COLUMBIA — With Marcus Lattimore lying on the ground in pain after being tackled in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Tennessee, South Carolina receiver Ace Sanders stood by Lattimore's side with one question on his mind.
"Why did it have to be Marcus?" he asked. "Only thing we could do was just play for him and pray for it. It was real hard."
A year after tearing a ligament in his left knee that cost one of USC's greatest recruits the second half of the 2011 season, Lattimore once again suffered another devastating leg injury Saturday.
Late in the first half, the junior running back took a short carry to his left and was hit low and high while his leg was planted in the ground. He didn't get up and was eventually carted off the field with an injury to his right leg that is expected to end his season.
USC coach Steve Spurrier called it "severe," and he wouldn't speculate on the extent of Lattimore's injury; he'll leave it to the doctors.
A USC spokesman said after the game that Lattimore is out indefinitely and that he'll be evaluated next week.
"He's such a good young man," Spurrier said. "It is a very, very unfortunate thing that happened to Marcus. We'll all pray for him. Hopefully he'll be back. Maybe he'll be back next year. Maybe it won't be quite as severe as it appeared on the field out there."
Lattimore was taken to the training room by team doctors before halftime and was then transported to the hospital about 30 minutes later.
"I was really just trying to help him stay mentally strong," said Sanders, who was the first player to Lattimore's side. "I could see the look in his eyes when he was on that ground. He was really heartbroken about his injury. We were just trying to keep him strong."
Players from both teams surrounded Lattimore while doctors attended to him and placed a brace around his knee. Emotions poured from the Gamecocks as several players got "choked up" on the field and in the locker room at halftime.
"It was sad," USC cornerback Victor Hampton said. "It hurt. It hurt everybody. The whole team was down."
The Gamecocks still had to finish the game, and they found a way to hold off the Vols, 38-35.
But there was definitely a change in mood both on the field and in the stands after Lattimore's injury.
"When he went down, you could feel it through the whole football stadium," Sanders said. "It just died down. We just had to finish that game out for him."
Lattimore bounced back strong from his blown knee last season, rehabbing ahead of schedule and starting at tailback from Day One this year.
He rushed for 659 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012 and became the school's all-time career leader in rushing touchdowns and overall touchdowns early in the season. Lattimore had 65 yards and a touchdown before he went down Saturday.
"He's always the guy we look to to make a big play on our team," USC defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said. "We were hurting at halftime."
Sanders said the support of the Tennessee players helped Lattimore more than it did the Gamecocks.
"Not only is he a good football player, but he's a good person," Sanders said. "It was a big blow for everybody to see him down. When everyone came together, I think it helped him spirit wise, just to know that there's that many people out there who care about him sincerely."
The social media site Twitter instantly became an outpouring of support for Lattimore.
LSU coach Les Miles and Arkansas running back Knile Davis, a close friend of Lattimore, gave words of encouragement.
Many NFL players, like Robert Griffin III, A.J. Green and former teammate Alshon Jeffery, also offered support.
"Everybody in the SEC and around the country has the utmost respect for Marcus Lattimore, mainly, as a person," Spurrier said. "We all know he's a great guy. As a person, there's no greater than him that I've met."
link: http://www.independe...re-knee-injury/
"Why did it have to be Marcus?" he asked. "Only thing we could do was just play for him and pray for it. It was real hard."
A year after tearing a ligament in his left knee that cost one of USC's greatest recruits the second half of the 2011 season, Lattimore once again suffered another devastating leg injury Saturday.
Late in the first half, the junior running back took a short carry to his left and was hit low and high while his leg was planted in the ground. He didn't get up and was eventually carted off the field with an injury to his right leg that is expected to end his season.
USC coach Steve Spurrier called it "severe," and he wouldn't speculate on the extent of Lattimore's injury; he'll leave it to the doctors.
A USC spokesman said after the game that Lattimore is out indefinitely and that he'll be evaluated next week.
"He's such a good young man," Spurrier said. "It is a very, very unfortunate thing that happened to Marcus. We'll all pray for him. Hopefully he'll be back. Maybe he'll be back next year. Maybe it won't be quite as severe as it appeared on the field out there."
Lattimore was taken to the training room by team doctors before halftime and was then transported to the hospital about 30 minutes later.
"I was really just trying to help him stay mentally strong," said Sanders, who was the first player to Lattimore's side. "I could see the look in his eyes when he was on that ground. He was really heartbroken about his injury. We were just trying to keep him strong."
Players from both teams surrounded Lattimore while doctors attended to him and placed a brace around his knee. Emotions poured from the Gamecocks as several players got "choked up" on the field and in the locker room at halftime.
"It was sad," USC cornerback Victor Hampton said. "It hurt. It hurt everybody. The whole team was down."
The Gamecocks still had to finish the game, and they found a way to hold off the Vols, 38-35.
But there was definitely a change in mood both on the field and in the stands after Lattimore's injury.
"When he went down, you could feel it through the whole football stadium," Sanders said. "It just died down. We just had to finish that game out for him."
Lattimore bounced back strong from his blown knee last season, rehabbing ahead of schedule and starting at tailback from Day One this year.
He rushed for 659 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012 and became the school's all-time career leader in rushing touchdowns and overall touchdowns early in the season. Lattimore had 65 yards and a touchdown before he went down Saturday.
"He's always the guy we look to to make a big play on our team," USC defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said. "We were hurting at halftime."
Sanders said the support of the Tennessee players helped Lattimore more than it did the Gamecocks.
"Not only is he a good football player, but he's a good person," Sanders said. "It was a big blow for everybody to see him down. When everyone came together, I think it helped him spirit wise, just to know that there's that many people out there who care about him sincerely."
The social media site Twitter instantly became an outpouring of support for Lattimore.
LSU coach Les Miles and Arkansas running back Knile Davis, a close friend of Lattimore, gave words of encouragement.
Many NFL players, like Robert Griffin III, A.J. Green and former teammate Alshon Jeffery, also offered support.
"Everybody in the SEC and around the country has the utmost respect for Marcus Lattimore, mainly, as a person," Spurrier said. "We all know he's a great guy. As a person, there's no greater than him that I've met."
link: http://www.independe...re-knee-injury/
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