Head, not wrist, keeping Scott sidelined

Posted Nov 8, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Nov 8, 2011 at 10:50 PM

USF junior running back Darrell Scott was on the sidelines again for Tuesday’s practice, still recovering from injuries suffered in the loss at Rutgers that leave his status as questionable for Friday’s game at Syracuse.

Bulls coach Skip Holtz said following Tuesday’s workout that the concussion Scott suffered is of most concern, as the left wrist injury was diagnosed as just a sprain.

“He’s getting better every day, but they’ve got, with all the testing they can do and the baseline testing and the numbers, it used to be, ‘Are you good? Yeah, I’m good. Okay, you can play. Go on out there. You’re good.’ Now you’ve got to pass so many of the tests, which is a good thing, I mean, with what we know about concussions today,” Holtz said.

“There’s numbers involved with it, where they can measure where you are compared to where you started and he’s getting better every day and we’ll do it again tomorrow and kind of see where he is tomorrow and we’ll continue to do that as we get closer to the game. But right now, I don’t know. I know he’s improving every day.”

Should Scott, who leads the team with 611 rushing yards, be unavailable against the Orange, the Bulls not only would be forced to lean heavier on junior Demetris Murray, but also on sophomore Marcus Shaw, who has played mostly on special teams this season.

“I think Marcus has more big-play ability than any of the three tailbacks we have, but the other two are just so solid, every-down backs for us we just haven’t felt comfortable enough to get them off the field,” Holtz said. “But this will be a great opportunity for Marcus Shaw.”