South Carolina vs. South Carolina State moved from Saturday to Thursday due to Hurricane Ian

South Carolina’s home game vs. South Carolina State, which was originally scheduled for Saturday at noon ET, has been moved to Thursday at 7 p.m. ET due to the potential impact of Hurricane Ian. Television coverage has not been announced at this time. 

“Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said. “I appreciate the cooperation of South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough, the South Carolina State administration and the Southeastern Conference officials who worked closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to accommodate this change in the schedule.”

As of Tuesday morning, Hurricane Ian is a Category 3 storm that made landfall in western Cuba. It is expected to strengthen and travel north through the Gulf of Mexico and impact the western coast of Florida around the Tampa or Fort Myers areas on Wednesday. From there, it is expected to move north through Florida, and into southern Georgia and South Carolina by the weekend.

“Based on the current forecast and expected weather conditions as well as information from our campus, state and local law enforcement agencies, at this time, the University is confident in our ability to host the game on Thursday at Williams-Brice Stadium,” Tanner said. “We will be able to staff traffic, law enforcement, security and other game day operations. The safety of everyone affected by the storm and the minimization of the impact on emergency personnel were the most important factors considered in making the decision,”

Fans with tickets for Saturday’s matchup will be able to use them for Thursday night’s game.