Riley says he won't let injured Quizz answer Sun Bowl bell

Freshman's cracked scapula leads OSU coach to look for other offense

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Dec 23, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Oregon State coach Mike Riley says he won't let injured running back Jacquizz Rodgers play in the Sun Bowl.

LISA BLUMENFELD / GETTY IMAGES

With a cracked scapula (shoulder blade), odds are extremely unlikely that Jacquizz Rodgers will play for Oregon State against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl Dec. 31 at El Paso, Texas.

OSU’s highly decorated freshman tailback, who was hurt against Arizona and missed the Civil War game on Nov. 29, hopes to play, and the Beavers’ medical staff is working toward preparing him to play against the 18th-ranked Panthers.

Coach Mike Riley, however, is inclined to take precautions to protect the team’s most important investment for the future. Mindful of ex-OSU tailback Yvenson Bernard’s problems with shoulder injuries, Riley will almost surely take the conservative route and keep Rodgers — the Pac-10 offensive player and freshman of the Year, national freshman of the year by both The Sporting News and Rivals.com and a third-team Associated Press All-American — on the sidelines in El Paso.

“I don’t think Quizz will play,” Riley said Thursday in his most definitive statement of the subject. “I’m not going to let him.

“The bone will calcify and heal, probably in plenty of time to let him play. The thing is, I don’t want him to keep separating his shoulder. (Bernard) ended up having shoulder surgery. I don’t want Quizz to have setback ... with a running back, (shoulder problems) can last forever. Somebody is really going to have to convince me before I let him play.”

Rodgers’ older brother, sophomore flanker James, already has been ruled out of the Sun Bowl because of a broken collarbone.

“It will be harder to win without those two, no doubt about it,” Riley says. “It’s going to take playing great defense, winning the special-teams battle, our O-line doing a great job, more of Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales, and Ryan McCants running like he is capable of.”

McCants, the backup tailback, gained 32 yards on 10 carries against Oregon — one yard on five attempts in the first half. The 6-2, 230-pound freshman was ineffective, “but so was our (offensive ) line,” Riley says. “We couldn’t run early, and then we got behind. When we did run after that, it was just to keep (the Ducks) honest. It was never a Beaver style of game. When we’re throwing 50-plus passes, we’re probably losing.”

Riley is genuinely impressed with Pittsburgh (9-3, 5-2 in Big East), coached by his old NFL cohort, Dave Wannstedt.

The Panthers “are solid in all three phases of the game, and excellent in special teams,” Riley says. “They have blocked 10 punts and kicks this year.

“Their running back (LeSean McCoy), is outstanding, very quick and strong,” Riley says. “He has the stuff to be a great NFL running back some day. They sometimes use the Wildcat offense, where he receives the direct snap, and he’ll run the ball from there. They force defenses to load up on him, and then they have big, physical receivers who go up and get the ball. It’s a good recipe.

“Like Dave says, it’s not fancy, and you have to watch them for awhile. They’ll go a few series and you’ll think, ‘These guys aren’t doing much.’ But they keep coming at you, and eventually they win the majority of the battles.”

Pittsburgh’s defense, led by All-American middle linebacker Scott McKillop, is similar to Oregon State’s 4-3 system.

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