Shane Beamer’s opening remarks after South Carolina’s 35-13 victory over Kentucky stretched nearly six minutes — but injuries didn’t come up until the very end.
When asked for an update, the Gamecocks’ head coach shared a mix of optimism and caution heading into the team’s bye week.
Starting offensive linemen Cason Henry and Nolan Hay were sidelined Saturday, leaving others to step up in their absence. Despite that, Beamer sounded hopeful about their return.
“I would say that we’re optimistic for LSU in a couple of weeks,” Beamer said. “But I’ll have a better update for you. Do we do the teleconference tomorrow night? Yes, awesome. So I’ll have an update for you then.”
Henry was seen in a sling on his left arm, while Hay wore a black knee brace. In their place, Rodney Newsom started at center and Tree Babalade filled in at right tackle.
Injuries along the line didn’t stop there. Markee Anderson had to be helped off the field twice during the night. After returning from the first scare, he went down again in the fourth quarter, struggling to put weight on one leg as trainers escorted him to the sideline.
“I haven’t even talked to Clint (Haggard), our trainer,” Beamer explained. “Markee hurt his knee on that, I guess, right there on that last drive, and had to get helped off. I don’t know the status of him.”
Beyond Anderson’s situation, Beamer appeared reassured about the overall health of his squad.
“I think everybody is okay,” he added. “… The rest of those guys that got knocked out came back.”
The Gamecocks enter a much-needed bye before returning to action on Oct. 11 at No. 4 LSU in Tiger Stadium. The official kickoff time will be announced Monday, with the slot expected to fall between 3:30 and 8 p.m.
