COLUMBIA — South Carolina football running back Juju McDowell will be out for the rest of the 2023 season after breaking his collarbone in the first quarter against Vanderbilt on Saturday, coach Shane Beamer said.

McDowell was the Gamecocks' only returning running back who played significant snaps in 2022. Senior Dakereon Joyner, who converted from wide receiver to running back this season, did not play against Vanderbilt due to a lower-body injury sustained against Jacksonville State.

Newberry transfer Mario Anderson has started since Week 4 and took the majority of the running back snaps in the 47-6 win for South Carolina (4-6, 2-5 SEC) over the Commodores (2-9, 0-7). Freshman Djay Braswell also played more than he has since Furman in Week 2, finishing with 32 all-purpose yards. The pair are now the only healthy scholarship running backs on the roster.

McDowell, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior, has 61 rushing yards this season with two touchdowns on 25 carries, plus 87 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. He has 530 career rushing yards and 352 receiving yards.

South Carolina's victory over Vanderbilt was its first SEC win since beating Mississippi State in Week 4 and its largest margin of victory this season. The Gamecocks have to win out to reach the six-win bowl eligibility threshold and will look for their third consecutive win against SEC East rival Kentucky (6-4, 3-4) on Nov. 18 (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).

Follow South Carolina football beat reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gamecocks content: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football's Juju McDowell suffers broken collarbone