South Carolina-LSU game could be moved

Storms and record rainfall produced by Hurricane Joaquin caused widespread damage in South Carolina and could force the university to move Saturday's game against LSU.

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said he hopes a game Saturday against LSU can be played in Columbia, S.C., at Williams-Brice Stadium. But contingencies have been discussed, including playing at LSU or relocating the game elsewhere.

"We are not 100 percent sure that we will have a game at Williams-Brice at this time," he said Tuesday. "Our intentions are to stay on schedule and play here in Columbia but it's not definite."

South Carolina officials contacted Carolina Panthers officials about the possibility of moving the game to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Observer reported.

The Panthers have a bye this week, but the presence of a NASCAR Sprint Cup race Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway will make vacant hotel rooms hard to find.

Georgia Tech officials issued a statement denying they were in discussion with South Carolina officials about the possibility of moving the game to the Yellow Jackets' home field.

South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said the state confirmed 14 deaths and estimates are in the hundreds of millions in property damage, including collapsed bridges, massive sinkholes in major roadways and private losses still to be tallied.

Columbia received 12.45 inches of rain in three days. Other areas in the region measured more than 18 inches and coastal cities were deluged by 23 inches to 25 inches of rain during the weekend storm.

The Columbia State reported that Williams-Brice Stadium got through the storm without major damage, and the field was relative dry Tuesday morning.