and Clemson in the traditional regular-season finale on Nov. 29.

NEXT LEVEL COACHING EXPERIENCE: Six of the Gamecocks’ 10 assistant coaches have experience in the NFL. Those who have earned their stripes with NFL teams include Joe DeCamillis, Mike Furrey, Torrian Gray, Sterling Lucas, Mike Shula, and Lonnie Teasley.

THE POWER OF FOUR: Since the turn of the century, the Gamecocks have a mark of 57-4 (.934) against teams not currently in a Power-4 conference. The only losses in those stretch came to UConn in the 2010 Papajohns.com Bowl, to The Citadel in 2015, to USF in the 2016 Birmingham Bowl, and to Appalachian State in 2019.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE: South Carolina has won 41 of its last 48 home games (.854) against non-conference foes. The Gamecocks had won a school-record 22-straight home games against non-conference teams before dropping the final two games of the 2015 regular season to The Citadel and Clemson. The Gamecocks were 3-0 in home non-conference games in 2024, defeating Old Dominion, Akron, and Wofford.

BROTHERLY LOVE: The Gamecocks have two sets of brothers on their roster. Jalon Kilgore was a Freshman All-American in 2023, while his brother, Gerald Kilgore, joined the team in the spring of 2024 after two seasons at Tennessee Tech. Both play in the secondary. LaNorris Sellers has a new target to throw to this year in younger brother Jayden, a true freshman.

UTILIZING THE PORTAL: The Gamecocks’ roster features 17 scholarship players who were on other teams’ rosters last fall. Of the 17 transfers, nine are coming from Power-4 conferences, including four from the SEC, four from the ACC, and one from the Big Ten. Four of the players, Jaylen Brown (Missouri), Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), and Justin Okoronkwo (Alabama) will face their former teammates in 2025.

IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2025 season will mark South Carolina’s 34th year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the SEC prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 114-151-1 (.430) all-time in SEC regular season play but posted a 42-38 (.525) record in conference action from 2010-19.

MISSING YOU: With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC and the subsequent dissolution of divisional play, the Gamecocks do not have long-time Eastern Division rivals Georgia, Florida, or Tennessee on the schedule for the second year in a row. They met each of those schools every year since joining the conference in 1992 until 2024.

IT’S NOT HOW YOU START BUT HOW YOU FINISH: South Carolina concluded the 2024 season with a record of 9-4, including a 5-3 mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks finished the season ranked 19th in both major polls. The Gamecocks won their first two games, then dropped three of the next four to even their record at 3-3. Carolina then reeled off six straight wins to finish the regular season with a 9-3 mark before falling to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: The 2025 roster features 21 players who have made at least one start for the Gamecocks in their career prior to the 2025 season. Safety DQ Smith leads the way with 34. Right tackle Cason Henry leads the offense with 14 career starts.

YOU’RE NOT WORTHY: The Gamecocks are 46-16 in their last 62 non-conference games, a .742 winning clip. The Gamecocks went 4-1 in non-conference play in 2024 with wins over Old Dominion, Akron, Wofford, and Clemson.

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