Gamecocks plan to play three running backs vs. Georgia

South Carolina true freshman tailback Rico Dowdle made his case for playing time Saturday against Texas A&M.

His ascent means the Gamecocks’ running back-by-committee approach has another body to account for.

“We talk about touches going into every game and certain situations that we want to get those guys those looks,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said. “But we feel good about three quality backs we have. All three will play Saturday.”

Dowdle posted 47 yards on nine carries against the Aggies in his debut. Muschamp praised him earlier in the week for how he ran through contact and punched through holes on zone read plays.

He averaged five yards per carry after contact, and five of his carries went for six or more yards.

A.J. Turner (270 yards on the season) and David Williams (118) had been carrying the rushing load, along with quarterback Brandon McIlwain.

Against the Aggies, Turner had 10 carries while Williams took two. Muschamp said the balancing act for workload is reliant on situation.

“Obviously depending how many snaps we have, all of those things will dictate through the game how it goes,” Muschamp said. “You always have a plan going in. It’s not always how it happens when you get into the game situation.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 3:09 PM.