Per reports, South Carolina football quarterback LaNorris Sellers will miss Saturday’s game against Akron, and Robby Ashford will get the start.
Last Saturday, South Carolina football quarterback LaNorris Sellers was sacked late in the 1st half as the Gamecocks were fighting to put some points on the board before the intermission. Not only did the sack knock the offense out of reasonable field goal range, it also knocked Sellers out of the game as, other than an ill-advised comeback attempt for one drive, the redshirt freshman did not play again, and backup Robby Ashford played the position in his stead.
During a quick halftime interview, Gamecock head coach said that Sellers seemed to be dealing with an ankle issue, something that he confirmed after the game. “Sprain” is the only real descriptor for Sellers’ injury since then, so his status for this weekend’s game against Akron (and his availability moving forward) has been in question. Sellers says he wants to play, while Beamer has been very noncommittal when asked about his young quarterback.According to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Beamer and his coaching staff have made their decision on the matter, at least for this week.
Zenitz says that a source close to the South Carolina football program has revealed that Robby Ashford will be the Gamecock starter this Saturday against Akron. If Sellers sits for the whole game, the absence will afford him nearly three total weeks to heal from the LSU game as USC has a Bye next week before welcoming the Ole Miss Rebels to Columbia on the first Saturday of October.
Ashford, who has some starting experience from his time with the Auburn Tigers, is viewed by many as a run-first quarterback, but he did have some successful stretches as a passer on the Plains, as well. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains likely will game plan for Ashford to throw the ball in advantageous situations as a means of building his confidence (in case he has to play more this season), while also allowing him to do what he does best as a runner.
The Gamecocks and Zips will play in front of a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:30 PM ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU and streamed on the ESPN app.
What Shane Beamer said about injuries to LaNorris Sellers, TJ Sanders, and rest of South Carolina football team
On Saturday, South Carolina football fans left Williams-Brice Stadium heartbroken after their team (with the “help” of some ugly officiating) fell at the hands of the LSU Tigers despite leading 17-0. Compounding the loss, the Gamecocks lost two of their best players to injury during the contest as quarterback LaNorris Seller and defensive lineman TJ Sanders each left the field with pronounced limps.
During a pre-halftime interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Beamer acknowledged that Sellers’ issue was with his ankle, and following Sanders’ 2nd half injury, the big defensive lineman could be seen pointing to his lower leg, as well.
After the game on Saturday, Beamer addressed the injuries to Sellers and Sanders.
The Gamecock head coach called Sellers’ ailment an “ankle sprain” but didn’t go into too many specifics about the injury other than to say that he thinks Sellers will be fine (he did not offer a timeline). Whether “fine” means that Sellers will be good to go next week against Akron or “fine” means the issue will not be a long-term issue is not known.
In talking about Sanders, Beamer said the defensive lineman has a “little bit of a foot injury” but didn’t seem concerned about his prognosis moving forward. Again, like with Sellers, whether he will be available to play next week against the Akron Zips is yet to be determined.
On Sunday, during his weekly teleconference, Beamer spoke again about his two injured players and revealed that another Gamecock starter was dealing with an issue from Saturday, as well.
According to Beamer, both Sellers and Sanders will be “fine” and “OK,” respectively. However, just like after the LSU game, he declined to go into many details.
During the teleconference, Coach Beamer also spoke about wide receiver Jared Brown. The redshirt junior had a bit of an issue with his hamstring on Saturday, but Beamer called the tweak “mild.”
Safety Nick Emmanwori went down a couple of times during the game, but it appeared to be cramping. He and some other Gamecocks were “hurting at halftime” and after the game, but Beamer said that, for the most part, his team is “in pretty good shape” heading into next week’s game against the Akron Zips.
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