The South Carolina football team will seek its third straight win of the season in front of a sold out crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.
That crowd will get to watch the 2-0 Gamecocks try to snap a three-year losing streak against Kentucky, while also taking in several new enhancements made to the stadium this season.
Here are some of the changes fans can expect to see at Williams-Brice. For a full list of changes, visit GamecocksOnline.
New DJ
The Gamecocks announced Thursday that the new in-stadium DJ this season is DJ A-Minor, who is a Charlotte-based DJ. According to his Twitter, Minor has mixed music for the Charlotte Hornets and played at several events in the Queen City. The DJ booth will be located in Section 10, above the tunnel where players run out onto the field. While the Mighty Sound of the Southeast will continue to play an ample amount of music during the game, fans can expect more hip-hop and hype music from the DJ during breaks.
Fired up ‘2001’
Unveiled at a student-open practice in late August, the new and improved ‘2001’ entrance will be on display before a game for the first time on Saturday. The new entrance includes four columns of 20-foot flames and columns of “smoke,” provided by eight C02 jets. According to Justin Pruett, show producer for Pyrotecnico FX, the Gamecocks are the only NCAA school using these effects to create a large-scale pregame entrance. The “2001: A Space Odyssey” theme song will play as it has in the past.
Concessions
Due to its recent contract with Aramark, a food service company, USC will have upgraded concession areas and expanded menus in the future, according to GamecocksOnline. The stadium now also accepts credit and debit cards in these concession areas to make purchasing easier and more convenient for fans.
Tailgating upgrades
Outside of the stadium, there were several updates made to the popular Memorial Tailgating Lot during the offseason, including a change in ownership. New operator Alex Waelde said he has implemented a wristband policy for Memorial Lot in an effort to reduce lines at the entrance. The lot will also be selling items from a limited Chick-Fil-A menu. As for other tailgating lots, The Carolina Band will be making its way through Gamecock Park and the fair grounds 2 ½ hours before kickoff (estimated 5 p.m. this Saturday).