SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

South Carolina’s offensive line, which for the most part stayed intact all season, was dealt a vicious curveball in the final regular season game with four-year starter Zack Bailey going down with a broken leg.

Now, as the Gamecocks prepare for their bowl game, they’re relying on a lot of inexperienced talent so far in practice like Chandler Farrell and freshman Hank Manos.

“Him and Hank Manos have done a great job of stepping in,” Jake Bentley said. “There’s really no change. They’ve done a good job of keeping tempo.”

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Farrell, who earned a scholarship before the start of last season, started the team’s bowl practices running with the first team at center but Manos has started working with the top group more as the Gamecocks approached their two-day Christmas break.

Donell Stanley, who played center all 12 games so far, moved to one of the guard spots for the Belk Bowl, next to Dylan Wonnum at right tackle while Sadarius Hutcherson and Dennis Daley make up the left side of the line.

For Manos, he’s played sparingly in his freshman season, but the team really likes what he brings to the table.

“Hank probably didn’t expect to play much this season but you can tell he’s gotten the tools if we need him. We just have to build his confidence up,” Stanley said. “He’s building experience up to help out more.”

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Manos, a three-star center from Chapin, enrolled in January and started working immediately on getting his weight up to compete in the SEC.

A state-title winning wrestler in high school, Manos had to keep his weight down in order to compete at the high school wrestling level.

So when he enrolled in January, the top priority was to get him to a good playing weight so he can step in if need be.

That seems to have worked with Manos now being listed at 289 pounds.

“What’s crazy about it is, it doesn’t look like he’s gotten fat. That’s the thing,” Farrell said. “Yes, he’s like 295 or 300 on some days but he’s still solid. He’s at the bottom of body fat percentages when you look at offensive linemen. He’s solid all the way through.”

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The Gamecocks play in the Belk Bowl Dec. 29 against Virginia (noon/ABC) and it could be the last game for three of the team’s starting linemen.

Bailey’s already played in his last game and Daley graduated earlier this month. Stanely, who has his sixth year of eligibility left next year could opt to return or decide to venture to the NFL.

Regardless, there could be a spot for Manos or Farrell on next year’s offensive line and these two weeks of bowl practice could be a huge benefit for them.

“He’s obviously a kid with a lot of athleticism and talent. He plays the position well and a hell of a football player,” Farrell said. “I’ve enjoyed competing with him the last week.”