South Carolina, Florida move games due to hurricane

South Carolina and Florida both changed the kickoff times of their games this week against FCS opponents because of the expected landfall of Hurricane Ian.

The Gamecocks will play South Carolina State Thursday night instead of Saturday. The Gators will face Eastern Washington at noon Sunday instead of Saturday.

“Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a statement.

South Carolina had spoken with the office of Gov. Henry McMaster and other state officials, state and local law enforcement who routinely help at games. Tanner said he was confident they could safely host the game Thursday night at WilliamsBrice Stadium.

The storm is on track to reach Gainesville, Fla., Thursday, when Eastern Washington was originally scheduled to arrive in the area.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in 2020 but was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Carolina State will receive $500,000 for coming to Williams-Brice Stadium to play South Carolina. Eastern Washington will earn $750,000 for its trouble from Florida.

Boise State

Four games into the season, the Broncos are losing their quarterback to the transfer portal. Hank Bachmeier, on the heels of a disappointing 2-2 start, filed paperwork to initiate the process of transferring. Bachmeier told ESPN he wants to find a situation that will allow him to win games and prepare for the NFL. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Bachmeier’s departure comes just days after the university fired offensive coordinator Tim Plough and replaced him with former Boise State and NFL head coach Dirk Koetter.