Game Times and Networks Announced for First Three Football Games in 2021

The Shane Beamer Era of South Carolina Football will open under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium, as game times and television networks for the first three games of the 2021 season were announced today by the Southeastern Conference.
 
The Gamecocks will host Eastern Illinois University at 7 pm ET on Saturday, Sept. 4, to kick off the 2021 season. That game will be streamed digitally on ESPN+/SECN+. This will be the first meeting on the gridiron between the Gamecocks and Panthers. Eastern Illinois is a member of the FCS-level Ohio Valley Conference. They did not play last fall, but rather competed this spring, posting a 1-5 mark in a conference-only slate.
 
The 2021 road opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11, when the Gamecocks travel to Greenville, N.C. for a date with the East Carolina Pirates. Game time is set for noon Eastern, with ESPN2 televising the contest nationally. The Gamecocks hold a 14-5 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, including wins in all four games played in this century. This will mark the Gamecocks’ first trip to Greenville since 1997. Carolina is 2-1 when playing at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville. The Pirates, who compete in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), were 3-6 in 2020 under head coach Mike Houston.
 
South Carolina’s SEC opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 18, when the Gamecocks travel to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs. The 7 pm ET contest will be televised nationally on ESPN. Georgia leads the all-time series between these bordering state flagship universities by a 52-19-2 margin, including a 29-9 lead when playing in Athens, but the Gamecocks won in double-overtime on their last trip to Sanford Stadium in 2019 by a 20-17 score.
 
Game times and television networks for the remaining nine games of the Gamecocks’ 2021 schedule will be announced at a later date.
 
Sept. 4             vs Eastern Illinois                    7 pm                ESPN+/SECN+ (Digital)
Sept. 11           at East Carolina                       Noon               ESPN2
Sept. 18           at Georgia                               7 pm                ESPN