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Among the several SEC East teams to suffer brutal losses to open the season were the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks fell to a North Carolina Tar Heels team that won just two games a year ago. Not only did the Gamecocks lose the game, but they appear to have lost their quarterback and three-year starter Jake Bentley, who reportedly has a broken foot, according to Mike Uva.
Breaking: Ryan Hilinski has been informed from the USC coaching staff that he will start this week at QB for the Gamecocks and moving forward, per source. One source told me Bentley is expected to be out at least 6 weeks with a broken foot but it could be longer. @wachfox
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) September 2, 2019
With Bentley set to miss several weeks weeks, he will more than likely be out when his Gamecocks take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Columbia later this month. In two career starts against the Wildcats, Bentley is 0-2 and with five interceptions. Thus, this season’s matchup would’ve been a chance for him to get revenge. Now the senior could miss his final opportunity to take on the Cats.
Instead, it appears the Wildcats will get a look at true freshman Ryan Hilinski at the end of September. Hilinski was ranked as the nation’s 64th-overall prospect for 2019, according to 247 sports. He was also ranked second in the nation among pro-style quarterbacks.
The highly-rated quarterback will likely be the man Kentucky sees under center when they take on the Gamecocks the next 3-4 years, so this month’s matchup will give them a chance to see what they’re up against.