In the second quarter of last week’s 37-32 loss to Clemson, South Carolina running back Brandon Wilds left the field with an injury.

Turns out he had a concussion, and he didn’t return to the game. His final game in garnet ended two quarters early, and it barely earned a mention in most of the post-game reporting.

His career will be remembered as a microcosm of the Gamecock program during his time in Columbia — with the highs of a couple of 11-win seasons sandwiched around a redshirt year in 2012 and the low of this year’s 3-9 mark.

The fact that his time with the program could be called a disappointment is actually a compliment to him. It was injuries, not a lack of talent or desire, that ultimately held him back.

Wilds was a three-star recruit coming out of Blythewood (S.C.) High School, and was fifth on the depth chart when his freshman season began in 2011. A slew of injuries at the position put him in position to start against Tennessee, and he responded with 137 yards rushing in a 14-3 win.

He added two more 100-yard games against Florida and The Citadel, setting the stage for a strong sophomore campaign.

But a high-ankle sprain forced Steve Spurrier and his staff to redshirt Wilds, and Marcus Lattimore and Kenny Miles were the leading rushers in 2012.

2013 was his chance to force his way back into the lineup, but a hamstring injury and a dislocated elbow limited him to seven games and just two starts (221 yards and three scores).

He entered the 2014 season eager to reestablish himself as the primary ball carrier, but shoulder and knee injuries limited him to 570 yards and four touchdowns. A 16-carry game against South Alabama was his season-high.

That leads us to this year, when a finally healthy Wilds was going to share time in the backfield with David Williams. It went well early, with 30 carries in the first two games, including a 106-yard effort against Kentucky.

Predictably, a rib injury knocked him out early against Georgia, and he missed the next three games after that.

His return came on the same day that interim coach Shawn Elliott took charge of the program against Vanderbilt.

What followed was the best three-game stretch of Wilds’ career. He rushed for 119 yards in the win over the Commodores, added 128 yards and two scores in a narrow loss to Texas A&M and had 79 yards in the nail-biter against Tennessee.

He couldn’t sustain that momentum against Florida and The Citadel, rushing for only 52 yards combined in those games, before the early exit against Clemson.

He finished 2015 with 567 yards and three touchdowns this season, and his career total of 1,844 puts him 18th in school history, nestled between Duce Staley and Rob DeBoer.

One can’t help but wonder how high Wilds, with his combination of power and quickness, could have finished on that list if he hadn’t spent so much time on the sidelines.