It’s finally gameday.
Tonight, the band will play. The first unmistakable “Sandstorm” notes will blare through the speakers, and the air will fill with thrashing towels. Cocky will dance, the team will take the field and the stadium will shake.
Tonight, Williams-Brice will be packed. Students and alumni, Gamecocks and Aggies — they’ll all fill the 80,250 seats just southeast of campus.
To keep them safe, there will be an “adequate number” of officers to keep them safe, according to USCPD spokesman Eric Grabski.
“We’ve looked at each game based on attendance, and that’s how we determine the officers we use,” Grabski said. Exact figures regarding security personnel are unavailable prior to games as a safety precaution.
Between the expected clear skies, evening-slated game time and droves of fans from Texas rolling into town, Columbia is staring into the eyes of a massive turnout.
And after three armed incidents on or near campus in the last week and a half, all eyes are on safety.
“The game itself is of huge national interest,” University President Harris Pastides said. “We’re in high gear. We will leave no stone unturned in terms of how to better prepare for and execute safety.”
USCPD and the Columbia Police Department have joined forces when it comes to stadium security in years past. USCPD and CPD will be collaborating more on campus as well, Pastides said in a letter to students, faculty and staff this week.
And when it comes to the party surrounding the stadium, Pastides knows what’s coming.
“The consumption of adult beverages increases by adults all around town,” he said. “And frankly, the time of game lends itself to post-game partying and revelry.”
If history is any indication, he’s not wrong.