Sept. 3, 2012

University of South Carolina junior tailback Marcus Lattimore has been selected as the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Vanderbilt in week 1, it was announced today.

Lattimore, a 6-0, 218-pounder from Duncan, S.C., returned to the gridiron for the first time since last October when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win at Mississippi State. He responded with a game-high 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 23 carries to lead the Gamecocks to a 17-13 conference win over the Commodores. He also caught three passes for 21 yards. Lattimore’s 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put the Gamecocks in front early by a 7-0 score. His second score, a one-yard run in the fourth quarter, proved to be the winning points in the contest.

Lattimore, who leads all current collegiate players in average yards per game for a career, was selected as the league’s Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career.

Lattimore and the Gamecocks will host East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. That 12:21 p.m. contest will be televised regionally on the SEC Network with Dave Neal, Andre Ware and Cara Capuano calling the action.