South Carolina will be down two more starting defensive players for the Belk Bowl.
Junior defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and senior cornerback Keisean Nixon will both miss the Dec. 29 matchup with Virginia, Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp said Thursday.
Kinlaw had surgery recently to repair a labral tear in his hip.
“We could have waited until after the bowl, but we wanted to go ahead and get him healthy for his senior season,” Muschamp said.
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Nixon has a fracture in his neck, which was discovered after the Akron game, Muschamp said.