Breaking down South Carolina football's slew of offensive line injuries, lineup changes

COLUMBIA — Despite a glimmer of hope coming out of the open week, South Carolina football is grappling with another brutal slew of injuries on the offensive line after a 34-12 loss at Missouri on Saturday.

Starting right tackle Vershon Lee (knee) did not play and freshman left tackle Tree Babalade exited in the second half against the Tigers (6-1, 3-1 SEC) with a knee injury. The Gamecocks (2-5, 1-4) have now given an injury designation to 10 different offensive linemen since the start of the season, and seven of those players are, or were, on the team's depth chart.

The personnel crisis is showing on the field: Prior to the Missouri game, South Carolina ranked No. 125 out of 130 FBS teams in sacks allowed with 25, and the Gamecocks gave up six more to the Tigers.

Here's the timeline of every injury on the offensive line, and which lineup groupings have been the most successful.

Spring practice and preseason

The offensive line's bad luck began all the way back in March during the Garnet and Black spring game. Jaylen Nichols, the presumed starting left tackle and top pass protector, suffered a knee injury that is likely to be season-ending with no indication that he's expected to return in 2023.

Backup center Ryan Brubaker also suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first week of preseason practice, eliminating depth at a position that was already thin with Lee transitioning from playing guard in 2022 to center.

Weeks 1 and 2: North Carolina, Furman

The Gamecocks suffered their first in-game injury on the offensive line on the opening drive against North Carolina in the season opener. Starting right tackle Cason Henry went down with a lower-body injury just a few plays into the series and has yet to plays since, though coach Shane Beamer said last week that he is "getting closer" to returning.

Henry was replaced by junior Tyshawn Wannamaker in the lineup. Western Illinois transfer Sidney Fugar started at left tackle with Yale transfer Nick Gargiulo at left guard, Lee at center and senior Jakai Moore at right guard. That group gave up a season-worst nine sacks to the Tar Heels.

Four-star freshman Markee Anderson also sustained a knee injury leading up to the North Carolina game and did not play after a questionable designation for Week 2 against Furman.

Weeks 3-5: Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee

South Carolina made its first major lineup change against No. 1 Georgia, starting four-star freshman Tree Babalade at left tackle over Wannamaker. Fugar continued to start at right tackle with the same grouping on the interior, and the unit had a decent performance with just four sacks allowed to one of the nation's top defenses.

Anderson was officially ruled out for the season ahead of the Mississippi State game, dealing another major blow to the team's depth at guard. The Gamecocks escaped with a 37-30 win over the Bulldogs with Wannamaker moving to right tackle in place of Fugar.

Moore suffered a late-week shoulder injury before the Tennessee game that kept him off the travel roster, which pushed another freshman, three-star Trovon Baugh, into the starting lineup at right guard against one of the most disruptive fronts in the country. Mercer transfer Ni Mansell also suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5, and Beamer noted the team was also struggling for depth at practice when freshman Chase Sweigert had to miss time.

What happened during the open week

After allowing six sacks at Tennessee, retooling the banged-up offensive line was a priority during the open week. With Baugh and Babalade cemented as the starters at right guard and left tackle respectively, the Gamecocks shifted the veterans around them to protect against inevitable rookie mistakes.

The biggest move was Lee shifting from center to right tackle as a support for Baugh, and Gargiulo took his spot at center. Gargiulo played center during his final season at Yale, and Lee has taken snaps almost everywhere on the line in his four years at South Carolina.

Junior Trai Jones also broke into the starting group for the first time at left guard, offering a veteran presence beside Babalade.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Diagnosing South Carolina football's biggest problems after fifth straight loss to Missouri

Weeks 7 and 8: Florida, Missouri

Undoubtedly South Carolina's worst two losses of the season came back-to-back after the open week, but the offensive line's start against Florida was more promising than it had been all year. The Gamecocks gave up just one sack in the first half and facilitated a dominant run game led by 67 yards from Mario Anderson before halftime. Baugh had easily his best game of the season with Lee's move to the right side.

Then, Lee suffered a knee injury shortly before the end of the second quarter and did not return to the game. His importance to the unit, both as a leader and for his play, became apparent against Mizzou. Spencer Rattler was sacked six times for a total loss of 48 yards, and the team combined for just 69 rushing yards. Fugar struggled so much in Lee's place at right tackle that he was benched for Wannamaker after halftime. Charlotte transfer Jaxon Hughes was also out with an undisclosed injury in Week 7 and 8, further limiting the options at tackle.

Follow South Carolina football beat reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gamecocks content: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Unpacking South Carolina football offensive line injuries, lineup moves