Clemson is heading into Saturday’s trip to Syracuse with a battered lineup, and Dabo Swinney didn’t sugarcoat it Monday night.
The Tigers are expected to be without starting running back Gideon Davidson, starting left guard Elyjah Thurmon, starting center Harris Sewell and backup linebacker Kobe McCloud, all of whom were injured in the Florida State game. Swinney said each player is dealing with an extended absence, and it’s unlikely any of them will be available when Clemson kicks off at noon on ESPN2.
“We’re a little beat up,” Swinney said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are down.”
Davidson’s injury is an ankle sprain, and Swinney said it’s the lower-grade kind rather than something more severe. Even so, Clemson’s leading rusher is expected to miss at least a week and maybe two.
“He’s going to be day to day, but probably out a week for sure, maybe two,” Swinney said of Davidson. “But the good news on him is, it is something that it’s not surgical or anything like that.”
Davidson still leads the team with 528 rushing yards, even though he hasn’t gone over 100 yards on the ground since Week 4. With him sidelined, Clemson’s depth chart now has Jarvis Green at starting running back, with Chris Johnson Jr. and Jay Haynes listed as the co-backups.
“Gid’s kind of like Superman to me,” Swinney said. “I’m hoping he’s a quick healer.”
The Tigers’ situation up front looks even more complicated. Sewell, who has started every game at center, is expected to be out for a few weeks after an injury that will require surgery.
“He’s going to have to have a little surgery and a procedure,” Swinney said. “They do expect to get him back, hopefully either Duke or South Carolina.”
Clemson visits Duke on Nov. 20 and closes the regular season against South Carolina on Nov. 28. For now, freshman Grant Wise is set to make his first career start at center against Syracuse after stepping in for Sewell at Florida State.
That creates a young battery in the middle, with a first-year quarterback, Tait Reynolds, and a first-year center.
“He’s played on the road,” Swinney said of Wise. “He’s gotten some experience.
He’s not a freshman anymore. It’s Game 9, and we need him to step up.”
Thurmon’s status is also cloudy after he was carted off in the second quarter against Florida State and spent Saturday night in a hospital for further evaluation. Swinney said the starting left guard is in concussion protocol and is unlikely to play this week.
Thurmon was released Sunday morning and returned to Clemson, and he was back in team meetings Monday. Swinney said the hit came while Thurmon was trying to push the pile on a rushing play and that it was not dirty or intentional.
“They took an abundance of precaution with him because of the extent of it, but he’s doing great (overall),” Swinney said. “He’s doing great.”
With Thurmon probably out, sophomore Gavin Blanchard is slated to start at left guard against the Orange. Tucker Kattus, Chance Barclay and Ronan O’Connell are also expected to take on larger practice roles.
“He had a couple plays he’d like to have back (vs. FSU), but he’s a smart kid,” Swinney said of Blanchard.
“... It’ll be an exciting opportunity.”
McCloud’s injury carries the least weight of the four, but it still trims Clemson’s linebacker rotation. Swinney said the veteran will miss a couple weeks after appearing in every game and logging 90 defensive snaps.
Because Sammy Brown and Jeremiah Alexander are Clemson’s top two linebackers, McCloud’s absence mainly opens the door for more work for Fletcher Cothran and C.J. Kubah-Taylor. Clemson had been rotating all five linebackers each week, and that plan now gets a little thinner.
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