I attended Williams Bryce Stadium for a South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Florida Gators in October of 2023 and had the time of my life!
I haven't been to many college football games, a lot more NFL games but I tell ya, for this SEC East rivalry between South Carolina and Florida, the crowd electricity was at a fever pitch! One of the loudest game atmospheres I have ever been to. Granted, universities like Penn State, Oregon and Texas A&M have reputations for some of the most intense settings in all the nation, but here at Williams Bryce, I was mighty impressed!
Here are details about the game experience...
Arriving to Williams Bryce, I did not purchase any prepaid parking spot ahead of time. There was really nothing offered on TickPick, Stubhub or Ticketmaster. And this worked out fine anyways.
Someone standing in front of a parking lot street corner held a sign saying $10. I chose this lot which was on grass and right along the corner of Shop Road and Abbott Road (next to a DMV) heading towards Williams Bryce. I paid in cash. It was then a casual 1.2 mile walk to the stadium and took 20 minutes.
I purchased a ticket for $111 on TickPick which was the cheapest offered. It was in Section 307 and Row 39 on the home side of the stadium but unfortunately, my seat had a partial viewing obstruction and so I had to move somewhere else.
Instead, I found an unoccupied seat at the top row parallel to one of the end zones. You may think this nosebleed seat wouldn't be good, but instead it was fantastic! Best of all, I could stand up whenever I wanted without having to worry about blocking the views from the person sitting behind me. So in fact, the last row high at the top was perfect.
Luckily, with Williams Bryce pretty much at full 77,000 person capacity for the game, I did not interfere by sitting in someone else's seat.
The game started at 3:30pm. They allowed fans into Williams Bryce 90 minutes before kickoff. This gave me ample time to walk around the stadium, explore and get in as many photos as possible.
And even prior to fan entrances, there was a cool walking pathway for South Carolina players entering the stadium. QB - Spencer Rattler stopped to say hello to his family and the fans. I enjoyed the players up close like they were celebrities.
There was plenty of tailgating going on around the grounds of Williams Bryce. In fact, the South Carolina State Fair was also in town and located right nearby.
Another great area to hang out at was the University of South Carolina Gamecock Park. Here people lounged on the grass, threw footballs around, played corn hole and enjoyed their Saturday. It was nice to get a glimpse into what the pregame festivities were like.
Lastly, beside Williams Bryce were old train tracks with real train compartments for you to walk in and out of. Plus, they were great photo opportunities. If you're walking towards the game, you sort of can't miss these iconic train tracks and vintage railroad cars.
Entering inside Williams Bryce, vendors handed out free towels commemmorating the game. They were awesome. I asked for 3 towels and they gave me a bundle of 6!
Best of all, the towels said...South Carolina vs. Florida with the Gamecocks mascot Rooster and the date October 14th, 2023.
Overall, Williams Brice Stadium, was very photogenic for a 3:30pm start time. I got some great pics in.
But I think the most memorable aspect of it all was the South Carolina music and chant.
Any time there was a need to get the stadium rocking before or after a scoring drive, the loudspeakers blasted this music. Lol, I just Googled the song and it's called "Sandstorm". Using Sandstorm along with waving those white gameday towels intensified the noise to a fever pitch. I was having fun regardless that I'm from Florida. Well done for using the song, Sandstorm. What a great way to get the crowd rocking!
Laslty, the game was competitive and back and forth. It came down to the final seconds. Florida won 41 - 39. There was plenty of scoring and action so besides the electric crowd roaring till the final moments, the 80 combined points made for tons of memorable plays and touchdowns.
In the end, I couldn't have asked for a better game day experience from here at Williams Bryce Stadium at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. Thank you for having me Gamecocks, and hope to attend more rivalry games in the future. read more