Spurrier unsure about statuses of several players heading into Clemson
With several starters sidelined by injuries during their 41-20 win, the Gamecocks allowed 241 rushing yards and did not recover any of the four fumbles they forced. Even after facing Navy's triple option offense earlier in the season, USC wasn't completely prepared to stop the Bulldogs on the ground.
"It doesn't matter. We've never stopped [a triple option offense] completely yet," said coach Steve Spurrier. "We play much better against conventional teams. For some reason, we struggle against these teams. The defense has had a super year. We've had a super red-zone defense all year. Maybe today we just had a down day."
The Citadel executed consistently throughout the game, with three players collecting more than 60 rushing yards. The Bulldogs attempted just three passes on the afternoon.
"I thought they executed extremely well. I thought they did a great job with their offense," said assistant head coach Ellis Johnson. "We did some things, stops and blitzes and tried to create some negative yardage and did not get that very often. We got four balls from them, and they got them all back."
The Gamecocks announced prior to the game that linebacker Quin Smith would not play due to a back strain, and linebacker Reginald Bowens was sidelined after the first kickoff return. Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney exited the game with a slight concussion. Safety DeVonte Holloman left with a headache that could be concussion-related, Spurrier said. Linebacker Damario Jeffery was diagnosed with a high left ankle sprain after a collision in the third quarter.
Spurrier said Sunday that no statuses for Saturday's game against Clemson have yet been determined. Johnson said the injuries to starters should not be an excuse for poor defensive play.
"I'm disappointed in some of the backup guys," Johnson said. "Some of them are not playing very consistently and not playing very well. There shouldn't be that kind of drop-off. Your starter is always your best player, but there shouldn't be the kind of drop-off we're getting right now. Some of these guys that are getting an opportunity to play need to step up and get it done."
But Melvin Ingram, who had one tackle and a 19-yard rush off a fake punt against The Citadel, said the Gamecocks have the depth to perform well on defense despite injuries to starters.
"We're just going to go out and work hard," Ingram said. "I feel like every second-team and third-string person on our team can be a starter. We've got confidence in anybody who goes out and plays because no matter what, we're all going to go to war for each other."
Swearinger steps up: After missing two weeks of practice because of a foot injury from USC's loss to Arkansas, safety D.J. Swearinger said the pain in his foot is no longer a problem. The junior recorded eight tackles against the Bulldogs.
Johnson said that although Swearinger is still returning to form, having him healthy will help the team eliminate at least one of the many holes created by injuries.
"D.J. Swearinger hadn't practiced in two weeks, and he's playing that way," Johnson said. "It's just been really tough. Hopefully we'll get him back, but he's not the only one. We've got a bunch of them right now that will be very questionable. They probably won't practice a full practice week next week."