South Carolina Gameday Guide: Gamecocks vs. Charlotte

The South Carolina Gamecocks are back in action on Saturday when they step out of conference for the middle game of a three-game homestand as the Charlotte 49ers make their first trip ever to Columbia.

South Carolina (1-2, 0-2 SEC) vs. Charlotte (1-3, 0-1 CUSA)

When: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 – 7:30 PM ET

Where: Columbia, S.C. – Williams-Brice Stadium (76,000)

Broadcast: ESPNU (Jay Alter, Forrest Conoly, Tamara Brown)

Local Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Jamar Nesbit)

Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 133 or 190

Odds: USC -23.5 (O/U 66)

Weather: 75° (temps dropping during the game), clear, 0% chance of rain

South Carolina Injury report: DB Cam Smith (questionable), DB R.J. Roderick (questionable), DL Boogie Huntley (questionable), LB Stone Blanton (questionable), OL Jaylen Nichols (questionable), DB David Spaulding (out), DB Darius Rush (out), LB Mo Kaba (out for season), EDGE Jordan Strachan (out for season).

The expected visitors list: South Carolina vs. Charlotte

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

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How to watch today’s game

Today’s game is on ESPNU, which means it’s available on most cable, satellite and live TV streaming services but is not always in the base package, so it might be worth it to go ahead and check yours before the game to make sure you have the channel.

For those in Columbia who have Spectrum cable, ESPNU is available but it’s not in the base package so you may have to add the channel to watch.

Streaming TV services Hulu + Live TV and YouTubeTV both have it in their base packages while it’s part of the Sports Extra Package on SlingTV, the Choice package on DirecTVStream, and the Sports Plus package on FuboTV.

If you don’t have ESPNU with your current setup, it may be worth it to try a free trial to one of the above services for today only if you haven’t already used up your trial.

The game is available on the ESPN app, but you will need to log in with a username and password from a live TV provider and subscription package that has ESPNU.

The ESPN App is available on Android, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Android TV, PS4, XBox and Oculus.

As always, you can hear the game on the radio in Columbia from our friends at 107.5 The Game FM.

Coverage from South Carolina vs Charlotte Week

• Carolina Confidential – Final thoughts on South Carolina vs. Charlotte
• Zacch Pickens talks South Carolina defense before Charlotte
• Breaking down the keys: South Carolina vs. Charlotte
• Staff picks: South Carolina-Charlotte, other Week 4 highlights
• Gamecocks Opponent Breakdown: Week 4 vs Charlotte
• Taking stock: defense
• Gamecocks announce third straight sellout of the year
• WATCH: South Carolina receiver Josh Vann addresses comments that went viral regarding Marcus Satterfield
• What Corey Rucker’s return can bring to South Carolina’s offense
• The Verdict: Time to have a sense of urgency
• Five predictions for the South Carolina/Charlotte game
• Three Takeaways: Turnovers, Third downs and Tonka at the EDGE spot
• South Carolina Football Analytics Roundup: Week 4
• Final injury report before Charlotte game
• Mark Kingston talks injuries, South Carolina roster ahead of fall scrimmages
• The expected visitor list: South Carolina vs. Charlotte
• Taking stock: offense
• South Carolina needing to force more takeaways defensively

GC LIVE: South Carolina vs. Charlotte Preview

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Quick notes from South Carolina Athletics  

The Gamecocks have 13 players on their roster who are from the state of North Carolina, including three from Charlotte. Interestingly, all three players who list the Queen City as their hometown are starters on the offensive line – center Eric Douglas (Mallard Creek HS), right guard Jovaughn Gwyn (Harding University) and left tackle Jaylen Nichols (Myers Park). Others who hail from the Tar Heel State include Nick Barrett (Goldsboro), Christian Beal-Smith (Winston-Salem), Jalen Brooks (Harrisburg), Terrell Dawkins (Concord), Sherrod Greene (Rocky Mount), Mitch Jeter (Salisbury), Mohamed Kaba (Clinton), Traevon Kenion (Monroe), D’Andre Martin (Durham) and Dante Miller (Rockingham).

This is the first-ever gridiron meeting between these two schools that are separated by 107 miles on Interstate 77.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?: Charlotte was founded in 1946. They began playing football in 2013 and were an FCS Independent for two years before gaining FBS membership and joining Conference USA in 2015. Now in their 10th season, the 49ers own an all-time record of 37-68. They have appeared in one bowl game, the 2019 Bahamas Bowl, where they dropped a 31-9 count to Buffalo.

THE HEAD COACH: Will Healy is in his fifth year guiding the fortunes of 49er football. He owns a mark of 15-20 since taking over the reins.

GAINING MOMENTUM: The 49ers got off to a slow start this season, dropping each of their first three games by an average score of 47-19. However, they snapped a six-game losing streak with a wild 42-41 last-minute win at Georgia State last Saturday.

COMMON OPPONENT: Both South Carolina and Charlotte have faced Shawn Elliott’s Georgia State Panthers this season. The Gamecocks defeated Georgia State by a 35-14 count in the season opener for both squads, while the 49ers handed the Panthers a 42-41 setback last Saturday in Atlanta.

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: From 1946-48, the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (CCUNC) fielded a football team. The two-year night school was housed at Central High School and the athletic teams were nicknamed “Owls”. That school would go on to become Charlotte College and eventually UNC Charlotte.

EIGHT AGAINST THE FIVE: Charlotte has played eight games against Power-5 schools in its history. They are 1-7 in those contests, losing all seven road games, but knocking off Duke in 2021, 31-28, in the lone home contest against a Power-5 school.

GAMECOCKS VS. C-USA: The Gamecocks own an 11-0-1 record against schools that currently make up Conference USA, with 11-straight wins. They are 5-0-1 against Louisiana Tech, 3-0 versus UAB, 2-0 against Florida Atlantic and 1-0 versus Middle Tennessee. All 12 games have been played in Columbia.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Gamecocks are 37-12 in their last 49 non-conference games, a .755 winning percentage, with seven of the 12 losses in that stretch coming against Clemson. The Gamecocks went 4-1 against non-conference foes in 2021, posting wins over Eastern Illinois, East Carolina, Troy and North Carolina and losing to Clemson. They are 1-0 this season after an opening day win over Georgia State.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE: Carolina has won 34 of its last 40 home games 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 2-1 in home non-conference games in 2021, defeating Eastern Illinois and Troy and falling to Clemson. They are 1-0 this season after an opening day win over Georgia State.

THE POWER OF FIVE: Since the turn of the century, the Gamecocks have a 50-4 mark against teams not currently in a Power-5 conference. The only four losses in that 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. It should be noted that UConn was in the Big East, which was a BCS automatic qualifier during the 2009 season.

CURING KIDS CANCER: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Curing Kids Cancer teams up with college football programs each year to raise awareness about the dire need for more funding for pediatric cancer research and treatments. 2022 marks the 10th year of the first & Gold Campaign.

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

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