Three OSU starters game-time decisions

Stroughter, Hughes, Afalava may not play at Utah

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Oct 1, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Sammie Strougher vows to play Thursday at Utah but admits that his hip pointer is still giving him trouble.

HARRY HOW / GETTY IMAGES

SALT LAKE CITY — The availability of senior starters Sammie Stroughter, Brendan Hughes and Al Afalava for Oregon State’s Thursday night encounter with 15th-ranked Utah will be game-time decisions.

Split end Stroughter (hip pointer), cornerback Hughes (strained hamstring) and safety Afalava (strained groin) all practiced some this week, but coach Mike Riley isn’t ready to say any of the three is going to play.

If they are unavailable, Darrell Catchings will start at split end, Tim Clark at cornerback and Suaesi Tuimaunei at safety.

“I’ll play,” Stroughter said Wednesday night before the team dinner, “but it’s sore, real sore.”

• Better injury news: Place-kicker Justin Kahut appears ready to go, quarterback Sean Canfield is a “bonafide” backup, according to Riley, and guard Jeremy Perry will suit up for the first time this season.

Kahut missed the SC game last week with a hip flexor. Canfield has been working back into form after January shoulder surgery. Perry has missed the entire season following knee surgery, “but he practiced all week, and I think he’ll be available,” Riley said.

• Utah (5-0) is a 12-point favorite over Oregon State (2-2), even after the Beavers’ stunning upset of No. 1-ranked Southern Cal. Nobody in the Beaver camp seemed to be sweating it.

“Hey, we’re improved,” Riley joked. “Weren’t we 23-point underdogs against SC?”

Actually, the day-of-game line was 26 points against the Trojans.

“It’s justifiable,” OSU defensive end Slade Norris said of the spread for the Utah game. “We’re unranked and they’re ranked 15th, and they’re playing at home. But we’re on top of our game right now. We’re excited to go in and face a very good team.”

“I kind of stopped worrying about things like that,” center Alex Linnenkohl said. “Anything can happen in college football; everybody knows that.

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