It was a lively practice on Wednesday as the No. 13 Oregon Ducks continued to prepare for the UCLA Bruins this Saturday. Yesterday was the last day of open practice for the media for player interviews and the big news was the season-ending knee injury cornerback Willie Glasper sustained in a non-contact drill during practice on Tuesday.
The team announced Tuesday night that the senior from Pittsburg, Calif., had an MRI, and that procedure showed that Glasper had to have surgery. The press release didn’t say what exactly the injury was, only that he would not be back to play in an Oregon uniform.
Glasper was the backup for injured cornerback Walter Thurmond III and had played the last two games in his place. This year he had been playing the best football of his time at Oregon, with 11 tackles in the first five games. Seven of those came in the last two games.
As for Glasper, he’s in OK spirits after the tough break, saying that things could have been a lot worse for him.
“On the bright side at least I’m alive,” he said with a smile.
But it is still difficult for the senior and the rest of the team to watch as players continue to drop. Lineman Mark Asper, commented on this, saying it reminded him of 2007 when a horde of guys went out with injuries.
“It’s just like a couple of years ago when (Brian) Paysinger tore his ACL in practice, then Nate (Costa) tore his ACL then Dennis (Dixon) and all of those fluky things,” Asper said. “It’s part of the game. You just have to buck up and say we’re going to make it happen with the guys that we have.”
However, there were a few bright notes for the team has two players who have been out for a long time are finally back in pads. Wide receiver Rory Cavaille has practiced all week and looks closer to a return, although he’s still wearing a red jersey so he’s still not ready for full contact.
The other is safety T.J. Ward who predicted on Monday that he would be back practicing on Wednesday, and if he did, he would play this weekend. Well, he was out there on the Autzen turf, with a big wrap around his healed ankle, participating in full contact drills and playing with the first unit.
Also encouraging to see was quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in shells on Wednesday. The junior hadn’t even put on pads Monday or Tuesday, so to see him in shoulder pads and a helmet was a positive sign that his knee injury might not be as bad as the rumors predict. Masoli didn’t participate in any of the team drills the last hour of practice, but he said he was “doing good.” He also spoke on his injury, calling it a “bruise,” and saying there’s a tiny tear.
Masoli was walking with just a little bit of stiffness, but the Ducks are confident enough that if Costa gets hurt on Saturday, they can use Masoli in a pinch. And while on the topic of Costa, he again looked sharp and was taking all the reps with the first team, but he did throw an interception in the team’s end of scrimmage “clutch drill.”
Defensive lineman Brandon Bair — who is 6’7″ — got a hand on a pass over the middle and linebacker Spencer Paysinger ended up with the ball in his hands and ran it back for a would-be touchdown if the coaches hadn’t blown the whistle. Costa said in practice on Tuesday that he expects to be the starting quarterback on Saturday and today confirmed that with Masoli still not up to speed.
A few other notes:
• Offensive lineman C.E. Kaiser didn’t practice again because of his shin injury, and he was spotted on the sidelines getting his left leg wrapped during practice.
• Safety Javes Lewis and a few other members of the team weren’t suited up for practice because they were sick. Lewis missed practice on Tuesday as well and the players who were sick were standing in the corner of the end zone with surgical masks over their mouths to protect the rest of the team.
• And finally, this wouldn’t be an update if there wasn’t at least one mention about uniforms. The Ducks were wearing their all-green helmets all week in practice, so that leads one to assume the possibility of a green helmet, white jersey and green bottoms combo. Oregon has done that in the past, however, so perhaps they will try out a more unique combination like all-whites with the green helmet or some variation that even the most loyal Duck fans couldn’t fathom.
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Injuries mounting: Willie Glasper done
Daily Emerald
October 6, 2009
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