COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia is preparing for a busy Saturday as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on No. 14 Oklahoma at Williams-Brice Stadium, just steps away from the South Carolina State Fair.

Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m., and fair gates open at 11 a.m., meaning thousands of fans and fairgoers will be arriving around the same time. Matt Laschuma, the State Fair’s director of security, says the overlap could cause heavy traffic and packed parking lots.

“We have to get through that day,” Laschuma said. “There’s 80,000 people over there, maybe 30,000 to 40,000 over here, all in that one packed-in area.”

Laschuma says the fair and the University of South Carolina have worked together to coordinate traffic and security plans.

“We’re not sitting around a room in a dark basement somewhere c

See Full Page