Hoke: Darrell Taylor probably out for first half against South Carolina

Darrell Taylor — a key piece for the Tennessee Volunteers up front — will likely miss the first half of the South Carolina game. Taylor was ejected from the Georgia game after getting in a pretty tame “fight” with a Georgia tight end.

As Tennessee defensive line coach Brady Hoke understands, that’s going to result in a suspension for the first half against South Carolina. “As far as I’m aware, I think that’s true,” Hoke said when asked about the possibility of Taylor missing time.

For what it’s worth, I found this on the NCAA website. The paragraph is referencing targeting, but confirms that the penalty for fighting in the second half would result in missing the first half of the next game.

The new rule in football means that discipline for those players flagged for violations will mirror the penalty for fighting. If the foul occurs in the first half of a game, the player is ejected for the remainder of the game. If the foul occurs in the second half or overtime of a game, the player is ejected for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next contest.

This is an obvious blow to an important position that already doesn’t have much depth. Kyle Phillips and Jonathan Kongbo will have their work cut out for them as they try and get after Jake Bentley. Hoke did mention DeAndre Johnson and Matthew Butler as guys that could see some time in the rotation.