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South Carolina tailback Raheim “Rocket” Sanders exited Saturday’s game against Akron in the first quarter with an injury.
Sanders was later seen leaving the field in a walking boot. While it’s not immediately clear what the issue is or how serious it is, Sanders left the field in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He returned to the South Carolina sideline in street clothes later. Radio broadcaster Todd Ellis reported the injury as a “lower leg injury.”
Rocket Sanders just walked to the locker room
A walking boot on his left foot@gamecockfb | @wachfox pic.twitter.com/FAAgJLCxGL
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) September 22, 2024
South Carolina was already without quarterback LaNorris Sellers and starting receiver Jared Brown. Sanders had just 1 rushing attempt for 1 yard at the time of his exit.
Without the starting backfield, South Carolina turned to Robby Ashford as a dual-threat option. Ashford completed 11 of his 16 passes for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half while adding 91 rushing yards on 9 attempts.
Juju McDowell and Oscar Adaway handled the tailback carries. Adaway had 9 attempts for 23 yards and a score while McDowell had 5 attempts for 29 yards in the first half.
South Carolina entered the break with a 22-7 lead.
Sanders is in his first season with the Gamecocks after transferring from Arkansas during the offseason. He went into Week 4 with 285 rushing yards and 4 scores on 56 carries. Sanders played just 6 games for the Razorbacks last season as he dealt with a shoulder injury.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
