Playmakers' absences prove costly against Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The question was posed to South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier as he sat in a nondescript conference room, dissecting a crushing loss that brought more crushing injuries.
Could he, in his long coaching career, remember one of his teams suffering so many injuries in a single season?
“We’ve had a few injuries, but I’ve never really liked to talk about it that much,” he said. “That’s a part of football. The next guy’s got to go play.”
Spurrier’s answer wasn’t surprising. Almost every player or coach, seemingly fearful Bear Bryant or Johnny Unitas or whatever football god they choose to worship will reach down and smite them if they suggest otherwise, will immediately tell you the same thing the moment the subject is broached.
But at some point, injuries come with such frequency they begin to transcend the game. South Carolina got there on Saturday.
The Gamecocks weren’t supposed to beat Arkansas when fully healthy. And then they arrived here in the Ozarks without their starting left tackle (Kyle Nunn) and tailback (Marcus Lattimore) and knowing their leading tackler (spur linebacker Antonio Allen) wouldn’t play. And concussions to USC’s starting safety (DeVonte Holloman) and starting quarterback (Connor Shaw) awaited during the game. So a 16-point loss (that could have been far worse and would have been if the Razorbacks could catch the ball) should have been expected.
Ditto for, in hindsight, the plight the Gamecocks now find themselves in regarding the SEC East. The division may be down, but it’s still one half of the nation’s premier conference. And it’s going to take, in all likelihood, seven league wins to be its champion. Georgia can still get there, and probably will. USC, which forfeited its margin for error in a horrific 16-13 loss to Auburn on Oct. 1, can do no better than 6-2, if that.
On the surface, anything less than a return trip to Atlanta will be a disappointment for USC. But considering the context, it shouldn’t be.
The Gamecocks can’t protect the quarterback. They can’t throw the ball. They can’t cover a kickoff. They can’t shut down an offense with any elevated level of aptitude. They have a true freshman at tailback and a true sophomore (or redshirt freshman if Dylan Thompson must start this week) at quarterback. All these brutal facts were readily on display against the Razorbacks. Some of it is due to talent and coaching, especially the special teams aspect, but most of it is attributable to the aforementioned injuries, both long-term and immediate to the contest with the Hogs.
But for it all, USC is still somehow 7-2 with two winnable games ahead against Florida and The Citadel. Win those while Georgia slips and the Gamecocks are miraculously back into the division title.
And even if (and let’s be honest, when) that doesn’t happen, USC still will be 9-2 with two shots, one against Clemson and one in the bowl game, at matching the school record for wins in a single season. Given the adversity this team has dealt with, that’s a successful season, even without a trip to Atlanta.
Injuries are part of the game. But when they begin to drastically alter the games, they become more. That’s where USC is at now. Battered and missing their best player and a key lineman with uncertainty surrounding several other key contributors, the Gamecocks’ division hopes are now quite slim. Injuries have derailed the optimum path to a historic year. But with continued perseverance, USC could salvage the season and nonetheless make it a success, whether it ends with a new banner for Williams-Brice Stadium or not.
Spurrier said earlier in the week he enjoys doing things for the first time at USC. This can be one of those instances. The Gamecocks can still make chicken salad out of chicken scratch. Given all they have dealt with, that alone would be welcomed progress.