By Hunt Palmer
Shane Beamer doesn’t want South Carolina fans hitting the snooze button Saturday.
The Gamecocks’ head coach is expecting a raucous home crowd for the noon local time kickoff between LSU and South Carolina. He pleaded with the fan base on Tuesday.
“Leave in plenty of time, because we need pregame, we need Gameday, the kickoff, 2001. We don’t need people filtering in because of traffic,” he said. “Get up here early. Start tailgating at 6:00 am. Do whatever you gotta do. This place needs to be rocking on Saturday.”
ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast from Williams-Brice Stadium prior to kickoff. The show has not been to South Carolina since 2014.
After the legendary Lee Corso headgear selection, the South Carolina pregame festivities will begin. 2001 will play. Cocky, the mascot, will rattle his cage, the Gamecocks will take the field, and Sandstorm will follow.
Though the program has been mired in mediocrity much of its history, the fanbase is regarded as one of the more loyal in the country. Saturday is an opportunity to show off with the eyes of the nation fixated on LSU and South Carolina leading up to kickoff.
Beamer is more concerned with what happens after kickoff, though.
“This will be their quarterback’s first true road start,” Beamer said. “He’s a mature young man. He’s been in big environments like that. We need to make life really difficult for him from our fans.”
Junior right tackle Emery Jones expressed his confidence in Garrett Nussmeier on Wednesday.
“He’s a little more vocal. Jayden (Daniels) was a little more quiet,” Jones said. “Nuss is a little more vocal when it comes to adding energy to the group, whether it’s the offense or the offense and defense. I feel like he just brings that energy.”
To prepare, LSU has cranked up the music at practice all week.
“We have to make sure we communicate,” Jones said. “Communication is going to be big. When you go to these big SEC games, their fans are excited. I think we’ll be fine. We just have to execute our assignments and communicate, and we’ll walk away with the W.”
Junior wide receiver Zavion Thomas played at Williams-Brice Stadium last season. His Mississippi State Bulldogs dropped a 37-30 decision to the Gamecocks. He shared Jones’s confidence in the Tigers dealing with the crowd noise.
“It was loud, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
