South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle will undergo surgery for a fractured bone in his left leg later this week. As a result, Dowdle will miss some playing time for an undetermined amount of time.
Dowdle was injured on Saturday in a win against Tennessee. Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp announced Dowdle will undergo surgery later this week.With just five games left in the regular season, the injury could potentially be a season-ending one, although Muschamp has not officially ruled Dowdle out for the year at this time. This is likely because Dowdle could potentially return for a bowl game. South Carolina is one win away from clinching bowl eligibility with a 5-2 record and some potential wins down the stretch. After a bye week this week, South Carolina hosts Vanderbilt and the Gamecocks host Wofford on Nov. 18 while the rest of the schedule includes a road game at Georgia, a home game against Florida and a regular season finale against Clemson.
Dowdle has rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher this season. He carried the ball 11 times for a season-high 61 yards in a 48-22 victory over Tennessee two weeks ago before having just 19 yards on four carries against Tennessee before leaving the game with the injury.
Ty’Son Williams currently leads the Gamecocks with 328 rushing yards and a touchdown. He will remain the main focal point of the running game moving forward.