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College football’s 25 most powerful people: Who’s too high and too low?<\/p>\n
USA TODAY’s Matt Hayes joined Before The Snap to explain why Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti are ranked too high among CFB’s 25 most powerful people.<\/p>\n
One of the top two games on Sunday’s slate of college football<\/a> schedule features the “Beamer Bowl” between South Carolina<\/a> and Virginia Tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n No. 13 South Carolina<\/a> will meet up with Virginia Tech<\/a> in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Sunday, Aug. 31 for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n It’s the fourth SEC-vs.-ACC matchup of the opening weekend slate in college football, as Syracuse-Tennessee, Alabama-Florida State<\/a> and Clemson-LSU all served as a prequel to the Gamecocks and Hokies<\/a> matchup on Sunday. The Hokies can even the series with a win after the Seminoles shocked the No. 8-ranked Crimson Tide<\/a> on Aug. 30, 31-17.<\/p>\n LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart headline the Gamecocks roster this season, as both received All-SEC Preseason Team honors last month. Sellers led the Gamecocks to a 9-3 record in his first season as South Carolina’s starting quarterback last year.<\/p>\n It is the first meeting between South Carolina and Virginia Tech since 1991, when the Gamecocks defeated the Hokies 28-21 in Columbia. The Hokies are coming off a 6-7 season last year.<\/p>\n USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Follow along:<\/p>\n Watch South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech live with Fubo (free trial)<\/a><\/p>\n South Carolina vs Virginia Tech live score<\/p>\n This section will be updated<\/p>\n TEAMS1Q2Q3Q4QFVirginia Tech26\u2014\u2014\u2014South Carolina73\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n This section has been updated with new information<\/p>\n South Carolina will head into halftime with a rare 10-8 lead over Virginia Tech after Hokies kicker John Love drills a 56-yard field goal right down the middle as time expired.<\/p>\n The Gamecocks offense went rather quiet after their first drive, but looked to have found some momentum and rhythm on their final drive of the half. While on the other side, Virginia Tech has been able to stay in it with the thirteenth-ranked Gamecocks due to some mistakes on defense from South Carolina.<\/p>\n South Carolina star edge rusher Dylan Stewart has exited the game with an apparent shoulder injury. ESPN’s cameras showed Stewart holding his shoulder on the third-and-3 play. He immediately went down after the play was ruled dead.<\/p>\n A potential big loss to the Gamecocks defense as he heads off the field on his own power.<\/p>\n After a touchdown gets brought back, South Carolina extends its lead to 10-5 over Virginia Tech with a 27-yard field goal from William Joyce.<\/p>\n The scoring drive is 13 plays for 70 yards and took 5:01 off the game block. Virginia Tech now has a chance to take a lead going into halftime with that Nyck Harbor-LaNorris Sellers touchdown taken off the board.<\/p>\n LaNorris Sellers looks to have Nyck Harbor on a corner route into right corner of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown to extend South Carolina’s lead over Virginia Tech to 14-5, but it was ruled a no catch after a video review on the field.<\/p>\n A tough break for South Carolina. The Gamecocks will now elect to take the field goal.<\/p>\n Here’s another look at Harbor’s catch that was brought back after review:<\/p>\n Hello, Rahsul Faison!<\/p>\n The new South Carolina running back breaks off for a 31-yard carry to erase bad field position for the Gamecocks on second-and-33 following a 14-yard loss on a LaNorris Sellers sack and fumble. Faison was originally awarded a first down on the play but video review showed he was three yards short of a new set of downs.<\/p>\n A big third-down coming up here for South Carolina with 4:54 remaining in the first half.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech perfectly draws up a screen pass from Kyron Drones to Marcellous Hawkins, but Hawkins drops the pass to send the Hokies’ punt unit out onto the field. If Hawkins had held onto the pass, the Hokies running back would have had open field coverage down the sideline for a big play.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech’s John Love hits a 29-yard field goal straight down the middle to bring the Hokies’ deficit against No. 13 South Carolina closer at 7-5.<\/p>\n The big play of the drive for Virginia Tech came on the first play call of the second quarter when Kyron Drones connected with Donovan Greene for a 37-yard catch on the run up the right sideline.<\/p>\n The scoring drive is eight plays for 59 yards and took 2:32 off of the game clock. South Carolina needs a big answer to respond on it next drive coming up, as it hasn’t scored since the opening drive of the first quarter.<\/p>\n South Carolina leads Virginia Tech 7-2 after one quarter of action in the Aflac Kickoff Game. After driving down the field and scoring on their first drive of the game, the Gamecocks offense has gone rather cold, as they’ve had to punt twice and got a safety recorded against them on the other.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech will face a second-and-9 to open the second quarter after Marcellous Hawkins picked up a 1-yard carry to end the first frame.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech rushes up the middle of the field and gets to LaNorris Sellers as the pocket collapses, resulting in a safety for the Hokies. Kelvin Gilliam Jr. and Kody Huisman were given the combo sack for Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n Kyron Drones forces it on third-and-10 and it comes to backfire on him as South Carolina linebacker Fred Johnson intercepts the Virginia Tech quarterback in the end zone. A costly play by Drones after the Hokies found some rhythm and momentum on offense.<\/p>\n South Carolina takes over at its 2-yard line.<\/p>\n The Hokies have something brewing on offense, as Kyron Drones utilizes the Greene brothers on back to back plays to get into the South Carolina red zone for the first time. On third-and-1, Drones connected with Donavon Greene for a 25-yard catch and then went to Ayden Greene on the next play for a 36-yard catch up the right sidelines.<\/p>\n Facing a third-and-11, LaNorris Sellers shows off his athleticism once again by getting out of the pocket and taking the right side of the field to pick up the first down with a 13-yard scramble. Nice job by Sellers to fight for the fight down along the sidelines as Virginia Tech defenders came on him.<\/p>\n It’s a three-and-out for Virginia Tech to open up the game after South Carolina defensive Brandon Cisse breaks up a pass from Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones on third-and-8. Nice coverage by Cisse to force the punt, and a strong start for South Carolina.<\/p>\n Shane Beamer gets the start he wanted to see from LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina offense, as the Gamecocks’ quarterback calls his own number and runs it into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n A really nice drive put together by the Gamecocks who found some rhythm both in the passing and running game. If the Gamecocks continue to utilize Sellers’ dual-threat abilities like they did on their opening drive, Virginia Tech’s defense could be in for a long day.<\/p>\n Here’s what Sellers’ touchdown looks from field angle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:<\/p>\n The Hokies win the coin toss and elect to defer the kick to the second half. South Carolina and LaNorris Sellers will come out first on offense. And here we go from Atlanta!<\/p>\n South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley<\/a> has made the trip to Atlanta for Sunday’s Aflac Kickoff Game between the Gamecocks and Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n Staley, who was at the Chris Brown concert last night in Atlanta<\/a>, told Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston on their podcast that she interviewed for the New York Knicks coaching job this past offseason, and would “have had to” take it if they offered her the position.<\/a> Staley is 475-110 overall in 17 seasons at South Carolina.<\/p>\n As Shane Beamer arrives to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the fifth-year South Carolina coach is welcomed to “Beamer Ball” chants from those outside of the Gamecocks entrance as he goes over and hugs his parents, Frank and Cheryl Beamer.<\/p>\n Pretty cool atmosphere building in Atlanta on what should be a day to remember for the Beamer family with South Carolina taking on Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n Here’s the injury report for South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech according to Lulu Kesin of The Greenville News,<\/a> part of the USA TODAY Network:<\/p>\n George Wilson (EDGE) \u2014 OUTZahbari Sandy (DB) \u2014 OUTJackson Burger (DB) \u2014 OUTKobby Sakyi-Prah (EDGE) \u2014 OUTCaleb Williams (DT) \u2014 OUTRyan Brubaker (OL) \u2014 OUTJaylen Brown (EDGE) \u2014 OUT<\/p>\n With Raheim Sanders graduating, South Carolina went to the transfer portal to fill its hole at running back. The Gamecocks landed on Utah State transfer Rahsul Faison, who was just granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA<\/a> to play at South Carolina.<\/p>\n Here’s a breakdown of his Faison’s stats at Utah State:<\/p>\n Career: 316 carries for 1,845 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns; 33 receptions for 151 receiving yards2023: 118 carries for 736 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns; 11 receptions for 52 receiving yards2024: 198 carries for 1,109 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns; 22 receptions for 99 receiving yards<\/p>\n Former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, the dad of South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, is taking selfies outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with Hokies fans … while wearing a Gamecocks jacket.<\/a><\/p>\n South Carolina announces on its X account (formerly Twitter) that it will be wearing its home black uniforms for its Aflac Kickoff Game vs. Virginia Tech on Aug. 31.<\/p>\n The Week 1 showdown between South Carolina and Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 is a bittersweet one for South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, as he is not only facing against his alma mater, but also going against a program that his dad, Frank Beamer, led from 1987-2015.<\/p>\n In fact, Shane Beamer was an assistant at Virginia Tech for Frank Beamer’s final five seasons, as he served as assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Hokies from 2011-15.<\/p>\n