Cam Smith, Jordan Strachan leave South Carolina-Arkansas game with apparent injuries
The injury bug hit the Gamecocks defense hard Saturday against Arkansas.
The Razorbacks led 21-16 in the third quarter.
At one point in the second quarter, Cam Smith walked to the locker room with an apparent injury.
“Cam Smith walked off into the locker room,” ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden said on the broadcast. “He did not have his helmet, had his towel over his head, struggled to even walk.”
Smith is regarded as USC’s best cornerback and a potential first-round NFL Draft pick in 2023. He was replaced in the game by O’Donnell Fortune.
Defensive end/outside linebacker Jordan Strachan went to the sideline in the third quarter shortly after a rush attempt on Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson.
ESPN’s Budden said Strachan “found his family in the stands, they were crying together. His family went into the locker room. It does not look good right now.”
In the first quarter, defensive lineman Alex Huntley went down with a lower body injury. He was helped off the field, but later returned.
Defensive back Darius Rush and linebacker Mo Kaba went down on the same play in the second quarter. Rush was injured while defending a pass, colliding in the air with another player. He stayed down for a while, but returned later in the half. Kaba was injured while rushing Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson.
RJ Roderick (arm) and David Spaulding (undisclosed) were not listed on the team’s travel roster Saturday.
“It’s concerning right now,” coach Shane Beamer said in his ESPN halftime interview. “We were already down one starter going into the game. We’re down two more now.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 1:43 PM.
