This trip report picks up from our Georgia State trip report on Friday morning as we depart Atlanta and head to Columbia from Atlanta.

Travel
We had a direct flight from Atlanta to Columbia, even if it was on the early side, and getting through Atlanta TSA can be a bit dicey. So it was kind of an early wake up. But it was not too bad. I am not used to entering Atlanta from the departure side as opposed to a simple connection. But all went smoothly. There were even a few older gentlemen in Alabama gear on our flight. A positive sign?

We landed, drove to the hotel, and were greeted with the classic “Your room’s not ready,” which is code for, “Please wander aimlessly around town while we charge your card.” So off we went.

Meanwhile, as we were doing this, Jake was en route from Tuscaloosa while Vinny and Joyce were en route from North Carolina. Additionally, Beth and the Miralles family, having spent the night in southern Georgia, were en route and hauling all the tailgate gear and my previously mentioned shopping.

Campus
With no hotel room available, we made a beeline for Williams-Brice Stadium to scout out the tailgate location. The mission was simple: figure out where the spot actually was, determine how close we could get the car the next day for drop-off, and generally pretend we had a well-organized logistical plan. The parking lot guard granted us a generous five-minute reconnaissance window, delivering the good news that we’d be able to pull right in and unload whatever we wanted on game day. Excellent — tailgating success was already within reach.

The spot itself was perfect, sitting right on a corner like it had been reserved specifically for people who overpack.  No comments from you, Beth!

We got word that all the others were arriving; Vinny & Joyce as well as Beth, Sergio, Liz, Isa, and Ellie. We all arranged to meet at Williams-Brice Stadium since Al had arranged for a stadium tour.

Stadium Tour
Before the weekend chaos fully kicked in, we embarked on a tour of Williams-Brice Stadium, which turned out to be both unexpectedly comprehensive and delightfully awkward — mostly because our half of the tour group consisted of us and one random guy who never quite figured out what he was doing there with us and whether he should join us or keep a thirty foot radius.

We started with a loop around the stadium perimeter. Then came the first celebrity encounter of the day: Cocky, in full mascot glory. Naturally, we took ninety photos with him, because Beth is here. He posed, we posed, the random guy hovered in the background, and it was all beautifully on-brand, especially for Beth. Al immediately sent this picture to Cocky’s brother, Sam the Minuteman, but that’s supposed to be a secret.

From there, we ascended into the luxury suites for a top down view. Vinny was delighted with all the places to sit in this room, as would make his normal daily chair rotation at home much easier. Our guide then led us to the press conference area, where we all immediately sat behind the podium and pretended to hold post-game media availabilities. Tough questions were asked. Accountability was questionable. Al delivered a strong “We gave 110%, just came up short,” while the random guy looked like he was reconsidering every choice that brought him here.

More South Carolina Campus
At this point, a few people wisely retreated to the hotel for some downtime, while Beth, Jake, Sergio, Liz, Isa, Ellie, and I made our way back toward the South Carolina campus so the late arrivals could get the whirlwind version of the SC campus tour. Since Williams-Brice Stadium sits approximately not near the actual campus, the choice was either:
1. Wake up earlier tomorrow to squeeze it in, or
2. Do it now like sensible people.

And anyone who knows Liz and Isa knows that “wake up earlier” is simply not a viable option. So, option two it was.

I then proceeded to give a retour (yes, that’s a thing now) of all the spots we’d explored earlier, plus a few bonus detours for flavor. Having walked it once earlier and having visited USC before, I felt qualified enough to narrate the experience. I made up at least 50% of the facts, but I delivered them with confidence. A fine time was had by all, and eventually we headed back to the hotel.

After Dinner Drink

Later back at the hotel, the Hyatt Place bar was “alive” — meaning a few people were drinking and watching a game. Most of the group wisely headed to bed. But if you know Vinny and Joyce, you know this presented an opportunity for “one more drink.” Beth and Jake stuck around for moral support.

We mingled with the other patrons, one of whom casually mentioned having access to a Cockaboose, a highly  coveted, uniquely South Carolina tailgating setup that Al, Sergio, and I had been scheming to experience for some time. The Cockaboose is essentially a fully outfitted caboose, that is used as a semi-private tailgate spot complete with amenities that border on luxury, the kind of thing you only hear about in hushed, reverent tones from other Gamecock fans. The series of Cockaboose’s (or is it Cockaboosi?) operate as a HOA and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Despite our best efforts, we hadn’t been able to secure one ourselves, but this kind stranger extended an invitation to stop by the next day.  We never made it, but it was a kind offer and we did try like hell to secure one for our tailgate.

Eventually, after drinks, stories, and a healthy dose of tailgate envy, it was finally time for bed.

Apparently, how and where (which website) you order tailgate food determines how it arrives… and we had unknowingly selected the “mystery delivery adventure” option. Instead of coming on the big catering vans that pull right into the tailgate zone like civilized food trucks, our order was being delivered by a single car straight from the restaurant — a car that, unsurprisingly, could not enter the lot.

Pregame
First, let’s take a moment to explain the logistical masterpiece that was acquiring ten tickets together. Kudos to me for pulling that off. And I will say that our tickets were pretty good even if they were in the upper deck. And then, because the universe enjoys a challenge, we had to add an eleventh ticket for Jake that was somewhere even remotely close to the rest of us. Which I pulled off, thank you very much.

The Game

Al and I both picked Alabama, but as I told Jake before kickoff, Alabama was in for it this game.  

The game opened with a bit of a feeling out process as SC marched 74 yards over 15 plays, moving the ball, managing downs, and capping it off with a 24‑yard field goal. Then, after forcing Bama on a 3 and out, SC would throw a pick‑six. Interception, 18 yards, and just like that the scoreboard read 7–3 Crimson Tide.  Turnovers would doom SC.  This is called foreshadowing.  I paid attention in 11th grade English class. 

Momentum felt shaky, but SC tried to rally. After a few more three and outs, one by each team, a second field goal, 34 yards, cut the gap to 7–6. Bama did not have a first down, but had the 7-6 lead.  Then Alabama responded before the half with a neat 9‑play, 81‑yard drive capped by a short TD pass to Josh Cuevas. Halftime: 14–6 Alabama. Offensive balance was there for South Carolina, but even early you could smell trouble — penalties, a pass that bounced into Crim­son hands, and a third‑down run wiped out by holding. Mistakes had already started gifting Alabama life.

Then the second half happened, and suddenly the Gamecocks looked alive. After Bama turned it over on downs, on SC’s first play of the third quarter, LaNorris Sellers let loose a beauty — a 54‑yard bomb to Nyck Harbor that split the defense and jolted the crowd. Just like that: 14–12 after the 2 point conversion failed. Field position, energy, belief: rising. A couple drives later, SC got within range again and Joyce drilled a 47‑yard field goal — now SC led 15–14.  The Alabama offense in the 3Q had 4 drives and 3 went 3 and out.  The crowd could feel something was happening and belief was growing about a possible SC upset.

Fourth quarter: After forcing a punt and getting a fortunate bounce in their favor, Sellers methodically worked the offense into Alabama territory. Then he powered through on a 10‑yard run for a touchdown. Gamecocks up 22–14. Everything looked legit. They had more total plays, more first downs, more time of possession.

But here’s where college football turns on a dime. Alabama started a 79‑yard, 14‑play drive and Ty Simpson found Germie Bernard on a 4‑yard TD pass and after a successful 2 point conversion we had a tie game at 22. 

And then came the gut punch: on the very next possession, as Bama rips the ball from LaNorris Sellers and recovers on the SC 38.  Two plays later: direct snap to Bernard, right end, 25‑yard sprint. Touchdown. 29–22. Game over. It wasn’t about yardage, or possession, or who ran more plays. It was about two perfect drives, one turnover, and timing. Alabama left Columbia with another “resilience” trophy, and South Carolina was left collecting tailgate tents and dreams.  Alabama should not have won this game, but they found a way.  SC did not quit and by most measures outplayed Bama, but could not get it done at the end.  The two turnovers were critical.

Game Notes

Students in the upper deck had  started creeping down into the end zone student section, the classic “condense‑and‑prepare” as they got ready to storm the field in anticipation of the Bama two point conversion failing.  Or if it succeeded, then SC would be able to mount a drive to win the game on the final possession.  You could taste the anticipation, feel the energy coalescing into that familiar electric haze of “we’re storming the field as soon as the final whistle blows.”  They were not expecting the successful two point conversion and then the Sellers fumble and Bama TD to be sent home with massive disappointment.  The chorus of cheers and towels faded into quiet disappointment. No leap over hedges, no chaotic rush. The storm never formed.

It should also be noted that this was Liz, Isa, and Ellie’s first football game.  Maybe their last?  Time will tell.

On the way back to the hotel, we coordinated dinner and decided on Stoner Pizza. Inexplicably,  one car went to fetch it, and ours opted for delivery to the hotel. The pizza was… better than expected. Edible, satisfying, and the kind of food that tastes extra good when you’ve spent twelve hours juggling tents, tailgates, and football.

By the time the boxes were empty and crusts picked over, it was time for the final goodbye. We said farewell to the Miralles family and Vinny & Joyce, who were driving back to Florida the next day, and leaving earlier than we needed to get up.  

We then swung back to the hotel for a greasy-spoon style recovery breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Al and Debra. Nothing cures tailgate-after fatigue like a greasy spoon.  And say what you want about Cracker Barrel, I do like their breakfast.  It was then time to say goodbye to Al & Debra, and head out for the airport.

Travel

Our return flight from Columbia was on Allegiant Air as they had the only direct flight from Columbia to South Florida.  It was uneventful travel, but my experiment with Allegiant is over.  The front of plane seats on Allegiant are no prize.  I had heard that on Spirit the front seats were very nice and actually comfortable, so I thought that might apply to Allegiant.  It did not.  They were still three across, just like the rest of the plane.  So the only thing you get is a bit more legroom, that is it and it is just a small bit of extra legroom.  And you have to deal with the stupid policies that put your carry on bag 10 rows behind you.  Not worth it.  The seat padding was basically cosmetic.   Experiment over.  Trip to South Carolina over. Next stop…Norfolk, VA.

Postscript

Alabama finished the regular season 10-2 and 7-1 in SEC play which put them in a four way tie atop the SEC standings.  After the tiebreakers, the Crimson Tide lost the SEC Championship game to Georgia 28-7.  Alabama was selected to play in the CFP Playoff seeded #9.  They defeated #8 Oklahoma 34-24 before losing to #1 Indiana 38-3.

Despite starting the year 3-2, South Carolina finished 4-8 and 1-7 in SEC play after winning only 1 of their last 7 games.  There was no bowl game for the Gamecocks.

Photo Gallery

For our South Carolina photo album, Please click here. You can view as a collage or run as a slideshow. There are comments to explain what is in the photo but most are self explanatory. Thanks to Google, I can no longer embed the slide show with comments.