Tailback suffers ligament, cartilage damage, will need surgery
Marcus Lattimore carried South Carolina to the first SEC Championship Game in school history last fall.
If the Gamecocks are to return to Atlanta this season, they'll have to do so without the star tailback.
Lattimore will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ligament and cartilage damage in his left knee during the fourth quarter of USC's 14-12 at Mississippi State, coach Steve Spurrier announced Sunday.
"Our worst fears were realized," said Spurrier of Lattimore's status on a teleconference with local reporters. Spurrier did not reveal specifics of the injury, other than Lattimore will wear a cast for about three weeks and have surgery on the knee once swelling subsides.
Lattimore has "no chance" to return this fall, Spurrier said, but should be healthy for the 2012 season.
"We do have one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country in Dr. Jeff Guy," Spurrier said. "We feel that next year that Marcus will come back stronger than ever."
Guy's original prognosis after USC's win Saturday in Starkville, Miss., was a sprained knee, but further damage was discovered after the fact. Lattimore left Davis Wade Stadium on crutches with a large brace on the knee and did not meet with the media.
After Lattimore was helped off the field, his mother, teammates and USC support staff members surrounded him on the sideline, offering encouragement and prayer. Many were visibly distraught.
"We're like a family," said defensive end Melvin Ingram after the game. "When one of us gets hurt, it's like all of us get hurt. We want all of our brothers to be there in every battle."
Lattimore had just passed 2,000 yards rushing for his career when the injury occurred. His season ends with 1,000 total yards of offense, 818 of which came running the ball, and 11 touchdowns, 10 of which were rushing. His 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Bulldogs gave him 27 rushing scores in his career, which ties him with Brandon Bennett and Andrew Pinnock for third in school history.
Lattimore was handling the news "OK," Spurrier said. Lattimore and Spurrier spoke Sunday morning as Lattimore was receiving treatment from team trainers.
The loss of Lattimore further complicates things for USC, which already had depth issues at tailback. Both Kenny Miles (wrist) and Eric Baker (ankle) have missed multiple games, and Shon Carson was lost to a knee injury against Georgia. As a result, true freshman Brandon Wilds, a Blythewood native, is now USC's top healthy tailback and will likely start in the Gamecocks' next game against Tennessee on Oct. 29 in Knoxville.
"The little bit he's had a chance to play, he's played pretty well," said Spurrier of Wilds. "He pretty much knows it all (the playbook). He's been with us since preseason. He's a quick learner."
Wilds has 13 carries for 75 yards this season and three catches for 21 yards. He originally was a redshirt candidate, but an impressive summer camp pushed him onto several special teams. When the season started, Wilds was behind Lattimore, Miles, Carson and Baker on the depth chart.
Spurrier had said Saturday that Ellington could see time at tailback if Lattimore was out indefinitely. But he backed off that stance a bit Sunday, saying that Ellington would likely remain as the key cog in USC's wildcat package, and if he was to see time at tailback, it wouldn't be announced publicly for strategic reasons.
Spurrier said he was hopeful Baker and Miles would be able to take advantage of USC's upcoming bye week, and both return to action against the Vols. But if they aren't healthy, the Gamecocks' next two tailbacks are walk-ons Joshua Blue and Josh Hinch, neither of whom have had a carry at USC. Spurrier said Saturday that USC would likely use two or three backs in place of Lattimore.
Lattimore was not the only Gamecock whose season ended on Saturday. Fullback Matt Coffee, who backed up starter Dalton Wilson and contributed on special teams, tore a ligament in his right knee and is out for the rest of the year, Spurrier said.
The depth situation at fullback is not much better. Wilson, who played Saturday but missed practice time earlier in the week with a sprained foot, now has only redshirt freshman Connor McLaurin behind him. USC could experiment with tight end Justice Cunningham at fullback in a manner similar to the way Patrick DiMarco was used last season if need be.