Gamecocks Announce 2007 Football Schedule

Oct. 4, 2006

The University of South Carolina has released its 2007 football schedule. The schedule features seven home games, including non-conference contests versus Clemson, South Carolina State and Louisiana-Lafayette. In addition, Carolina will host Southeastern Conference rivals Mississippi State, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Florida. All game dates are subject to change. Game times will be announced at a later date.

The Gamecocks will open the 2007 at home versus Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 1. It will be the second meeting between the two schools, as they met in the 2003 season opener with USC posting a 14-7 victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns.

The Gamecocks make the short trip to Athens on Sept. 8 to face the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC opener. Georgia has won the last five meetings between the two schools, including an 18-0 win in Columbia earlier this season. The Bulldogs hold a 44-13-2 advantage in the all-time series, including a 25-6 mark in Athens.

History will be made on Saturday, Sept. 15, when South Carolina hosts in-state foe South Carolina State for the first time ever. The Bulldogs are also slated to make the trip from Orangeburg to Columbia in the 2011 season.

The Gamecocks return to the SEC road on Sept. 22 when they travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers. It will mark the first meeting between the two squads since the 2003 campaign. LSU leads the all-time series 14-2-1, including a 9-1 mark when they are the host school.

Carolina will play back-to-back conference home games on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 against Mississippi State and Kentucky, respectively. The Bulldogs will be making their first trip to Columbia since the 2002 season. After USC’s 15-0 win in Starkville earlier this season, the all-time series is deadlocked at six wins apiece. The Gamecocks hold a 10-6-1 lead in the all-time series against Kentucky, heading into this week’s contest in Lexington. USC has won the last six meetings with the Wildcats.

The Gamecocks will step out of conference on Oct. 13 when they travel to Chapel Hill to renew their regional rivalry with the North Carolina Tar Heels. The teams have not met on the gridiron since the 1999 season. UNC leads the all-time series 34-16-4, including an 18-7-3 advantage in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are scheduled to make an appearance in Columbia during the 2010 season.

USC returns to SEC action on Oct. 20 when it hosts Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks hold a 13-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Commodores, including a 6-1 mark at Williams-Brice Stadium. Carolina has won the last six meetings between the two schools.

South Carolina will travel to Tennessee and Arkansas in back-to-back weekends, Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, respectively, in a pair of SEC road tilts. USC won at both venues last season, including its first ever win in Knoxville, but still trail in the all-time series, 19-3-2 to the Volunteers and 8-6 to the Razorbacks.

The final regular season SEC matchup is set for Saturday, Nov. 10, when the Florida Gators visit Columbia. Florida leads the all-time series, 19-4-3, but Carolina surprised the Gators with a 30-22 victory last season, its first over Florida since 1939.

USC will enjoy its only scheduled off week before wrapping up the regular season by hosting in-state rival Clemson. The Tigers lead the all-time series by a 63-36-4 margin, including a 13-9 win at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2005.

DATE OPPONENT SITE

Sept. 1 Louisiana-Lafayette Columbia, S.C.

Sept. 8 Georgia Athens, Ga.

Sept. 15 South Carolina State Columbia, S.C.

Sept. 22 LSU Baton Rouge, La.

Sept. 29 Mississippi State Columbia, S.C.

Oct. 6 Kentucky Columbia, S.C.

Oct. 13 North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C.

Oct. 20 Vanderbilt Columbia, S.C.

Oct. 27 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn.

Nov. 3 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark.

Nov. 10 Florida Columbia, S.C.