Matt Fuller set for surgery after Gamecocks beat Oklahoma

The postgame mood in Columbia changed fast once Beamer got to the injury report.

David Cloninger

@DCPandC

BREAKING Shane Beamer says it doesn't look good for Matt Fuller, unless they get some better news. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning. Broken bone in his foot/lower leg area.

It didn't look like much at first. Fuller took a handoff a little over 5 minutes into the 1st quarter, ran right for a 1-yard gain and went straight to the medical tent. He came out with his helmet on, and Beamer said on the SEC Network broadcast after the quarter that Fuller was getting an X-ray on his ankle. That turned out to be the optimistic version. Fuller finished with 4 carries for 17 yards and didn't play again.

This one hurts because Fuller has been the guy. He went into the night with 513 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns, plus 130 receiving yards and another score through the air, across 7 games. Beamer called it probably season-ending and said he's really, really hurting for him. If the surgery goes the way everybody expects, South Carolina is picking a new lead back in November.

It's a rough way to spoil one of the best nights of the Gamecocks' season. LaNorris Sellers was everything in the 42-25 win, throwing for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns and running for 96 yards and 2 more scores. That's the kind of night that wins a big SEC game. It was also a night South Carolina got through without its RB1 for almost the whole game.

GoGamecocks

@gogamecocks

What Shane Beamer said after South Carolina’s big win over Oklahoma t.co/gzAmDdIIuU

Beamer did leave the door open a crack with the "unless they get some better news" line, so look for an update after the surgery Sunday. Realistically, though, the questions now are who gets Fuller's carries and how much more Sellers has to run with his legs. A quarterback carrying the running game for the rest of the season is great when it works, and it also gets a lot of quarterbacks hurt.