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Shane Beamer shares status on 2 South Carolina RBs ahead of Tennessee game
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South Carolina will look to end Tennessee’s College Football Playoff hopes Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The good news? It’s a night game. The bad news? Everything else.
Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer announced Thursday during his weekly radio show that both MarShawn Lloyd and Christian Beal-Smith would miss Saturday’s game against the No. 5 Volunteers. Both players have been essential to the offensive success this season following inconsistent quarterback play from Spencer Rattler.
“We’ll see where they are next week,” Beamer said, via The State’s Ben Portnoy, “but right now they don’t feel like they’re capable of playing up to their ability on Saturday.”
Lloyd, South Carolina’s leading rusher, missed most of the second half against Missouri after suffering a thigh injury in the 2nd quarter. He’s missed the last two games against Vanderbilt and Florida. In 8 games, Lloyd has rushed for 556 yards off 100 carries and scored 9 touchdowns- 3rd-most among SEC running backs.
Beal-Smith, a transfer from Wake Forest and the Gamecock’s No. 2 runner, has been dealing with a lower-body injury. In 6 games, he’s rushed for 146 yards on 34 carries and scored 5 touchdowns. Beal-Smith did not play in last week’s 30-6 road loss against the Gators.
With both runners out, the Gamecocks will turn to sophomore Juju McDowell and do-it-all weapon Jahiem Bell as their leading rushers. Last week against the Gators, McDowell tallied just 11 yards on 2 carries. Bell, who primarily has seen action at tight end, led South Carolina with 12 carries for 30 yards.
Kickoff from Columbia is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Football who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.
