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Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Mississippi State

wesby:Wes Mitchell•09/23/23•

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shane-beamer-pleased-with-performance-of-his-offensive-line-in-first-half-vs-mississippi-state
Shane Beamer (Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s Family Weekend as the South Carolina Gamecocks open the home portion of their 2023 SEC schedule as they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

MSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC) @ South Carolina (1-2, 0-1 SEC)

When: Sept. 23, 2023 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Columbia, S.C. – Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)
Broadcast: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
Local Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 109 or 190
Odds: USC -6.5, O/U 46.5
Weather: 70°, Chance of rain 2%

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | App | YouTube | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Depth Chart | Commit List

South Carolina vs. Mississippi State Preview Content

How to watch today’s game

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Mississippi State Bulldogs are set for a Saturday night matchup at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. with kickoff scheduled for 7:39 p.m and the SEC Network carrying all the action.

The SEC Network is available nationwide from every major cable, satellite, and streaming provider.

GC LIVE: Gamecocks vs. Mississippi State Preview

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Quick notes from South Carolina Athletics  

SPECIAL DAY FOR A SPECIAL PLAYER: All-America and All-SEC wide receiver Alshon Jeffery will have his jersey retired in ceremonies at halftime of this week’s game.

The St. Matthews, S.C. native came to South Carolina as one of top wide receiver recruits in the nation in 2009 from Calhoun County High School and made his mark immediately for the Gamecocks.

Jeffery finished his three-year career with 183 catches for 3,042 yards and 23 touchdowns. In the Gamecock career record books he ranks third in receptions, second in receiving yards, tied for first in receiving touchdowns, first in 100-yard receiving games (12), sixth in yards per reception (16.6) and third in consecutive games with a reception (36).

As a true freshman in 2009, he was named consensus Freshman All-SEC and a first-team Freshman All-American. He had a team-high 46 catches for 763 yards and six touchdowns during his first year at Carolina. Against Kentucky in his freshman season, he had seven catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns and was named SEC Freshman of the Week. He followed that up later in the season with eight catches for a season-best 161 yards and a score against Vanderbilt, and five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas.

CAROLINA VS. STATE: This is the 17th meeting between South Carolina and Mississippi State, with the Gamecocks holding a 9-7 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-3 record when the games have been played in Columbia. The schools never met before becoming SEC foes in 1992. The Bulldogs won six of the first eight meetings between the two teams, but the Gamecocks rallied to win the next seven in a row before MSU snapped that streak with a 27-14 win in 2016, the last time the teams met on the gridiron. State has not won in Columbia since 1998, losing the last four in a row.

LUCKY SEVEN: The Gamecocks have come out on the winning side in seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools, dating back to the turn of the century. Three of the wins in that stretch have been by four points or less, while the other four Gamecock wins came by at least a 15-point margin.

IT’S GOOD TO SCORE: The Gamecocks are 9-7 overall against Mississippi State but own a 9-4 record against the Bulldogs when putting points on the scoreboard. The Gamecocks have been blanked in the series three times, 23-0 in 1993, 38-0 in 1998 and 17-0 in 1999. They tried to make up for those three whitewashes with a 65-point effort in Starkville 1995.

GOOD HOME COOKIN’: The Gamecock offense has had much more recent success at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia than at Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville. Over the past seven games, South Carolina has scored 34, 38 and 34 points when playing at home against the Bulldogs, while tallying just 16, 15, 14 and 14 points in Starkville since 2001.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: A 24-0 halftime deficit was too much for the Gamecocks to overcome as they dropped an SEC road contest at Mississippi State by a 27-14 count on Sept. 10, 2016. The Gamecocks had no answer for Bulldog quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, as he completed 19-of-29 passes for 178 yards and two scores and rushed 17 times for 195 yards. Brandon McIlwain gave Carolina a second-half spark, as the freshman completed 11-of-22 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns and carried 11 times for 17 yards. Tight end Hayden Hurst contributed a then career-best performance with eight catches for 68 yards. Ulric Jones (9) and Jasper Sasser (8), a pair of reserves, each logged career highs in tackles. Punter Sean Kelly had a good night as well, averaging 49.1 yards per punt, including a long of 66 yards. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for South Carolina against Mississippi State.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET HERE: The Gamecock defense posted five turnovers to help South Carolina claim a 34-16 victory over Mississippi State in Columbia on Nov. 2, 2013. The five turnovers led to 17 of the Gamecocks’ 34 points on the day. Sophomore tailback Mike Davis posted 154 all-purpose yards, including 128 yards on the ground in the win. Senior quarterback Connor Shaw tied a career high with four touchdown passes, throwing for 147 yards in a 10-for-20 outing. Sophomore wide receiver Shaq Roland hauled in two of those TD passes and led the team with 57 receiving yards.

IT JUST MEANS MORE: The Gamecocks went into the Magnolia State and signed Stone Blanton, who played at Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Jackson.

HOW GOOD WAS THAT POPCORN?: South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is very familiar with Starkville and the Bulldog program. He served on Sylvester Croom’s staff at Mississippi State from 2004-2006, his first full-time coaching stop. He worked with the cornerbacks (2004-05) and running backs (2006) and served as the team’s recruiting coordinator. Beamer did his best recruiting job by luring his now wife, Emily, to go out on a date, after initially laying eyes on her in the press box while she was working on the sports information staff at MSU. Emily’s parents still make their home in Starkville.

ALL THE WRIGHT STUFF: Jody Wright was part of the Mississippi State program from 2005-09, first as a volunteer coach, then as a G.A, and finally in an administrative role in football operations.

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster

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