Mon Denson finally getting shot after frustrating two years

Mon Denson spent the last two years standing on the sidelines watching A.J. Turner, Rico Dowdle and Brandon Wilds shoulder the load in the backfield, waiting and yearning for the chance to prove himself.

That time is now.

With Dowdle out for the foreseeable future with a fractured fibula, it’ll be Denson’s turn as the No. 3 back in the rotation.

“It’s just a blessing. I’ve been here three years,” he said. “I’ve just been waiting on it, especially after the injury and finally getting to play.”

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Denson arrived on campus for Steve Spurrier’s last season in Columbia and redshirted as a freshman with him thinking of a big year in year two.

His redshirt freshman year was derailed by knee injury and he was relegated to sitting on the sideline watching, again.

He wasn’t shy about it: yes, he was frustrated for the better part of two years; yes, he thought about leaving and seeing if the grass is greener at another school.

But he didn’t. He stayed and fought through the frustration while working his way into the rotation now.

“I sat down with myself, prayed a lot,” Denson said. “I had to see what I was doing wrong to see what was going on.”

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He saw some action early in the season as a special teams player, waiting for his opportunity. That came Oct. 7 against Arkansas. In the midst of a blowout, he got eight carries for 25 yards in his first offensive stats in three years.

Then, with Dowdle going out in the first quarter, Denson saw his playing time increase exponentially and he got four carries for 14 yards while also serving as a lead blocker.

“It was fun just to be in there that many plays,” Denson said. “In Arkansas, I got in at the end and really ran like one play to hold the game off. To actually have a full drive was exciting.”

But Denson’s just the latest player to have to wait his turn to see action this season. Randrecous Davis came in for the injured Deebo Samuel, Sadarius Hutcherson is filling in for Cory Helms and Blake Camper gets to play for ailing Zack Bailey.

It’s been the theme of South Carolina’s season: man down, man up—with so many injuries and Denson is seizing that opportunity despite not getting many before in two years.

“You spend all that time in the offseason, all that time in the summer; you invest so much to not get a return of the gratification of going out and playing. There’s no doubt about that,” head coach Will Muschamp said. “He’s a guy to be ready when your number’s called. He’s a great example for everybody.”

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Like the last two games, the running attack will likely be prominent again in the offensive game plan with Vanderbilt giving up almost 250 yards per game on the ground.

That means Denson will again get to show off what he can do.

“When I wasn’t playing, I was frustrated. Now he’s got me out there and I’m proving I can actually play,” Denson said of running back coach Bobby Bentley. “I think he has faith in me now.”