Saturday was a bad day for South Carolina.

The Gamecocks came into their primetime showdown against Kentucky with a ton of momentum. It was their first home game, and the team was 2-0 with convincing wins over Power 5 opponents N.C. State and Missouri. Another win likely would have put South Carolina in the Top 25.

All signs pointed to a victory over a Kentucky team that had struggled somewhat to beat inferior teams, Southern Miss and Eastern Kentucky, in its first two games.

But as is the case sometimes, “college football” happened.

The biggest storyline coming out of South Carolina’s 23-13 loss, however, was not the result.

This one wasn’t about statistics. The teams had nearly the same amount of yards. Kentucky’s defense made more plays, and the ‘Cats capitalized on more scoring opportunities.

The biggest story — and now the biggest problem facing South Carolina moving forward — was that it lost its top playmaker, Deebo Samuel, to a leg injury.

Just a few days ago, there was some chatter regarding a potential Heisman Trophy campaign for the standout wide receiver/kick returner who has scored 12 touchdowns in his past six games, as noted by David Cloninger of the Post and Courier.

Following the game, Muschamp announced Samuel would be out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg. We’ll see who is right on the duration.

However, Samuel tweeted after the game that, in fact, he would not be out for the year. He said he will be back in five to six weeks and that the injury he suffered is not a broken leg — but a low ankle fracture.

There is obviously some confusion here. It’s difficult to speculate as to why Muschamp and Samuel reported different injuries and different time frames for recovery. It brings up a few questions for Gamecocks fans.

Deebo Samuel has 3 of SC's 6 receiving touchdowns and more than a third of its receiving yards (250 of 706).

Was Muschamp led to believe the injury is worse than it actually is? Is Samuel being overly optimistic?

Regardless, this is a significant blow to the offense, obviously, no matter how long Samuel is out.

Samuel has been a superstar this season, accounting for two kick return touchdowns (both of 97 yards), two receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. No player in the SEC has been as versatile through three games. Only Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown has more all-purpose yards, but the vast majority of those are receiving.

Luckily for South Carolina, it has a manageable schedule over the next five-or-so weeks. That’s not to say it won’t be challenging, but after the Gamecocks play Tennessee on Oct. 14, they’ll get a bye week.

South Carolina’s first contest following the bye is on Oct. 28 against Vanderbilt. That happens to be exactly six weeks after the injury and will kick off a three-game SEC East stretch against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Florida. If Samuel’s assessment of his injury is accurate, he’ll be back for the team’s most important games on the schedule.

That is, if the Gamecocks are able to weather the storm in his absence and remain in contention for the division.

Hopefully we will soon find out more about Samuel’s injury. Until then, Gamecocks fans can only be hopeful for a positive report.