ESPN show features South Carolina again, two weeks later
Two weeks after ESPN’s College GameDay came to the Horseshoe before USC’s matchup with Georgia, the Gamecocks were highlighted by the popular segment once again Saturday.
But this time they were the visiting team.
As filming began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the north side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was full of Gator fans proudly showing their colors — and their signs.
One sign said, “They came, they Shaw, they lost.” Another had a picture of Florida coach Will Muschamp dressed in black with the label “Muschamp Style,” a reference to Psy’s popular single “Gangnam Style.”
The signs most often poked fun at the Gamecocks with references to Chik-Fil-A’s slogan, “Eat mor chikin.” Any time South Carolina or Florida State — an in-state rival — was mentioned, they were met with a chorus of boos from the crowd.
But in the midst of the orange and blue, Gamecock fans made their presence felt with their own signs and cheers.
Steven Kanczewski, a fourth-year international business student, made a poster that called for a “GameDay Hat Trick.” He pointed out that the last two times GameDay came to South Carolina, the Gamecocks scored 35 points in their victory. The last line of his sign asked: “Florida: 35-?”
Kanczewski, who was interviewed by ESPN, said there were enough Gamecock fans at the filming that he felt comfortable wearing his garnet and black. Anne Evangelista, a fourth-year political science student, added that Florida fans were welcoming of their opponents.
“You get booed a lot, and the cameras tend to look away,” Evangelista said. “But it hasn’t been too bad. It’s definitely more welcoming in Columbia.”
But many USC fans said the atmosphere at Florida’s filming was nowhere near as energetic as the atmosphere in Columbia.
“I’m not saying this because I’m biased, but it was a lot louder [at USC],” said Joshua Devinney, a fan from Columbia. “I just had a phone conversation in the middle of that crowd. They’re just asleep here.”
Edward Reed Jr., a 2010 graduate of USC, agreed.
In Columbia, he said, fans had to show up in the wee hours of the morning to get a spot near the front of the show’s pit. He’d just shown up and managed to get close; it was 10 a.m.
“It doesn’t even compare,” Reed said.
The pit was situated before one TV screen, and there was much less room around the orange-framed stage where the show’s hosts sat. While the Horseshoe offered space to walk in front of the set, there was so little space in Gainesville that the fans in front of the set stood three rows deep in the street.
The moment the crowd was waiting for began with about 15 minutes left in the show, when analysts made their predictions. Desmond Howard and David Pollack were the first to choose Florida.
After a break, guest picker Ryan Lochte, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and former Florida swimmer, surprised few, choosing his alma mater and saying that he was a Gator for life.
Kirk Herbstreit agreed, choosing Florida for its strong defense and the benefit of a home field advantage.
Then, in the program’s closing moments, Lee Corso said the Gators have burned him when he picked against them in the past.
But two weeks after he donned a Cocky helmet and pulled out Sir Big Spur, Corso put on a Gator head and held an albino alligator.
In spite of the picks, USC fans said they weren’t disheartened.
“I think that’s better for us,” said Kenneth Garland, a third-year exercise science student. “Then we don’t get a big head, and it looks better when we win.”
Garland had no such luck — and the analysts turned out to be right.
And the energy from GameDay that had buzzed through Columbia and boosted USC weeks before turned against them, as South Carolina fell to Florida, 44-11.