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SEC Nation at Mizzou

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On a pristine morning in Columbia, Mo., the SEC Network crew and hundreds of Mizzou faithful invaded the University of Missouri's Francis Quadrangle for SEC Nation – the network's weekly pregame show. The action-packed day in Columbia culminates tonight for a primetime matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6 p.m. (CT) at Memorial Stadium on ESPN2.

Before the Quad was buzzing as SEC Nation began at 9:00 a.m., many Mizzou fans arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning to secure a chance to meet on-air talent. SEC Nation featured Laura Rutledge, Paul Finebaum, Marcus Spears, Tim Tebow and reporter Lauren Sisler.

"I was here at four in the morning and slept on the Quad," said Mizzou freshman Caleb Biggs as he held an autographed Tim Tebow jersey. "4 a.m. is a little quiet obviously but as soon as the sun came up there were so many rowdy Mizzou fans coming out. I just get a huge sense of school pride and spirit. Being able to experience the energy, I've been up for 26 hours."

Among the hundreds of Mizzou supporters were a number of Mizzou student athletes. Mizzou Men's Basketball newcomers Michael Porter, Jr., and Jontay Porter were featured on air and took each other on in a game of corn hole. The freshman brothers have just begun to get a taste of the buzz of gamedays in Columbia.

"All of these fans coming out, having everyone here, I think was big for the university and it was definitely fun," explained Porter Jr. "I just want to see Mizzou sports to do well in general. It's all a big family here. I'm excited for game time."

A majority of the Mizzou Women's Basketball team were also in on the excitement as they were welcomed by the crowd. Junior guard Sophie Cunningham spoke about the atmosphere at the Quad.

"I just think it's awesome when our community, especially our students, can come out and support this. Mizzou's on the rise again I think it's awesome when the community comes together and it shows how much fun and love we have here at Mizzou," said Cunningham.

"Our team walks around, and we're kind of tall so people notice us. And just the love and support we get from elderly folks to people our own age, it's just so awesome and so fun that we're getting that recognition. It's just great that our community supports us so much."

Later tonight, the Tigers and Gamecocks square off in the opening game of Southeastern Conference play. The teams are set for a 6 p.m. start with the game airing on ESPN2. Gameday festivities get underway this afternoon with Tiger Town opening at 3 p.m., Tiger Walk at 4, and the Tailgate Concert Series featuring Lauren Jenkins at 4:15. Memorial Stadium gates will open at 4:30.