COLUMBIA, S.C. — For just the third time, the football programs of University of South Carolina and South Carolina State University will meet.
The previous meetings occurred in 2007 and 2009 and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer was a Gamecock assistant for those two games.
Beamer has long been a fan of Bulldog head coach Buddy Pough who worked his way through the high school ranks, winning a state championship at Fairfield Central in 1996. That led to Pough joining the Brad Scott staff at South Carolina as the running backs coach.
Pough stayed on the Gamecock staff when Lou Holtz was hired, before leaving to take over the program at his alma mater in Orangeburg.
Now in his 21st season as the head coach at S.C. State, Pough is not only the program's all-time winningest coach, he is an ambassador for the school.
Pough has bumped into Beamer over the years. Whether it's on the recruiting trail, at various charity functions, or the Orangeburg Touchdown Club -- where Beamer had a few stops when he was a Carolina assistant -- the two head coaches know each other well and Beamer has a high regard for what Pough has accomplished.
Another Thursday contest for S.C. State
Tonight's game will mark the second Thursday night contest of the season for the S.C. State Bulldogs, who faced UCF in Orlando in week one. You could also make the case that this is the Bulldogs' second Power 5 opponent of the year. UCF will be moving from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 in 2023.
Former Gamecocks on the S.C. State staff
Offensive coordinator Bennett Swygert is a former South Carolina quarterback who would finish up his career at Western Carolina. Na'Shan Goddard is a former Gamecock offensive lineman who won a pair of Super Bowls. He is the Bulldogs' offensive line coach.