South Carolina is inching closer to getting two important pieces back on the field.
Edge rusher Dylan Stewart and left tackle Jacarrius Peak were in full pads at practice on Sept. 8, the first time either had done that since dealing with injuries, coach Shane Beamer said. Both sat out the opener, a 57-0 win over Kent State on Sept. 5, after spending the spring out and much of preseason practice limited.
“Tough day for the all the conspiracy theorists that thought we were hiding something and that they weren't going to play this season,” Beamer said. “Those guys were out there today and they actually had contact today, so they're getting closer and closer to playing.”
South Carolina hosts Towson on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, then opens SEC play against Mississippi State on Sept.
- Beamer wasn’t exactly leaving the door wide open for this week.
“I would say they're extremely doubtful for this week, but optimistic what that injury report is going to say next week when we have to release it before our first SEC game,” Beamer said.
The coach said last week both players were working in shoulder pads, but this was the first practice where they were in full pads and stayed involved the entire time instead of having to work off to the side.
Stewart’s recovery traces back to a back injury he suffered midway through last season. Peak, the highly touted NC State transfer, injured his knee playing basketball at a team event in February.
South Carolina got through Week 1 without either of them, and it did so with some help from a freshman up front. Darius Gray started at left tackle even though he was recruited to play inside on the offensive line, filling in after starting left tackle Josiah Thompson was ruled out for the year during the winter with a lower leg injury.
Beamer praised Gray and said he could start at any of the five line spots. Gray backed that up with a strong debut, earning a 71.5 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus and an 85.6 pass-blocking grade, the best on the team.
“Wouldn't be hard at all, honestly,” Gray said when asked how hard it would be to move spots on the line this season. “(The coaches) prepared me since I've got here so I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win. No matter where that is, I'll just be ready for it and pick up on it pretty quick.”
On the edge, the Gamecocks rotated players throughout the game, and sophomore returner Anthony Addison collected the first sack of the season. Stewart, meanwhile, has been a major presence the last two seasons, posting 6.5 sacks as a freshman and 4.5 as a sophomore.
“I've been working hard myself so it just feels like some of that hard work has paid off,” Addison said. “But ultimately, I'm just trying to play the best football I can so when Dylan does return, I can still have a good role, and help the team get to where we want to be.”
South Carolina also has a decision to make at kicker. Former Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez, who joined the program on Sept. 3, was not eligible to play in the opener because players must complete a five-day practice-only period first.
“He practiced today and that's our anticipation,” Beamer said when asked if he can play against Towson. “He's going on almost one full week here and was out at practice today and kicked in practice today.”
In the opener, sophomore Max Kelley went 3-for-3 on extra points and sophomore transfer Malik Orson was 4-for-4. Upton Bellenfant, a transfer from Texas Tech, did not kick in the game but remains in the competition, Beamer said.
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