Tasked with finding a replacement for their two leading rushers from 2012, South Carolina’s coaching staff has settled on a starter.
Following practice Tuesday, running backs coach Everette Sands revealed that sophomore Mike Davis has emerged as the Gamecocks’ starter and will be in the backfield at the start of the Aug. 29 opener against North Carolina. Davis received the nod over sophomore Brandon Wilds and redshirt sophomore Shon Carson.
Sands was quick to point out, though, that all three would receive their fair share of usage not just in the opener but throughout the season.
“We’ll see all three, but right now Mike is a little bit ahead. He’s going to be the starter,” said Sands in quotes distributed by the team. “But those guys know they’re going to play. We have to have all three of them to be as successful as we can be. (Mike) made a few more plays in the scrimmages. All of them are getting better in the pass protection. They can all get it done, he just made a few more plays.”
Last season, Davis was fourth on the team, and third among Gamecock backs, with 275 yards rushing. His 5.3 yards per carry were tops among all Gamecock runners with at least 10 carries.
Neither Carson nor Wilds had a carry last season.
