Jadeveon Clowney maintains he’ll return

South Carolina defensive end, ESPN star and dreadlocked giant Jadeveon Clowney has promised that he will return in 2013 after missing the Kentucky game through bruised ribs.

Clowney’s decision not to play the Kentucky game really annoyed South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who said that Clowney simply: “Didn’t want to play”. It soon became the biggest story of last week’s college football schedule…and maybe the biggest of the year.

But Clowney put stories of his demise to (some) rest by saying in a press conference today saying (via tweets from GamecockCentral.com): “I haven’t played my last game yet. I’m going to get back on the field.” The tweet added that Clowney said that it was a matter of “when” not “if”.

In a video shown on Sportscenter, he also said: “I can’t really run right now.” He has been listed as ‘questionable’ for Saturday’s trip to Arkansas, where the porous Gamecocks ‘D’ will try and stop the running talents of one Alex Collins.

Sarah Jane Harris, a reporter for ABC Columbia also tweeted: “Clowney made it clear that he is still committed to the team, gets treatments everyday on injuries and can’t wait to get back on the field.”

Spurrier has since apologised, saying that everyone handled the injury “poorly”.

BOTTOM LINE: Whether Clowney likes it or not, Steve Spurrier’s really furious at him. He’s furious because his ‘D’ is porous without him – especially against Georgia and in the fourth quarter of games, and they failed to beat Kentucky as soundly as they probably should have. Right now, South Carolina has to man up and get ready to battle Arkansas, who were pretty strong with their run defense at Florida, if not their pass ‘D’.