April 12, 2005

Senior offensive tackle Na’Shan Goddard will enter the 2005 season as one of the better offensive linemen in the Southeastern Conference, but South Carolina fans will get an opportunity to get a sneak peek of Goddard and the rest of the Gamecocks at the Garnet and Black Game set to kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“This is what you always dream about as a football player,” Goddard said. “It looks like we’re going to have more than 30,000 fans at the game and it’s going to be a lot of fun. You always want to play for a big-time program, and this is just an example of where this program is. We understand that a lot of other schools won’t have anyone televising their games and won’t have anywhere near that many fans in the crowd, so we really appreciate what we have here.”

Goddard said that while the atmosphere will be a fun one, the players will still compete hard, as there are still position battles to be decided.

“One of the things you always have to remember as a player in a game like this is that those guys that you are hitting are your teammates,” Goddard said. “You have to see the big picture and know when to let up and not pound and pound and pound like you would against another school. That being said, you still want to look good and play hard, so there’s some balancing there.”

Facing his teammates is one of the things about the Garnet and Black Game that Goddard looks forward to the most.

“It’s a fun atmosphere,” Goddard said. “We will talk a little more trash among ourselves and have a good time out there. One year, the losing team had to do a car wash for the winning team. We haven’t seen who is on what team yet for this year’s game, so there hasn’t been any talk about that yet. We need to do that though.”

The Garnet and Black Game is set to kick off at 1:07 p.m. and will be televised nationally by ESPNU and ESPN2.

Garnet and Black Game Info

PARKING INFORMATION Stadium parking lots and the Key Road lot will open at 9 a.m. Parking for the Fairgrounds will be available at 10 a.m. Gate 10, located on Bluff Road, must be used for all football parking at the Fairgrounds. All parking, including the Fairgrounds, is FREE.

GATE INFORMATION All gates will open two hours prior to game time at 11 a.m. Admission is FREE.

CONCESSIONS Concessions will be available for purchase.

SPECIAL EVENTS Several special events are planned in conjunction with the Garnet and Black Game. A dedication ceremony for the Charles F. Crews Football Facility, which features Carolina’s new football weight room and meeting facilities, will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Southwest corner of Williams-Brice Stadium near Gate 5.

In addition, an unveiling of new signage inside Williams-Brice Stadium is planned for 12:45 p.m. The new signage will honor former Carolina football greats 1984 National Coach of the Year Joe Morrison, 1980 Heisman Trophy Winner George Rogers and 1986-1987 All-American Sterling Sharpe, along with USC’s 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Team.

THE GARNET AND BLACK GAME Fans can expect an exciting game-day atmosphere on April 16. Be in your seats early as USC’s famous “2001” entrance will be broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN2. The Gamecock cheerleaders and band will be on hand, and there will be numerous presentations on the video board. Spring football media guides will also be on sale for $3.

The game will consist of four, 12-minute quarters. A halftime break will be utilized.

AT HALFTIME The 2005 NIT Champion Gamecock men’s basketball team, including NIT MVP Carlos Powell, will be honored at halftime.

Also at halftime, Coach Spurrier will present the spring practice awards to the team.