We already knew that, based on the replay video nauseatingly shown myriad times on every sports highlight show the past 24 hours, the official news on the severity of Marcus Lattimore‘s injury would be bad. Just how bad it will ultimately be for the running back, though, remains unclear.
In his weekly Sunday teleconference, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier confirmed that Lattimore suffered a dislocated knee cap in the win over Tennessee Saturday. That was the extent to which Spurrier was willing to delve into the specifics of Lattimore’s injuries as he deferred to team doctors and medical staff for any further details, specifically as it relates to rumors surrounding significant, Willis McGahee-like ligament damage.
“No, I didn’t get that kind of report,” Spurrier said, when asked if the injury was similar to the one suffered in the 2002 BcS title game by McGahee, who tore three of the four major ligaments in his knee during Miami’s loss to Ohio State.
While the coach stated that "[w]e all hope and pray he’ll be back,” and that the team doctor said there’s a chance he could return to the playing field in 2013, “there could be a chance it could be two years down the road” for a return. Such a timeline would mean that Lattimore might not play, at whatever level, until 2014.
Spurrier added that he and Lattimore have not discussed whether a return would be at the collegiate or NFL level.