Marcus Lattimore Injury: What Would Prolonged Absence Mean for South Carolina?

After getting hit by Mississippi State's Nickoe Whitley in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game, South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore had to be helped off the field and received medical attention by trainers on the sidelines.

The initial diagnosis was a sprained knee and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said, via GoGamecocks.com, that Lattimore "could be out awhile."

This certainly isn't good news for the Gamecocks, who squeaked out a 14-12 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and are battling for a BCS bid. Right now, they appear to be in pretty good position, atop the SEC East, with a 4-1 conference record after defeating the Bulldogs on Saturday.

But you have to wonder what's going to happen to the team if Lattimore is forced to miss significant time.

While the Gamecocks came into Saturday's contest ranked 85th in passing yards per game, they made up for it with Lattimore's stellar play, which had them averaging 212.5 rushing yards per game.

After dismissing starting quarterback Stephen Garcia from the team for allegedly failing an alcohol test, Connor Shaw came out and threw two interceptions against Mississippi State.

Shaw did complete over 71 percent of his passes and tossed a touchdown, but he also only passed for 155 yards on 20 completions. The quarterback spot is still a gray area.

That makes Lattimore's absence even more devastating.

Lattimore, who came into the game with 779 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, also was a threat as a receiver, catching 16 balls for 153 yards and a touchdown so far.

He also was the Gamecocks' running game. While Lattimore had 146 carries on the year, freshman Brandon Wilds had the second-most carries on the team among running backs with a total of eight.

South Carolina also doesn't have the most becoming schedule moving forward. The Gamecocks face Tennessee next in two weeks, and still have to face No. 10 Arkansas, Florida and No. 8 Clemson.

Let's just say it's not looking good for the Gamecocks in the midst of a quarterback change if Lattimore misses a good portion of the season.