How the Gamecocks dodged a potential spring game injury scare

Several South Carolina players said the primary goal for the team in last Saturday’s spring game was simple: get out healthy.

The Gamecocks just about did it, but not without a little scare.

Tight end Kyle Markway went down after a play, and considering his history, there was cause for concern. That and the fact it was a knee injury.

“When I saw it in the scrimmage, it didn’t look good,” Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said. “Fortunately, it’s just a little sprained MCL and will require no surgery.”

The recovery from that can range from 2 to 6 weeks. When it happens, it’s often a player getting hit in the side of the knee, which always raises the specter of a torn ligament and the lengthy recovery involved.

Injuries have not been kind to Markway the past two seasons. He played in every game as a freshman, but a foot injury cost him the 2016 season and a rib injury ended his 2017 after only a few games.

The 6-foot-4, 248-pound Missouri product always has projected as an in-line blocking tight end, but has been caught up in the depth the team had behind Hayden Hurst the past few years.

Hurst is gone, and it’s not yet clear who will be in the committee that fills that vacuum. Even if Markway isn’t a primary player in the offensive rotation, tight ends are always valued on a slew of special teams units.

After hardly playing in Muschamp’s first two years, the coach is relieved to not lose him again.

“He’s going to be fine, thank goodness,” Muschamp said. “Kyle, man our first two years has had the worst luck with injuries and different things that have happened. I’m happy he’s finally healthy.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2018 at 4:23 PM with the headline "How the Gamecocks dodged a potential spring game injury scare."