After winning the in-state rivalry game against South Carolina State 38-10, the No. 11 South Carolina is now preparing to open the SEC play with the matchup against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Week 3 college football action.
Ahead of the matchup, head coach Shane Beamer provided a sobering injury update ahead of an important conference game.
“I’ll have a better answer for you tomorrow night on the teleconference,” Beamer said. “It’s not good.”
By Beamer’s reaction, South Carolina might be out of depth for their Week 3 game. However, he followed up on Sunday with an optimistic update.
“Looking at it from a health standpoint, we’re better today than I thought we might be last night when I met with you guys,” Beamer said. “Feel pretty optimistic on everyone as we sit here today in regards to being able to play Saturday night against Vanderbilt. Brady Hunt is the only one that we’re doing some testing on today, and still getting some of the results back from that, so keeping our fingers crossed and prayers for him that we get a good report here this afternoon. But everybody else is trending to being able to play this weekend.”
South Carolina’s Injury Report At Key Positions
Cornerback Judge Collier and Edge rusher Jatius Geer were injured in the season opener against Virginia Tech. They did not play in the weekend game against South Carolina. While their injuries are “non-long-term,” the timeline might leave South Carolina vulnerable.
Starting nickel Jalon Kilgore is out with a lingering hamstring issue that had cost him the home opener. Moreover, Brandon Cisse was part of a collision early in the SC State game and didn’t return.
“Brandon Cisse got hurt early in the game,” Beamer said. “Our third-team nickel is Jaquel Holman. He got hurt in the first quarter, so we were down to literally our fourth nickel, which kudos to Kelvin Hunter.”
Third-team nickel Jaquel Holman filled in for Cisse. However, he exited in the first quarter and was seen later in a sling. As a result, South Carolina was forced into using its fourth-team nickel. Despite this, Kelvin Hunter, not originally expected to play, stepped up admirably under pressure and made two total tackles.
Other Banged-Up Gamecocks Players
While some concerning injuries at the nickel position are already shared above, here are other players who are injured.
- Tight end Brady Hunt exited after just six snaps and is undergoing tests.
- Left tackle Josiah Thompson was banged up and replaced midgame.
- Vicari Swain was also banged up and didn’t return in the second half after two punt-return touchdowns.
It remains to be seen if the Gamecocks will be able to open their SEC play with a win.
Also read:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
