South Carolina will now be without two key players in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against No. 20 Illinois. With the news of EDGE rusher Kyle Kennard opting out of the bowl game to begin preparing for the NFL Draft, the Gamecocks got slapped with the news of Raheim "Rocket" Sanders also declaring for the NFL Draft and presumably missing the Chee-It Bowl as well.
Sanders was the leading rusher for the Gamecocks this season with 881 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. The run game was a big part of the Gamecock offense, but the bad news is that the majority of it came not from running backs, but one running back and two quarterbacks.
Who is the backup running back for South Carolina?
When looking at South Carolina's depth chart, the next man up after Sanders is senior transfer Oscar Adaway III, who joined the Gamecocks this season after four seasons at North Texas. Adaway had 226 rushing yards for the Gamecocks and two touchdowns as well as adding 108 rushing yards to his stat sheet.
Adaway could also choose to opt out of the bowl game as well if he chooses to test the waters in the pros as well, so it might be more beneficial to look at the rushing aspect of the bowl game as a committee.
The two running backs that follow up Adaway in rushing yards are sophomore Jawarn Howell and senior Juju McDowell. Howell finished the season with 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and McDowell finished with 87 rushing yards but didn't find the endzone this season.
It seems as though Adaway is going to get the start with the most experience in the position and be the next man up. The good news is that the rushing attack won't be completely on Adaway's shoulders as he has the help of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and even though he entered the transfer portal, will also have backup quarterback Robby Ashford.
Sellers was the second-leading rusher for the Gamecocks this season with 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The threat of Sellers' legs is enough to open up a lot for the running back position, and as long as Adaway can get going enough to make the defense respect both the run and the pass.