Marcus Lattimore, Jadeveon Clowney back at South Carolina practice

With Lattimore out of the lineup, South Carolina could not get the run game going, rushing for only 36 yards on the day against a stout Florida defense.

Lattimore has been a scoring machine for South Carolina so far this season, scoring touchdowns in every single game except against Florida. He has 10 on the season and 597 yards on the ground. He has also caught 24 passes for 165 yards.

Quarles will miss the game, according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, and will be replaced by sophomore J.T. Surratt, who has seven tackles on the year. In limited action, Surratt also has recorded two tackles for a loss on the year.

Quarles’s absence could be a big factor in the game, as Quarles had compiled 30 tackles, six for a loss, on the year. Quarles had also accounted for six tackles for a loss.

Lattimore has been battling a bruised hip that he suffered against LSU last Saturday and missed Wednesday’s practice due to the injury. Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier was unsure if Lattimore would be able to play this weekend after Wednesday’s practice, but Lattimore was able to show trainers and the coaching staff that he is healthy enough to play in Saturday’s game.

Lattimore has been hobbled with a bruised hip all week, and after missing practice Wednesday, Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier feared that Lattimore might miss this weekend’s game against the No. 2 Florida Gators. With Lattimore back at practice, he should play at least a small part in the game Saturday.

Clowney was one of a six players that missed practice Wednesday due to the flu, but the All-American candidate was healthy enough to return to practice Thursday and should be able to play against the Gators.

One week after facing an elite team on the road in a hostile environment (LSU in Baton Rouge), South Carolina has to head out and face an elite team on the road in a hostile environment (Florida in Gainesville). Whether or not you agree with Florida as the No. 2 team in the country (their current BCS ranking), there is no question at this point that the Gators have improved dramatically in Will Muschamp’s second season in charge. The defense has gone from good (22nd in Def. F/+) to elite (10th), the offense has gone from terribly mediocre (65th in Off. F/+) to good (24th), and the Florida special teams unit is again among the best in the country. The Gators would likely be favored against a full-strength South Carolina team at this point.

If nothing else, South Carolina has some experience in missing Marcus Lattimore. The junior missed the last half of the 2011 season with a knee injury, and despite the fact that the offense had been run entirely through him to that point, South Carolina didn’t actually miss him when he was gone.