South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers exited Saturday night’s matchup with Vanderbilt and did not return after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the second quarter.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer expressed optimism on Sunday night that Sellers would be able to play this weekend against Missouri.
Asked again for the latest on the Gamecocks quarterback on Tuesday, Beamer deferred until Wednesday, when the latest official SEC availability report is released.
“Nope. We have an injury report for an SEC game that we release on Wednesday nights,” Beamer said.
South Carolina’s redshirt sophomore signal-caller was 6-for-7 for 94 yards and an interception before having to leave the Vanderbilt game. Linebacker Langston Patterson was ejected from the game for targeting on the play.
Senior Luke Doty entered as his replacement and completed 18 of 27 passes for 148 yards and an interception in the 31-7 loss.
On Saturday after the game, Beamer did not commit to who would start this upcoming week against Missouri if Sellers could not go.
But on Tuesday, he said that Doty remains the backup quarterback.
“If the game was today and LaNorris was not able to play, then yes, Luke would be the starter,” Beamer said. “But just like every position, we’ve got to continue to compete, and the quarterback position is no different. And those guys are doing some really good things. Air (Noland) and Cutter (Woods), they’re really getting better, along with all these guys on our team.”
On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Sunday that Sellers is dealing with a concussion and will be monitored over the next 48 hours.
Beamer was asked point-blank if Sellers has a concussion on Sunday, but said he was not getting into specifics on the injury.
Generally speaking, Beamer discussed his policy on how much a player needs to practice in order to play.
“We have a pretty consistent policy that if you don’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday, you’re not going to play,” Beamer said. “I don’t care who you are, if you don’t get out there in practice Tuesday and Wednesday especially, it’s really tough to just practice on Thursday (and play). Practice on Thursday is important here but it’s a little bit of a shorter day and the bulk of your game plan is in on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“So whether you’re an offensive player, a defensive player, a special teams player, we need to be able to see you do something on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Cason Henry, Carolina’s starting right tackle, exited the game after just 14 snaps and did not return. Tree Babalade replaced him for the rest of the way.
“Injury-wise, LaNorris and Cason obviously did not finish the game last night,” Beamer said Sunday. “We’re optimistic on both those guys for this week, and fortunately, there were no other injuries to report from last night.”
Carolina is hoping to get starting cornerback Judge Collier back this week after he missed the last two games and most of the opener against Virginia Tech with a knee injury.
Since this is an SEC matchup, South Carolina and Missouri will both release availability reports throughout the week, with the first official report expected just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
The next availability update will come Thursday at around 8 p.m. followed by another on Friday and a final report 90 minutes before kickoff on Saturday.
Beamer also typically provides an injury update on his Thursday night call-in show as well.
Last season, the SEC approved a player availability injury report system for football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.
SEC school personnel must submit availability reports three days before each football game, with daily updates leading to a final report 90 minutes before game time. For basketball and baseball, reports are filed the night before, with an update on game day.
According to the SEC, penalties for inaccurate or late reports will range from $25,000 to $100,000 for football and anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 for basketball and baseball.
When schools submit injury reports, players will be designated as available, probable, doubtful, and questionable before game day. On game day, designations will be available, game-time decision or out. The model follows injury reports similar to the NFL.
The Gamecocks (2-1, 0-1 SEC) continue SEC play this weekend with a trip to Missouri. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
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