R.J. Mickens injury update: Clemson football safety to miss NC State game
CLEMSON — Clemson football will be down two starters against NC State in Week 10.
Starting safety R.J. Mickens will be absent Saturday (2 p.m. ET, CW) when the Tigers (4-3, 2-3 ACC) face the Wolfpack (4-3, 1-2). Receiver Antonio Williams will also miss time with a toe injury, coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday.
Swinney said Tuesday that Mickens, a senior, developed appendicitis and had his appendix removed Monday. He will take time to recover from surgery, and Swinney said he is unsure when Mickens could return.
Mickens has started all seven games for Clemson at strong safety. He has 32 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss this season.
Behind Mickens on the depth chart is sophomore Sherrod Covil Jr., who has played in all of Clemson's games this season with 10 tackles.
Clemson has had injuries in the secondary throughout the season. Its game against Miami last week was the first time since Week 4 that all the starters in the secondary were available after injuries sidelined nickelback Andrew Mukuba for two games, cornerback Nate Wiggins for two and cornerback Sheridan Jones for one.
MORE: Where does Clemson football go from here? Dabo Swinney has tall task to motivate, fix team
Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: R.J. Mickens to miss Clemson football game at NC State
