The weather may not be the only concern this week in Columbia as South Carolina inches closer to the first Garnet & Black Spring Game of the Shane Beamer era.

South Carolina is so anxious to show Gamecock fans what the team looks like under Beamer that the school recently announced an increase in stadium attendance from around 9,000 to approximately 15,000 fans for Saturday’s spring game.

A large turnout of Gamecock faithful is expected despite some threat of rain in Columbia for the scheduled 2 p.m. kickoff for the 2021 South Carolina Garnet & Black Spring Game.

During his latest media availability, Beamer shared the format of the game.

“Our plan for Saturday is to divide into two teams – evenly matched. Not necessarily, it’s not, offense versus defense,” Beamer said on Tuesday. “I literally came in here early on a Sunday morning after our first scrimmage and just went through our staff room and basically built the teams and tried to make them as even as possible and that’s our plan right now.

“Our coaches will be split up on two different teams, Garnet and Black. Coach Satterfield and Coach White to kinda bounce back and forth and call it for both sides, both teams, call the offense and defense. Make it as much like a game as we can, that’s the plan right now.”

That’s the plan, anyway.

The main issue standing in the way of a competitive spring game this weekend in Columbia is a lack of depth and availability bodies, according to the South Carolina coach.

“Obviously, from a health standpoint, we’ve got to see where we are,” Beamer added. “There were some positions today when we finished practice that it would be very tough if things stay the way they are right now on Tuesday, for us to be able to have a game if we don’t get some guys back at some certain positions.

“So, keeping our fingers crossed some of these bumps and bruises heal up and our guys will be healthy enough, we’ll have enough of them healthy enough, to go out and compete on Saturday, which we are optimistic we will.”

Cover photo comes via South Carolina Athletics