Georgia-South Carolina game 'will be played in Columbia,' per statement

It doesn't look like there will be a change of venue.

South Carolina stated that its game against Georgia will not be moved from its original location, even with Hurricane Matthew approaching the coastline. But as for when the game kicks off, that could still be up for change.

"The USC vs. UGA game will be played in Columbia," part of the statement reads. "Currently, kickoff is still slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium."

No final decision has been made as for whether the game will be moved. During a local Columbia, South Carolina, radio station interview, associate athletics director Charles Bloom indicated moving the game to Sunday or Monday was a possibility.

At around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, University of Georgia president Jere Morehead said he hadn't heard about that being a possible scenario.

“When the commissioner (Greg Sankey) calls me with a proposal, we’ll discuss it,” Morehead said. “That hasn’t been discussed yet. I know they’re having some calls this afternoon on the issue. At this point we remain hopeful the game will be played at its normal time on Saturday evening.”

A day ago, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley predicted that the Georgia-South Carolina game would likely not be able to occur as scheduled. On Wednesday, Haley said that state resources would not be able to be at Williams-Brice Stadium due to Hurricane Matthew.

"What we have informed USC is we will not be able to give any state support for that game," Haley said, via The State.

But if the game is moved to Sunday or Monday, it might be possible that such state support will be on hand for the game.

South Carolina expects a final decision to be made Thursday as to when the game will be played.

"The University of South Carolina and its athletics department are continuing to monitor the movements of Hurricane Matthew as it relates to the scheduled football game with the University of Georgia," stated South Carolina. "We are in communication with the National Weather Service, state and local authorities and the SEC regarding potential weather issues. 

"We anticipate a decision about the game to be made on Thursday. The safety of everyone affected by the storm and the minimization of the impact on emergency personnel are the most important factors in making the decision."

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Georgia-South Carolina game 'will be played in Columbia,' per statement."