MarShawn Lloyd, Josh Vann discuss injury status after missing scrimmage Saturday
South Carolina was without two of their bigger offensive playmakers in Saturday’s scrimmage, but neither seemed too worried talking with the media Monday.
Both receiver Josh Vann and running back MarShawn Lloyd spoke with the media and were rather optimistic about injuries not being a long-term thing.
Each said they were doing some sort of work off to the side at times.
“It’s never good sitting out. But for the most part they have me doing RTP,” Vann said. “They have me up there doing my mechanics and making sure I’m not overdoing it. I’m taking baby steps for when I go back on the field.”
Vann didn’t say what his injury was, but Lloyd mentioned he was dealing with a “minor” sprain in his foot.
Head coach Shane Beamer said after the scrimmage neither guy would miss extended time, and Lloyd mentioned there’s a possibility of him potentially coming back this week.
“It wasn’t anything major. We’re just watching. Today I was in the weight room, doing extra conditioning,” Lloyd said. “I’ve just been getting ready if I did go back this week.”
The Gamecocks need both guys to be available heading into this season, Vann the Gamecocks’ leading receiver last season and Lloyd the projected starter at running back.
With both out Saturday, South Carolina’s coaches got a chance to look at a few other players in the scrimmage. That left Lloyd optimistic about the running back room moving forward.
“We look really good. We have a great backfield,” he said. “If one goes down, the other can do the same exact thing.”
The running back room is somewhat thin right now with Lloyd and likely impact player Christian Beal-Smith missing the scrimmage.
That leaves Juju McDowell and Rashad Amos as the only two healthy guys who’ve carried a ball for South Carolina. That will need to change with less than three weeks to go until the season.
“Something I would like to see more? Just availability,” McDowell said. “I miss little Uno and CBS. I got to have my guys back.”
But with those guys out, McDowell mentioned the chemistry in the room “hasn’t been altered.”
Both Lloyd and Beal-Smith were active on the sidelines during South Carolina’s practice Monday when they didn’t need to be.
“Those guys were not in practice today but they were on the sidelines as vocal as anybody else. That’s what a leader is,” McDowell said. “They were out there, in the heat and on the sideline with us. That says a lot.”
The Gamecocks had an off day Monday and will have another full week of practice this week before the final scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday night.
