Will Muschamp updates status of injured South Carolina DE D.J. Wonnum

South Carolina played Saturday without defensive end D.J. Wonnum because of a sprained ankle after he left the season opener against Coastal Carolina in the third quarter.

While he wouldn’t have made the difference in the Gamecocks loss to Georgia, he could have helped minimize the damage of the Bulldogs offense.

Instead of coming back sooner rather than later, South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp told reporters Sunday night during his weekly teleconference that Wonnum will be out for at least a month. The Gamecocks play Marshall next weekend at home before hitting the road for games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky before returning home for the Missouri game.

Brutal. Will Muschamp says D.J. Wonnum has a tear in a ligament inside his ankle. He's out for about a month.

— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) September 9, 2018

Will Muschamp says D.J. Wonnum will be out about a month with a torn ligament in his ankle. Bad news for a defense that struggled Saturday. #Gamecocks

— Jeff Owens (@jeffowens_jeff) September 9, 2018

The loss will be significant given Wonnum’s production last season when he led the team with 6 sacks. Without Wonnum anchoring the line on Saturday, the Gamecocks gave up 271 yards rushing with three touchdowns on the ground to the Bulldogs.

Nick Krueger

Nick covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.