What We Don’t Know This Week: South Carolina Edition

Possible injuries to key players in secondary leading to shootout?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Don't ask because we don't know about any injuries, much less the important ones.

While Arkansas coach Sam Pittman had no answers at the press conference after Saturday's 31-24 win over Cincinnati about safeties Jalen Catalon and Myles Slusher.

Pittman felt Slusher would be okay. He wasn't so sure about Catalon.

Arkansas Razorbacks safety Myles Slusher makes a tackle against Cincinnati's Leonard Taylor that caused some sort of injury where the status is not known. (Ted McClenning / allHOGS Images)

Don't chalk up everything you'll hear this week about the Bearcats having receivers wide open downfield to them being out.

It was happening with them in the game.

Cornerback Dwight McGlothern jumped an out route where Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant didn't throw it particularly well and brought it back 51 yards to set up the first touchdown of the game.

We'll get our first tidbits of information on their status Monday at noon in Pittman's weekly press conference looking ahead to Saturday's game with South Carolina.

At first glance, that game now seems really interesting and there weren't a whole lot of preseason rundowns of wins and losses that had that one with an L in front of it.

If you go off numbers from the first game the Hogs have an overwhelming offensive edge. Quarterback KJ Jefferson had a quarterback rating of 179.4 while Gamecocks starter Spencer Rattler had a rather lackluster 111.8 against Georgia State.

South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler takes off running in a 35-14 win over Georgia State on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. (Jeff Blake / USA TODAY Sports)

But all of that last week means nothing this week and you can handicap it to death with numbers but football these days come down to matchups.

Can the Hogs' defense figure out a way to stop Rattler's passing. It wasn't particularly impressive in South Carolina's opener but Rattler can still make throws ... and plays.

Don't start comparing numbers because the Gamecocks were winning 35-14. The Hogs were one fumble away from looking at possible trouble in the fourth quarter against the Bearcats.

After re-watching the game Saturday, the Hogs got sporadic pressure on Cincinnati. The problem is the receivers were still wide open downfield.

Similar to last year's game against Texas, the Bearcats couldn't hit water falling out of a boat.

That's a hard path to plan on happening every week.

Which puts it back on defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who has dialed up some creative defenses the past couple of years and he might have to do it that again.

Depending on how these injuries shake out likely will affect that.

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