Injury report: Gamecocks dealing with 'just normal bumps and bruises'
South Carolina held out several potential contributors for Saturday’s first scrimmage of preseason camp with what head coach Shane Beamer called “just normal bumps and bruises associated with preseason training camp” and also appeared to exit the scrimmage itself relatively healthy, Beamer said Saturday afternoon.
Running backs Rocket Sanders and Juju McDowell, wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs, offensive linemen Jakai Moore and Markee Anderson, tight end Reid Mikeska, EDGE Elijah Davis, and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott were all held out of the 100-play scrimmage.
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“Nothing major,” Beamer said. “All of those guys practiced this week, had just some normal bumps and bruises, and did not go today. Expect all of them to be back at practice tomorrow and ready to rock and roll. Got through the scrimmage, I think, health-wise pretty good. Had a couple of things that popped up but I don’t think that it will be anything long-term as we just came off the field a little bit ago. Hopefully that’s the case.”
While the most alarming name on that list at first glance may be Sanders, the Gamecocks former All-SEC transfer from Arkansas, Beamer indicated that it was more precautionary than anything.
“Rocket has done everything in practice, so before the story becomes, ‘Oh my God, Rocket Sanders is not healthy,’ Rocket Sanders is 100 percent healthy, and he’s done everything in practice,” Beamer said. “If anything, I’ve got to like tell him to like slow down a little bit because Joe (DeCamillis) has a special teams drill and he pops up and wants to be the first one in line to go do a special teams drill.
“And then we’re doing 1-on-1 blitz pickup, running backs and linebackers, which is as physical of a drill as those will get in a short area, and he’s blocked blitzing linebackers pretty regularly in the SEC, yet he’s up there just taking rep after rep after rep after rep. So he’s getting his work in during practice. We wanted to see some of those other guys today and just limit him a little bit.”
Sanders, who joined the program in January, missed the entire spring while rehabbing shoulder surgery, also reiterated in a press conference earlier this week that he felt 100 percent.
Martin-Scott, the starting linebacker, missed some early practice time with a minor hamstring injury. He was practicing on Friday but was held out Saturday.
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Beamer reiterated that Anderson and Moore should be back at practice soon.
“Outside of Markee and Jakai not playing today, (the offensive line has) been healthy,” Beamer said. “Markee just had something he kind of tweaked a little bit yesterday, I guess, or Thursday. And then Jakai, same thing. Expect both of them back at practice first part of this week.”
The Gamecocks will be back on the practice fields Sunday morning. The first five periods of that workout will be open to the media.
