After the Oregon football team marched into Sun Devil Stadium and stunned Arizona State in double overtime, it began the process of limping back to Eugene.
Several key players on the offense and defense were banged-up, bruised and battered in the Ducks’ dramatic win. Fortunately, Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said that most of those injuries will amount to a few missed days of practice.
“I expect there to be a long list of walking wounded on Monday,” Bellotti said. “By Tuesday, everyone should be back.”
While most of those injuries aren’t too severe, a couple setbacks could have an impact on the rest of the season.
Senior defensive end Jason Nikolao, one of Oregon’s best defenders when it comes to stopping the run, partially tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Arizona State’s first possession of Saturday’s game.
While the typical recovery time for such an injury is between two and six weeks, Bellotti said he is optimistic that Nikolao will be back in two or three weeks.
If Bellotti’s timeline holds true, Nikolao would be back on the field in time for the Civil War. Not to mention Ken Simonton, the Pacific-10 Conference’s leading tailback. In the meantime, he will be replaced by junior Zack Freiter, who has been sharing time with Nikolao this season.
“He has been playing more and more each game and doing a good job,” Bellotti said. “His game shape is improving dramatically.”
Tailback Maurice Morris, who bruised some ribs Saturday, is another player Oregon must keep a close eye on. Morris will start against Washington State Saturday.
Last season, tailback Reuben Droughns had to wear a flak jacket to protect him from torn rib cartilage, which became a nuisance down the stretch of the season. However, Bellotti said that Morris’ injury is not as serious as Droughns’ was.
Cornerback Rashad Bauman had to leave Saturday’s game in the fourth quarter after sustaining a dislocated shoulder, but Bellotti expects him back to practice by mid-week and ready to play against the Cougars.
Defensive end Saul Patu (strained right knee), safety Ryan Mitchell (sore ankle) and linebacker Garrett Sabol (swelling in calf and left knee) are also on the “banged-up” list of Oregon players. According to Bellotti, all should be healthy enough to play in Saturday’s game.
And that’s a good thing — a quarterback like Washington State’s Jason Gesser would love to face a depleted Oregon defense.