COLUMBIA - South Carolina’s running backs didn’t have long to dwell on Matt Fuller going down. The message around the program has always been “next man up,” and Saturday was the moment that line had to become reality.
Fuller stayed on the turf pointing at his left ankle, spent time in the medical tent and on the sideline, then headed to the locker room and did not come back. By halftime, he was done for the day, and by the end of the game he was headed for surgery Sunday morning.
That left the Gamecocks without Fuller and already missing Jawarn Howell, who was dealing with a slight injury of his own. Still, the backfield never turned into a crisis. Jabree Coleman, Christian Clark and Isaiah Augustave simply stepped into the roles they had been preparing for.
Coleman kept driving through contact, churning his way through the damp turf at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Augustave made defenders miss with enough ease that he picked up the unofficial pressbox nickname “CrazyLegs.” Clark didn’t pile up the same kind of production, but he still found the end zone when Kendal Briles went to the jumbo package and handed him the ball.
Briles had already said before the season that he trusted the whole group.
“I feel like we have five real SEC running backs,” Briles said in the preseason. “I feel really comfortable with really anybody taking the field.”
The question after the game centered on Fuller’s status. Shane Beamer said right away that the injury was probably season-ending, but he offered a more optimistic update Tuesday.
“And he won’t be out long. Hopefully, he’ll be back before the season is over,” Beamer said. “If we can get to the postseason, and (we) can make that happen with another win.”
Coleman said the backs were saddened by what happened to Fuller, but not shaken by it.
“Hearing about Matt was definitely sad. He’s our brother.
We hate to see that happen to him. But for the running backs, like I said before, I feel like we have five SEC-caliber running backs that can all start,” Coleman said.
“We’re going to keep our production the way it was, and we’re going to do what we have to do. We’re going to have Matt’s back 100 percent.”
Against Oklahoma, Coleman led the group with 62 yards on 13 carries. Augustave finished with six carries for 31 yards, while Clark had six carries for four yards and the touchdown. All three also caught two passes from LaNorris Sellers.
Briles broke down the contrast between Coleman and Augustave this way:
“(Augustave is) more of a slasher. He’s a very powerful guy,” Briles said.
“Jabree’s a little smoother in and out of transitions and is a little edgier with his cuts. Not as smooth, but he’s very, very powerful.”
Howell, Beamer said, could have played at Oklahoma, but the staff decided one more week would get him back to full strength instead of sending him out short of that. South Carolina expects him back this week.
The healthy backs went to see Fuller in the hospital Monday night, then Fuller was back around the team Tuesday, watching film, sitting in meetings and observing practice. The group practiced with the same message: no dropoff.
“I don’t want to let the first guy get me down. I want to go do what I can do for my team to help us get more to help us win,” Coleman said. “Our line will get us three to four yards by themselves before we even get touched, so getting more after that, that’s up to the running back, and that’s what we take pride in.”
And if Fuller returns and the carry count shifts around, Coleman said that won’t matter either.
“We’re here to help our team whenever we need. If that’s us blocking, if that’s us running the ball, scoring touchdowns, whatever we need to do for the team, we will do that,” Coleman said.
“So as long as we win, I’m fine, basically. I’ll be happy with that.”
In Other News...
Texas A&M Heads To South Carolina With Two Key Pieces In Doubt
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The game is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN, and the status of those two players could shape how Texas A&M approaches both sides of the ball. For South Carolina, it adds another layer to a conference game that already carries plenty of weight, with the next availability update likely to draw as much attention as the kickoff itself. [Read more 🡒]
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LaNorris Sellers Could Push Texas A&M To Its Breaking Point
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Texas A&M knows exactly what is coming into this matchup, and the Aggies have spent plenty of time studying film and sorting through ways to keep Sellers from taking over the game. That task has extra weight because their defense has already had trouble against the run this season, and slowing Sellers may be the clearest path to keeping South Carolina from dictating the tempo. [Read more 🡒]