Shane Beamer: Multiple Gamecocks 'questionable' for UGA

One day after announcing the team had lost Mo Kaba and Jordan Strachan for the season to injuries, South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer provided an update Tuesday on what has quickly become a growing injury report for the Gamecocks.

“David Spaulding, Cam Smith, Corey Rucker, R.J. Roderick and Boogie Huntley are all ‘questionable’ this week,” Beamer said. “So can’t say for sure if they’re all going to play, can’t say for sure if they’re not as we sit here today, so we’ll see how practice goes the rest of the week, and hopefully we’ll have those guys on Saturday, but if not — our depth isn’t where it needs to be, for sure — but we’ve got really good players on this football team and we’re going to take a bunch of really good guys out there on Saturday to play against a really, really, really good Georgia team.”

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One day earlier South Carolina publicly confirmed the news that Beamer had initially feared on Saturday when it announced that Kaba and Strachan are out for the season with ACL injuries.

“I’m super disappointed and super hurt for Mo Kaba and Jordan Strachan,” Beamer said Tuesday. “Two guys that have really worked hard and were having fantastic starts to this season. Jordan was a captain for us Game 1. Mo was a captain for us Game 2, so we’ve gotta replace their leadership. Both those guys were fantastic special teams players as well. Mo was dynamic on kickoff coverage, dynamic on the punt team, same thing with Jordan on the punt team, so that’s a big loss from a special teams point as well.

“But I really just hate it for those two kids and obviously they’re really, really down but we’re here for them and going to continue to lift them up and help them along with Chad Terrell who went through the same thing a few weeks ago also. They’re still a key part of this team and their best football is still in front of them without a doubt.”

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Gilber Edmond is now listed as the starter at Strachan’s EDGE spot opposite of Jordan Burch. Edmond has played as a reserve in each of the first two games. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder has eight tackles including 2.0 tackles-for-loss.

“I can remember each week last year, Mike Peterson, when he was here, talking about Gilber, is going to be a really good player when he continues to get older,” Beamer said Sunday on his teleconference. “Gilber can certainly rush the passer. The thing with Gilber, is he’s got to continue to be better at playing the run as well.”

Tyreek Johnson and Terrell Dawkins are listed as the two backups with Dawkins moving up from third string.

“Super senior” Sherrod Greene is now listed as the starter at middle linebacker in place of Mo Kaba who won the battle with Greene to start this preseason. Freshman Stone Blanton now moves up into Greene’s old backup role.

Greene did not play in Week 1 but played 57 snaps (according to PFF) and collected eight tackles against Arkansas.

Brad Johnson and Debo Williams are still listed, in that order, at the WILL linebacker spot.

Rucker, a transfer from Arkansas State, has not played this season after suffering an injury that put him in a walking boot in preseason practice. Beamer had said Sunday that he hoped Rucker might be able to return this week.

Roderick missed the Arkansas game after going down on the first drive of the opener against Georgia State.

Spaulding missed the Arkansas game with a leg bruise.

Huntley was shaken up early in the first quarter of that game but after some time on the sideline he was back in the game and finished with four tackles.

Beamer added that Darius Rush and Dakereon Joyner practiced both Sunday and Tuesday and would play Saturday.

The Gamecocks and Bulldogs are set for a noon kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday on ESPN.

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