Gamecocks vs. Texas A&M: Mike Davis’ health in the spotlight

Thursday night, and throughout the season, a major focus will be on the health of South Carolina Gamecocks running back Mike Davis.

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You know the story: Davis being held out of the start of preseason practice after dealing with some hamstring issues. Davis returns, but is pulled from practice toward the end of preseason thanks to a rib injury, leading Steve Spurrier to doubt whether or not the junior would be ready to go for tomorrow. Davis takes to Twitter, declaring himself ready.

But it goes a little deeper than that. As you’ll remember, he was banged up down the stretch last year and faded considerably toward the end of the season. Imagine what a healthy Davis could have done yardage-wise.

Will we have to simply imagine a fully healthy Davis again this year? Time will tell. And if, and only if, he goes down for any stretch of time, will the team still be in good shape with guys like Shon Carson and Brandon Wilds in the backfield? We aren’t 100% sure.

One thing is clear: Mike Davis wants to be out there. How much time he’ll see out there could be the difference between a possible playoff bid and another missed opportunity to bring home the team’s first SEC title.