Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Big news just before the first snap.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will be without four of their players tonight at Vanderbilt.

Toure Boyd, Alan Knott, Christian Pellage, and Abu Lamin have been suspended for a “violation of team rules”. Boyd, Knott, and Pellage are suspended for just tonight, while Lamin will sit for the first three games – tonight, Mississippi State, and ECU.

Since the news came out just before kickoff, it’s not known what the nature of the rules violation was. We’ll have to wait and see during Will Muschamp’s postgame press conference what the precise reason is. Knott is the most notable; he was set to be in the offensive line rotation despite suffering a hand injury that would equal him giving up the starting role to Cory Helms.

GABA will keep an eye on this story as it develops, and we’ll pass along the latest news from Nashville throughout and after the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.