Injuries limiting what Gamecocks can do defensively

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

All season, South Carolina has lived with a “next man up” mentality. No matter which player went down or for how long, that was always the standard response given by players expecting whoever was next to step up and fill whatever void was left.

The only problem with that philosophy right now is the Gamecocks are running out of players to put in the game.

South Carolina’s been decimated by injuries defensively, and it showed in Saturday’s loss to Clemson.

“You always say, ‘next man up, next man in’ but at the end of the day it still hurts you. It hurts the defense not having those guys you count on to be out there,” T.J. Brunson. “It’s hard. You’re worrying about the next guy that comes in and if he’s going to do his job or not. That’s where the trust part comes in.”

Also see: Breaking down South Carolina's historic day on both sides of the ball

It started before the Gamecocks even got off the bus at Death Valley with defensive linemen D.J. Wonnum, Aaron Sterling and J.J. Enagbare all not making the trip and it got worse from there.

Jaycee Horn, dealing with an ankle sprain, tried to go through pregame warm-ups but ultimately couldn’t play. Then at some point during the game Danny Fennell left with an ACL injury.

Because of that, the team was hamstrung in what they could even called defensively with a thin group and a lot of young players having to log significant snaps, and it showed with Clemson putting up over 56 points on 740 yards.

“We got some guys that are doing things for the first time because of where we are roster wise. We’re struggling,” Will Muschamp said. “When you’re relying on six true freshmen in this environment, there’s going to be some mistakes. Schematically you have to find things they can do, things they can do well.”

Also see: What plays mattered the most Saturday?

Because of that, the Gamecocks were tasked with having to play a lot of freshmen, up to six at one time.

Later in the game they were playing Rick Sandidge and Josh Belk on the defensive line, linebackers Ernest Jones and Rosendo Louis Jr. and R.J. Roderick with Israel Mukuamu in the secondary.

With so much inexperience on the field, it’s hard for veterans like Brunson to play their positions while making sure the young players are in the right spots.

“That’s the biggest thing for me personally is doing my job and trying not to over compensate. It’s kind of hard,” Brunson said. “That trust factor is a big thing and when you have guys who haven’t played a lot in, you want to make sure every body understand their job. Sometimes you can mess up your job trying to do their job. It’s a learning thing for me.”

Also see: What Will Muschamp said after the game

Along with the players handling nagging injuries this week, South Carolina was already down a laundry list of players that went down earlier in the season.

Eldridge Thompson is out for the season along with Jovaughn Gwyn, Jamyest Williams, Javon Charleston and OrTre Smith. J.T. Ibe and Nick Harvey are dealing with injuries that has sidelined them for the majority of the year while Bryson Allen-Williams and Jaylin Dickerson are out until at least the bowl game.

So, with so many players out, the Gamecock defense is treading water now waiting for those guys to get back into the fold.

“It sucks at the end of the day,” Brunson said. “It’s a contact sport and a lot of injuries aren’t preventable. It does suck but at the end of the day you know what you sign up for.”