South Carolina injuries stacking up, but Muschamp has seen worse
The injuries continue to mount for South Carolina’s football team, but Will Muschamp isn’t expecting any sympathy.
“My third year at Florida, it was a lot worse than this,” the Gamecocks coach said. “To me, this is not that bad. At the end of the day, nobody is going to feel sorry for you. You go with what you’ve got. I hate it for the young men that invest a lot of time, but that third year at Florida, we had a bunch more than we have now.”
South Carolina has plenty, though. Receiver Deebo Samuel is out at least five to six weeks with a leg fracture. Linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Muschamp revealed Sunday that starting right tackle Zack Bailey will be out at least two more games. Bailey missed the Louisiana Tech game with a high ankle sprain.
“They took his cast off again (Sunday), and they felt like it was much better,” Muschamp said. “We are doing everything we can do to get him back. I would say probably Tennessee (on Oct. 14) would be the earliest.”
Starting right guard Cory Helms (ankle) is questionable for Saturday’s game against Texas A&M after being injured in a 17-16 win against the Bulldogs.
“If there’s anybody that can play, it’ll be Cory, but I want to wait until Wednesday to make a decision on that,” Muschamp said. “Trying to get him back this week.”
The Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) take on the Aggies (3-1, 1-0) at 7:30 Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Sadarius Hutcherson replaced Helms against Louisiana Tech, playing left guard so Donell Stanley could move to right guard.
“Sadarius did a really nice job filling in,” Muschamp said.
Safety Steven Montac (foot) is expected to return to practice this week and could play against the Aggies. Freshman cornerback Tayvn Jackson (hamstring) still hasn’t returned to practice and is unlikely to play anytime soon, which might necessitate a redshirt season.
Defensive end Dante Sawyer (hamstring) will play against Texas A&M after missing the Louisiana Tech game.
Players of the game. Quarterback Jake Bentley and wide receiver Bryan Edwards, who hooked up on the 41-yard completion that set up South Carolina’s game-winning score, were named the offensive players of the week. Left tackle Dennis Daley and Hutcherson were the offensive linemen of the week. Cornerback Jamarcus King, who had an interception, and linebacker Skai Moore, who had a team-high 12 tackles, were the defensive players of the game. Taylor Stallworth was the defensive lineman of the game. Place-kicker Parker White and the field goal team were the special teams players of the game.
Still starting? Ty’Son Williams started Saturday and had a game-high 95 yards, but Muschamp would not commit to another start for Williams.
“I’ve got confidence in all three guys, and how they perform in practice will obviously dictate how that goes,” Muschamp said. “Rico (Dowdle) has a little bit of a contusion on the thigh. We will evaluate that day-to-day and week-to-week.”
Quotable. “I just really proud of the effort our guys had yesterday. They showed great character and the culture of our team and the culture of our program and what we’re building. Without the intangible qualities that you need to have, we don’t win that game. Very proud of that. Obviously, some things we have to clean up moving forward, but really pleased with that part of it,” Muschamp said.
This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 9:38 AM with the headline "South Carolina injuries stacking up, but Muschamp has seen worse."